Tension Over "Lies" in Hablemitoğlu Assassination Trial

Müyesser YILDIZ - 12punto.com.tr

Today's session of the trial held at the Ankara 28th High Criminal Court began with an unusual practice. Officials admitted those who would observe the hearing, including journalists, only after checking their identification. Officials stated that this measure was implemented to prevent individuals who had previously testified as witnesses from entering the courtroom.

The trial's sole detained defendant, Nuri Gökhan Bozkır, along with non-detained defendants Levent Göktaş, Tarkan Mumcuoğlu, Fikret Emek, Aydın Köstem, and Mehmet Narin, were present in the courtroom for today's session, where the first witness to be heard was journalist Abdurrahman Şimşek. Şimşek, who interviewed Nuri Gökhan Bozkır in Ukraine in 2020, claimed that after the interview concluded, Bozkır had stated off-the-record that Tarkan Mumcuoğlu killed Hablemitoğlu, and that Levent Göktaş and Fikret Emek were at the center of the operation. This claim caused an uproar in the courtroom. While Nuri Gökhan Bozkır shouted, "He is lying. Damn you," defense attorneys also reacted, stating, "Şimşek is reading the indictment and solving the murder himself."

While other defendants did not pose questions to Şimşek, stating, "We will give our response on Friday," Nuri Gökhan Bozkır issued a warning, saying, "You took an oath, stay true to it, otherwise I will prove it," and continued:

"Ukrainian intelligence recorded all our conversations, including the off-the-record ones. I was wearing a listening device. All of these are in the case file in Ukraine."

Bozkır stated that Zihni Çakır and Abdurrahman Şimşek had previously served the FETÖ Balyoz and Ergenekon conspiracies, adding, "Now you are serving someone else." When Şimşek asked, "Who am I serving?"

Bozkır further alleged that he learned names mentioned in the case file from Şimşek, and that Şimşek had told him, "You will serve 2 years and get out."

UĞUR MUMCU WAS ALSO KILLED BY THE SPECIAL FORCES COMMAND (ÖKK)

During the questioning by defense attorneys, Abdurrahman Şimşek recounted that a member of the Special Forces Command (ÖKK) who had worked for the MIT (National Intelligence Organization) told him after retiring that someone from the ÖKK had also killed Uğur Mumcu. He claimed that he wanted to meet with Güldal Mumcu regarding this, but that Güldal Mumcu persistently refused to meet with him.