Four years on, the Malatya trial continues
Monday 18 April marked the fourth anniversary of the brutal murders of three employees of the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya, eastern Turkey. Two Turkish men, Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, and one German national, Tillman Geske, were brutally tortured and killed by a group of five young Muslims in the office of the Christian publication company. All three victims were members of the Malatya Kurtulus Church.
The murder trial began on 22 November 2007 at the Third Criminal Court in Malatya and to date a total of 27 witnesses have been heard over the course of 30 court hearings.
Prosecutors aim to prove murders were part of wider plot
The five murderers were caught trying to escape from the scene of the crime, yet the trial has been prolonged due to the prosecutors' desire to prove that the five men were commissioned to perpetrate the murders by high-level clandestine powers.
A step in this direction was finally taken last month when twenty people were detained in connection with both the Malatya murders and the ongoing 'Ergenekon' case. Ergenekon is an alleged high-level, clandestine network aiming to destabilise the Turkish Government through the targeting of members of Turkey's minority communities, as outlined in the organisation's "Cage Action Plan". Those recently detained include a university theology lecturer, a non-commissioned officer from the Siirt Provincial Gendarmerie Command, and the retired colonel who commanded Malatya's Provincial Gendarmerie Brigade at the time of the Malatya murders. Following recent confessions by a secret witness, referred to as "Deniz Uygar," Turkish investigators also searched the homes and offices of several other theologians known for their research on missionary activities in Turkey.
It is hoped that the Malatya trial will now be merged with the Ergenekon case, a move that would please the friends and family of the victims, who have long advocated a more in depth examination of these murders.
CSW standing in solidarity with the victim's families
CSW continues to closely monitor the trial. CSW has also urged the Turkish authorities to ensure that the trial moves forward without prejudice, to ensure that justice prevails, and to send a clear message that attacks against Christians and other minorities will not be tolerated. CSW staff also attended a major hearing of the case in April 2010, which was thought at the time to be the final hearing. On the anniversary of their deaths, CSW urges supporters to offer up prayers of thanksgiving for the lives of Necati, Ugur and Tilman and for the many who benefited from the personal and professional ministries of these men.
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