Mafia leader Mahmut Yıldırım was killed years ago, though there are many people who think he is still alive

Sacit Kayasu, a former prosecutor who was permanently disbarred, has claimed that a mafia leader known as Yeşil (Green) was killed years ago, contrary to popular belief that he is still alive.Kayasu, who was fired and disbarred after seeking the indictment of former Gen. Kenan Evren -- the leader of the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup -- asserted that Yeşil, which is the nom de guerre of famous mafia leader Mahmut Yıldırım, was killed years ago, though there are many people who think he is still alive. "I received a notice in September of 1998 that a corpse was found in western İzmir's Ödemiş district," Kayasu said. "There were nine bullet holes in the body. The eyes were gouged out. When we carried out an analysis on the dental prosthesis of the victim, we saw that it was Mahmut Yıldırım."Kayasu said Yıldırım was killed five or six days before his body was found. "His fingers and toes were skinned so as to preclude identification. On his corpse was mud from Ödemiş. I believe he was killed somewhere else but left on a roadside in Ödemiş. His murder was a professional one," he said. "There were no bullets in the corpse. They were professionally removed." He also claimed that some people don't want Yeşil's murder to be known so that they can blame him for crimes. "There are people in İzmir and Adana who are engaged in illegal acts under Yeşil's name. But Yeşil was Yıldırım, and he was killed several years ago," Kayasu said.
The former prosecutor also said Yıldırım's murder was verified by the mafia leader's close friend, whom Kayasu identified as a man from the southeastern city of Mardin. "I received several phone calls from this man. He said Yıldırım was killed after being interrogated somewhere outside of Ödemiş. He had the video cassette of his interrogation. He was to send the cassette to me, but I haven't heard from him for a long time. He may have been killed, too," Kayasu said.
He said he was not allowed to conclude the investigation into Yıldırım's death and was appointed to the public prosecutor's office in Adana. "I asked the forensics department in İzmir to carry out a DNA analysis on Yıldırım's body, but the corpse mysteriously went missing," he said. "We don't know where it is now." Kayasu stated that a recent verdict by the European Court of Human Rights has paved the path for prosecutors to file cases against generals. The court unanimously held last week that that there had been a violation of freedom of expression and of the right to appropriate punishment for Kayasu, who was removed from his job because he filed a court case against Evren, the coup leader. According to verdict, the Turkish government has to pay Kayasu 40,000 euros. "The Supreme Board of Prosecutors and Judges [HSYK] or the Ministry of Justice will not prevent prosecutors from seeking the indictment of generals. The European Court of Human Rights has prevented it," he said. "This is a plus for Turkey. Prosecutors will not be disbarred for filing cases against generals." Kayasu also said individuals, be they civilians or members of the military, should be tried if they stage coups. "Coup planners and stagers are tried around the world," he said. "Coups are crimes committed against democracy and human rights."

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Turkey ultra-nationalist Ergenekon gang

The investigation into the ultra-nationalist Ergenekon gang is looking at three murders. A photo proving connections between retired general Kücük and the suspect in the State Council murder has been found.It all started last year, when a weapons arsenal was found in Ümraniye, Istanbul. There was a media coverage ban on the event, and on 21 January of this year, arrests began. So far 38 arrests in "deep state" caseIn total, there have been 38 arrests so far, including several retired army officers, ultra-nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, two academics and two writers.The roots of the gang are said to go back to the Susurluk case of 1996. A car accident in that city shook Turkey because it revealed connections between the state, the mafia, and nationalist hitmen. Ever since, there is widespread belief in a “deep state”, which is said to rule the country behind the screen of a democratically elected government. Ergenekon: links to State Council attack
The investigation has found links between the Ergenekon gang and the attack on the State Council in 2006, in which one judge was killed. The murder suspect Alparslan Arslan is currently on trial. Now the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecution has been handed a photo in which retired general Veli Kücük, one of the main suspects in the Ergenekon gang is seen with Arslan. The photograph had been published by the Azadiya Welat newspaper. When it was first published, Kücük had denounced it as a photo montage. It has now been added to the investigation file. Murders of Hablemitoglu and GarihThere are also suspected links between the Ergenekon gang and bomb attacks on the Cumhuriyet newspaper in 2006, as well as the murder of academic Dr. Necip Hablemitoglu. One arrested suspect, Durmus Anucin, has told the prosecution that he killed the academic together with an Ibrahim Ciftci; the latter was himself murdered later. The hand grenades used to kill Ciftci in his office are said to be of the same series as the arsenal found in Ümraniye.Now the investigation is also reconsidering the murder of Üzeyir Garih, a prominent businessman stabbed to death in 2001. Although a young man was convicted of the murder, some people have always suspected other connections. According to reports in the media, house searches connected to an arrested Ergenekon suspect have revealed documents, blood samples, DNA tests and an autopsy report related to Garih’s murder.Bianet writer investigated for "breaching ban"Meanwhile, an investigation has been initiated against journalist Serdar Degirmencioglu, who wrote an article on the bianet website concerning the Ergenekon operation. Degirmencioglu had criticised the broadcasting and publishing ban on the operation by giving examples from the media. The prosecution has sent orders to the police for Assistant Professor Degirmencioglu, an independent researcher and children’s rights activist, to be questioned.
In an article entitled “What are these arrests compared to the real dangers?” published on the bianet website on 30 January, Degirmencioglu had said ironcially, “There is a newspaper which really follows the publishing ban: the Yenicag newspaper. What importance do Gladio, Susurluk, Ergenekon, the deep state, attacks have when there is still a danger of foreign powers besieging the country?”
Degirmencioglu was referring to the fact that the Yenicag newspaper had not given the names of the people arrested in the Ergenekon operation, and had preferred to write about Armenians and Article 301. Günlük Evrensel and other media organs also investigated
The same article was printed in the Günlük Evrensel newspaper on 1 February, and the newspaper is also being investigated. Editor-in-chief Ugras Vatandas has given a statement to the prosecution, pointing out that the article did not report on the content of the investigation.The Günlül Evrensel newspaper is facing 6 or 7 investigations because of its coverage of the operation. In two cases, so Vatandas, the newspaper has been ordered to pay 20,000 YTL preliminary fines. Because they have refused, trials have been opened. Dozens of newspapers and TV channels are being investigated for breaching the broadcasting and publishing ban on the Ergenekon operation. (EÖ/AG)

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