Uğur Mumcu family files 'Mehmet Ağar' petition: 'He should be heard as a witness'

Yalçın Akbal, the lawyer for the family of journalist and author Uğur Mumcu, has submitted a request for 'tevsi-i tahkikat'—an expansion of the investigation, meaning the collection and evaluation of evidence not included in the indictment—to the Ankara 5th High Criminal Court ahead of the May 30 trial of the fugitive assassination suspect Oğuz Demir.

In the petition submitted to the court, Yalçın Akbal summarized the crimes and connections of the defendant Oğuz Demir before and after the assassination. The petition included the following statements:

"In this context, the fact that Oğuz Demir, who directly participated in 11 incidents including the murders of Uğur Mumcu and Ahmet Taner Kışlalı between 1991 and 1999, could commit such murders so easily without any information being obtained about him is a complete mental breakdown.

It is even more grave that Oğuz Demir managed to slip through the hands of law enforcement and escape in Sincan in May 2000, losing his trail. And although Oğuz Demir is still sought on the Ministry of Interior's 'wanted' list as a member of the 'Tevhid-Selam Jerusalem Army Terror Organization,' not the slightest progress has been made to date in capturing this individual."

"THERE IS INTELLIGENCE THAT OĞUZ DEMİR IS IN IRAN"

The petition noted that Mumcu's wife, Güldal Mumcu, requested an appointment with Deputy Minister of Interior Mehmet Aktaş to ask for information regarding Oğuz Demir, and that Aktaş returned the call about a week later, providing information that "there is intelligence that Demir is in Iran, that he was seen in Chechnya at one point, and that he took his children and wife abroad during this process."

"PULL A BRICK AND THE WALL WILL COLLAPSE"

Lawyer Akbal posed several questions regarding the matter and requested that a writ be issued to the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). The petition argued that the primary goal is to lift the veil of secrecy over the murder and that it is a known fact that public officials were involved in some of the assassinations that took place in the 90s. It recalled the exchange between the then-General Director of Security Mehmet Ağar, who told Güldal Mumcu during a condolence visit that "it is as if a wall is being built," and Güldal Mumcu's response: "Pull a brick and the wall will collapse."

The petition, which alleges that Mehmet Ağar has knowledge about the background of the Mumcu murder, stated: "Within the scope of the information explained above regarding the fugitive Oğuz Demir, we request by proxy that a writ be issued to the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, and the National Intelligence Organization, and that, with the acceptance of our request for an expansion of the investigation, the then-General Director of Security Mehmet Ağar, who has knowledge about the Uğur Mumcu murder and the dark power centers behind it, be heard before your court."