During the hearing, the sole detained defendant, Nuri Gökhan Bozkır, spoke about his role in incidents involving the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the “onion trucks,” saying:
“I was friends with Syria’s President Ahmed El Shara, aka Golani. Because of this friendship, I was framed. Golani became president, and I am being punished as someone who sold them weapons.”
The hearing for the case concerning the murder of Ankara University faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Necip Hablemitoğlu, who was shot dead in front of his home in Ankara on December 18, 2002, took place at Ankara’s 28th Heavy Penal Court. The sole detained defendant, Nuri Gökhan Bozkır, attended the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBIS). Defendants released on bail, Levent Göktaş, Fikret Emek, and Mehmet Narin, were present in the courtroom.
According to 12punto journalist Müesser Yıldız, Ankara’s 9th Criminal Court of Peace overturned the non-prosecution decision issued by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor responsible for the indictment and the trial requested a reasonable amount of time for further investigation following the annulment of the non-prosecution decision and argued for the continuation of Nuri Gökhan Bozkır’s detention.
“I was friends with Colani”
During the hearing, Bozkır explained his role in incidents involving MIT and the onion trucks, stating:
“I was friends with Syria’s President Ahmed El Shara, aka Golani. Because of this friendship, I was framed. Colani became president, and I am being punished as someone who sold them weapons.” He added:
“The work I did for the interests of my country has now turned into a lawsuit against me.”
The defense attorneys criticized the prosecutors of the indictment and the trial for overlooking surveillance footage that had been in the case file for years. Attorney Ali Soykan likened the investigation of newly identified suspects by the same prosecutor, whose “indictment is falling apart piece by piece,” to “entrusting the lamb to the wolf.”
Eren Turan, the attorney for defendant Tarkan Mumcuoğlu, expressed disappointment about the same prosecutor handling the investigation of newly identified suspects and argued that identifying these individuals should be the court’s responsibility.
After hearing the statements of the defendants and their attorneys, the court issued an interim ruling, deciding to request the identification of the suspects appearing in the new surveillance footage from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The court also ruled for the continuation of the current status of both detained and released defendants.
The next hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 21.
