Ergenekon (organization)

Ergenekon (Turkish: [ˌæɾɟeneˈkon]) was the name given to an alleged clandestine, secular ultra-nationalist[1][better source needed] organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces.[2][better source needed] The would-be group, named after Ergenekon, a mythical place located in the inaccessible valleys of the Altay Mountains, was accused of terrorism in Turkey.[3]

Some believed Ergenekon was part of the "deep state".[4] The existence of the "deep state" was affirmed in Turkish opinion after the Susurluk scandal in 1996.[5] Alleged members had been indicted on charges of plotting to foment unrest, among other things by assassinating intellectuals, politicians, judges, military staff, and religious leaders, with the ultimate goal of toppling the incumbent government.[6][7]

Ergenekon's modus operandi had been compared to Operation Gladio's Turkish branch, the Counter-Guerrilla.[8][9] By April 2011, over 500 people had been taken into custody and nearly 300 formally charged with membership in what prosecutors described as "the Ergenekon terrorist organization", which they claimed had been responsible for virtually every act of political violence—and controlled every militant group—in Turkey over the last 30 years.[10]

As of 2015 most of those accused of such crimes have been acquitted, forensic experts concluded the documents for supposed plots were fake[11] and some of the executors of trials proved to be linked to the Gülen Movement and were charged with plotting against the Turkish Army.[12]

  1. ^ "State connections to murder of journalist Hrant Dink being ignored, warns BIANET; defamation case against Dink's lawyer dismissed". IFEX. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012.
  2. ^ Acar, Erkan (6 September 2008). "Ergenekon had links to security and judiciary bodies". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Is Turkey a Democracy?". Terrorism. About. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  4. ^ Freely, Maureen (May 2007). "Why they killed Hrant Dink". Index on Censorship. 36 (2): 15–29. doi:10.1080/03064220701334477. S2CID 145049618. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2008. The deep state is Turkish shorthand for a faceless clique inside the Turkish state that has, some claim, held the reins of real power throughout the republic's 92-year history. There are some who see it on a continuum with the shady networks that 'took care of business' (including, some believe, the Armenian business) in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. The deep state is held to be based in the army, but closely linked with MIT (the national intelligence service), the judiciary, and (since the 1960s) the mafia.
  5. ^ "Ergenekon-linked generals renowned for hawkish stance". Today's Zaman. 9 January 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2009. Susurluk
  6. ^ Burke, Jason (4 May 2008). "Mystery of a killer elite fuels unrest in Turkey". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  7. ^ Rainsford, Sarah (4 February 2008). "'Deep state plot' grips Turkey". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  8. ^ Tugal, Cihan (29 August 2008). "Party of one". National. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2008. The network has been compared to the "Gladio" in Italy
  9. ^ Atilla, Toygun (24 May 2006). "'Ergenekon' yapılanması". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008. Ergenekon, Gladio'nun Türkiye'deki yapılanması olarak kabul ediliyor.
  10. ^ Gareth Jenkins The fadıng masquerade: Ergenekon and the polıtıcs of justıce ın Turkey Archived 27 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, in Turkey Analyst, Vol. 4 No. 7 of 4 April 2011; accessed on 18 April 2011
  11. ^ "Turkish Leader Disowns Trials That Helped Him Tame Military". The New York Times. 27 February 2014. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Crime – Former chief of general staff says Bush administration supported plot against Turkish army". Hürriyet daily news. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.