Canan Coşkun, İstanbul – The hearing of Mehmet Baransu, nicknamed the ‘Conspiracy in Balyoz trial’, was held at İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court in early November and concluded with the court choosing to prolong Baransu’s 3 year 8 month stay in detention.
Baransu is one of multiple defendants in the case, but is the only one in pre-trial detention. He was arrested in March 2015 on charges of ‘possessing secret state documents in relation to national security’. Yasemin Çongar, Ahmet Altan, Yıldıray Oğur and Tuncay Opçin were also arrested. Baransu and his lawyers were present at the hearing, and were accompanied by lawyers for Altan, Çongar, and Oğur, as well as a small group of other court observers who were monitoring the proceedings.
The presiding judge outlined an expectation that Baransu would complete his defense statement within the next two days, which Baransu argued was unachievable. He stated that he would be able to complete his defense statement by the next hearing. Despite having been detained for 3 years and 8 months, this was the first time Baransu has been able to submit his defense.
At several times during Baransu’s initial statement of defense he was interrupted by Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP and Balyoz victim Dursun Çiçek. “The intervenors claim that I am lying,; remarked Baransu. “I could tell them, but they won’t let me bring my book from prison, which is presented as evidence against me.” Çiçek went on to claim that Baransu was ‘full of lies’, at which point the presiding judge warned Çiçek and requested silence while Baransu spoke.
Upon being asked whether he was requesting release from detention, Barasu responded that “I do not make any requests regarding my detention. This resembles theatre. I will be released from prison on God’s will”.
He went on to describe his recollection of the events surrounding the ‘Conspiracy in Balyoz’. “I did not stop by the newspaper very frequently. The famous 4 CDs arrived on the day that I went there for the hospital expenses. The luggage was given to me 9-10 days after. Someone approached me and told me he wanted to meet me when I went to a cafe to get coffee, near the paper. I think he knew my everyday habits. I did not know him. He had told me he was retired. He told me about the coup plan. After we published the story, Erdoğan and Abdullah Gül made statements, saying that they were already aware of the plans. Who gave the Balyoz seminar cassette to them? I wasn’t unfamiliar with the plan because everyone knew that Çetin Doğan was planning a coup in 2003. Nokta magazine had published journals in 2007. Mustafa Balbay was arrested and his journals were seized. Balbay, İlhan Selçuk, İbrahim Yıldız had met with the then Head of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Şenkal Atasagun and noted that they were ready for a coup.”
“I handed the CDs over”
“There were so many debates after we ran the story. I heard that 10-15 people went to the Courthouse in Beşiktaş and filed a criminal complaint, among them was Yıldıray Oğur’s elder brother. Turan Çolakkadı asked me to hand over anything we had. I delivered the CDs. We did not see the war plan in the CDs. I am accused of distorting the Egemen Action Plan, which I had never seen. I do not know what I distorted.”
“A copy of 15 July”
“Çetin Doğan’s coup plan was an exact copy of 15 July. They seem to have copied the ready-made plan and executed it. Çetin Doğan was sentenced to life in prison in the 28 February trial, he was oen of the most active names of the West Study Group. I was one of the people that fought against 28 February. Nobody can instruct me, I am that type of a journalist.”
“I heard about the operation from Soylu”
“After I get out of here, I want to go live with people who prepared the Balyoz plan, I will stand alone against all of them... Yıldıray Oğur had requested some of these documents from me to do research for his doctoral thesis, now he is defaming me... If I had the experience I have today, I would’ve remained more distant from Balyoz. I heard that an operation was going to be initiated against me, from a friend of mine who had heard it from Süleyman Soylu. I participated in the ‘Rigged game’ trial just to make Aziz Yıldırım happy.”
The court chose to adjourn the hearing until early January 2019.
Updated: November 27 2018
