The trial of 194 defendants regarding the massacre that took place in Bayrampaşa Prison under the name of Operation “Return to Life” on December 19, 2000, in which 12 people were killed and 29 injured, continues. On June 24, lawyers filed a criminal complaint with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against Sadettin Tantan, then Minister of Interior; Ali Aydın, Head of Gendarmerie General Command Intelligence Department; and Ali Suat Ertosun, Director General of Prisons and Detention Houses.

 

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a decision of “'rejection of venue” as the names in question were located in Ankara. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office decided to send the file to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for examination.

 

'CONTRARY TO LAW AND PROCEDURE'

  

Evaluating the decision, Güçlü Sevimli, one of the lawyers of the case, stated that the decision of “'rejection of venue” given separately for 3 people was against the law and procedure. Sevimli said: “The criminal complaint we filed is related to the ‘Return to Life’ operation that took place on December 19, 2000 in Istanbul Bayrampaşa Prison. In other words, the place of crime is Istanbul Bayrampaşa Prison. Bayrampaşa Prison is also under the jurisdiction of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Therefore, the decisions of 'rejection of venue are in violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure. In this respect, it is not legally possible to understand the sending of the files to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the grounds that the institutions to which the persons against whom we have filed criminal complaints are affiliated are in Ankara.” 

  

Sevimli reminded that they filed a criminal complaint about the Bayrampaşa prison, “On the other hand, in the decisions of 'rejection of venue, it was tried to be inferred that we filed a criminal complaint about the entire ‘Return to Life’ operations. We filed a criminal complaint against 3 names related to the Istanbul Bayrampaşa Prison leg of the 'Return to Life' operation. We filed a criminal complaint against these 3 names in connection with the case at the Bakırköy 13th High Criminal Court. This is already clearly stated in our criminal complaint petition. Likewise, the annexes of our criminal complaint petition consist of the documents of this case. These 3 names, against whom we filed a criminal complaint, were heard as witnesses at the Bakırköy 13th High Criminal Court. In addition, since the documents pointing to the legal responsibilities of these 3 names in the ongoing case at the Bakırköy 13th High Criminal Court have been included in this case file, we have made this latest criminal complaint against these 3 names again after years” he said.   

 

MA / Ömer İbrahimoğlu