BY TUFAN TURENC
HURRIYET- Sabih Kanadoglu.
An esteemed jurist who served as the chief public prosecutor of the Republic of Turkey . The Supreme Court of Appeals' honorary chief prosecutor.
A man who campaigned for 50 years for the rule of law.
His house was rummaged through the other day on a warrant from the Ergenekon prosecutor. The police took everything they could find, including a CD by pianist Fazil Say.
The most tragicomic part is that according to the search warrant, Kanadoglu was accused of being involved in the bombing of Cumhuriyet daily, attack on the Council of State, and connections with gang members.
After the search, asked if he had been hurt, he said, ' I've suffered no material damage, but very great moral damage.'
Sami Selcuk.
The Supreme Court of Appeals' honorary chief justice.
Here is his commentary on the issue:
'In all my professional life, I've never seen such an indictment. Such an indictment cannot be prepared. I hope the jurists conducting this probe are aware that they discharging a very critical duty.'
Mehmet Ali Sahin.
The justice minister.
Speaking to reporters about the developments:
'This is completely judicial in nature, not political. As justice minister, I learn about all these developments through the media!'
Professor Kemal Guruz.
Former head of the Board of Higher Education (YOK).
A photo showing how he was treated by police when he was being taken to the police station after his house was searched clearly attests to how Turkey is being transformed into a police state.
The Ergenekon probe and trials, which claim to target gangs involved in the state responsible for unsolved murders, now have turned into a tool for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to settle accounts with the republic.
The ruling party has begun to use the judiciary to take revenge on its opponents and shut them up.
Six years after the AKP took power, Turkey has been transformed into a society of fear.
Everybody is warning each other not to speak.
Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli gave the same warning to MHP members: ' Be careful. Watch what you say on the phone.'
Turkey is going through a period similar to the US in the 1950s, created by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
In the McCarthy era, a senator from the state of Wisconsin, in the name of defeating communism, subjected thousands of Americans to punishing inquiries, pressuring them to inform on their friends and colleagues or risk losing their jobs and being thrown in jail. McCarthy had no concrete evidence. After causing thousands to suffer, he was exposed as a charlatan and was disgraced. Four years of darkness and fear in the country came to an end.
Have no doubt; the judiciary will get through this similar dark era in Turkey."