KCK INVESTIGATION

Officials of the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) were summoned by the Istanbul Public Chief Prosecution to give their statements in the scope of the investigation into the Union of Kurdish Communities (KCK), an organization that includes the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as its armed wing.

MİT undersecretary Hakan Fidan, MİT Deputy Undersecretary Afet Güneş and former MİT Undersecretary Emre Taner gave their statements on Wednesday (8 February). Right afterwards, Anti-Terror Branch Manager Yurt Atayün who is in charge of the KCK operations and Intelligence Branch Manager Erol Demirhan, both branches part of the Istanbul Police Directorate, were deposed from office by order of the Ministry of the Interior.

Osman Köse was appointed to Atayün's position; Serdar Güldalı replaced Demirhan.

Former Chief of Police of Eskişehir Hanefi Avcı, detained defendant of the Revolutionary Headquarters trial and the Oda TV trial, had put forward before his arrest that Intelligence Branch Manager Demirhan had intercepted top-rank bureaucrats.

KCK reached MİT

As reported by the Dicle News Agency (DİHA) on 13 September, MİT Undersecretary Fidan held talks with the PKK in Oslo. DİHA had published a voice record that was removed from broadcast a few hours later. It turned out that Fidan and Güneş were evaluating current developments with KCK member Mustafa Karasu, PKK member Sabri Ok and Kongra-Gel (related to the PKK) Deputy Head Zübeyir Aydar in the capital of Norway.

The voice record revealed that Fidan had talked to both Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the PKK, and PKK members upon the directive of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a "special representative". (EKN/NV)