ISTANBUL (Hurriyet)—Turkish Navy Cololen Dursun Cicek has been arrested again for involvement in an alleged plot against the government following a forensics report that confirms it is his signature on the document in question.
A Turkish court arrested Navy Col. Dursun Cicek late Wednesday for involvement in an alleged plot by top military officers to bring down the ruling government, news agencies reported.
Cicek, who worked for the Chief of Staff, was accused of preparing a secret document detailing procedures to destabilize the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He was arrested on the same allegations four months ago but was released within 24 hours. A copy of the secret document was in the hands of the prosecutors at the time.
Prosecutors, however, called Cicek back for another round of testimony after recent reports said the prosecutors were in possession of a real version of the secret document and a forensics report confirmed that the signature on the copy of the document belongs to Cicek. After giving the testimony Cicek was sent to court.
The text of the document, which was published in the Turkish media in June, strongly attacked the AKP. It described how false allegations could be used to discredit and bring down the party, which hard-line secular activists have accused of seeking to establish Islamic rule.
Cicek’s attorney Mustafa Cevik said he objected to the arrest of his client. “Even while he was testifying to prosecutors, there was news on television saying my client was sent to court with the prosecutor’s demand that he be arrested and put on trial. Prosecutors, myself and my client watched this news. My client said, ‘It’s as if they are receiving orders from somewhere else,’” Cevik said.
Cicek has been accused of membership in a terrorist organization. As before, he rejected that the signature on the letter is his and demanded the document be examined by the Middle East Technical University, or ODTU, and the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, or TUBITAK.