Conspiracies, 'big brothers', judges, and the lessons that must be learned!

I am one of the journalists who tried to follow from start to finish the Ergenekon and Balyoz conspiracy cases set up against hundreds of patriots.

The first hearing ofErgenekon was held on October 20, 2008.Since then, except for illness or urgent matters, I did not leaveSilivri.

I read approximately three thousand pages of the tens of thousands of pages of the indictment. I could not read it all; in fact, anyone—including the judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and defendants of that period—who says "I read it" is lying.

Because it is technically impossible!

***

I formed close friendships with journalists on trial, as well as faculty members, politicians, legal professionals, military officers, and leaders of non-governmental organizations.

At times, I reflected their bewilderment, their grievances, and most often, their defiance.

In these cases involving thousands of people, I did not see a single person crying or complaining, except for the weeds that they tried to insert among them. 

Because they were in the right.

There was no organization or anything of the sort.

In fact, there was not even a crime committed.

For example, in the 'Balyoz' (Sledgehammer) case,there was only a fabricated suitcase handed to a charlatan posing as a journalist, and the forged documents inside it.

As for Ergenekon, it was the FETO-affiliatedprosecutor Zekeriya Öz and was a poorly constructed scenario by his cronies. 

***

Reading even the introduction of the text presented to the court as an indictment was enough for me to understand that thousands of accused people were innocent.

However; some who never once attended those hearings, FETO-affiliated Taraf Newspaperand accepted what they wrote as truth without objection The so-called intellectuals who said "not enough, but yes"had already made their decisions.

All of those on trial wanted to stage a "Kemalist" coup. In other words, they were guilty. 

Therefore, they all had to be sentenced to the maximum penalty.

***

As I said; I watched those hearings for years.

At times, I was among those shoved and pushed by gendarmes outside the courthouse; at other times, I was among those affected by the pepper gas sprayed into the courtroom. 

My close monitoring of these trials and reporting them to the public bothered some people.

Even the late Okay Gönensin, who was a columnist at Vatan Gazetesi , where I worked at the time, tried to mock me because of this determination of mine:

"Go ahead and write, Mustafa... Let's see when we'll hear the news that your house was raided at five in the morning."

He could never hear it...

But I was the one who discovered and revealed that his name appeared in the indictments of the same case.

Gönensin, who implied that I was an Ergenekonist,, Ergenekonwas accused of being in contact with.

***

If it were only Okay Gönensin it would be fine...

Even my own older brother, who is a legal professional but unfortunately Taraf Newspaperwas influenced by, and who was once a staunch leftist, even he accused me of being a "bootlicker". Because of this accusation, I did not speak to him for years...

I won't lie; after that point, our relationship was never the same again! 

***

Towards the end of the trials, we learned that the section reserved for journalists 

had been closed by Presiding Judge Hasan Hüseyin Özese, and that we had been relegated to the very back rows of the spectator gallery. This was a clear attempt to isolate us. 

The reason for the closure was that the rows where we sat were close to the defendants and that we chatted with them while entering and leaving the courtroom.

In those days, the Turkish Journalists Federation'sthen President Atilla Sertel and Iprotested this decision by shouting at the top of our lungs. 

Presiding Judge Hasan Hüseyin Özese warned us with a smile:

"If you like, we can include you among the defendants as well!"

***

Why did I feel the need to recount my own Ergenekon adventure in such great detail?

Because a verdict has been reached in the trial of the former judges who presided over these cases. 

The 8th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation has handed down various prison sentences to the former judges and prosecutors who served in the Ergenekon case. 

In the case, the defendants Presiding Judge Hasan Hüseyin Özese and members Fatih Mehmet Uslu and Nihat Topal were each sentenced to 22 years and 6 months in prison, while Hüsnü Çalmuk was sentenced to 21 years and 3 months.

Their crimes include membership in a terrorist organization, abuse of office, and deprivation of liberty.

***

It is not over; there are dozens more to join this team FETÖ judges and prosecutors. Their trials are ongoing.

These individuals, who betrayed the profession they belonged to that day and used the power they derived from their positions to steal thousands of years in total from the lives of thousands of honorable people, and who mocked those who rebelled against the injustices they committed—this "traitors of justice"would one day inevitably receive the punishment they deserve.

Just as I believe that those who govern us today, those who disregard our constitution and laws, and those who have carried out a civilian coup will be put on trial...

***

Those who fell ill because of those cases or who could not bear the treacherous accusations leveled against them and ended their own lives...

I will never forget Türkan Saylan, İlhan Selçuk, Cem Aziz Çakmak, Kuddusi Okkır, Muzaffer Tekin, Ali Tatar, Mehmet Haşimoğlu, Fahri Aydın, Kaşif Kozinoğlu, Ali Tarık Akça, Nazlıgül Daştanoğlu, Murat Özenalp, Berk Erden, Özden Örnek, Mustafa Kelleci, İzzettin Gürdal, and Soner Polat... I will never forget them...

Each of them is, for me, a “a monument of honor!”

***

My words are for all the judges and prosecutors who are close to the government today, who turn instructions from the Palaceand the ministries into rulings, and who are promoted in return:

Let the ruling of the 8th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassationbe a lesson to you all!

Do not forget, the judges and prosecutors who are sentenced to decades in prison today were also once 15-16 years ago, they were acting just as arrogant as you are.

Because they were being protected by the government.

They were provided with armored cars.

They had everything they could ever want at their disposal.

They were suffering from power poisoning.

Yet, as you can see, everything turned upside down in an instant; those who were judges yesterday have ended up in prison today.

I say this: do not bow down to those who hand out positions to you for free today, or to those who pat you on the back and interfere with the decisions you make as judges and prosecutors.

Rest assured; they will never pay the price for the unjust decisions they made you take!

The victim will be just like Hasan Hüseyin Özese, Fatih Mehmet Uslu, Nihat Topal, and Hüsnü Çalmuk and it will be you...

***

And the final word...

Because they saw that these cases were conspiracy trials back in those days and took a stance accordingly, FETÖ'sTo all the Taraf Newspaperfueled 'big brothers' who even accused their own siblings of being "bootlickers": Do you feel even a little bit of shame?

Does your face turn red at all?