Two More Turks Arrested in Malatya Murders

February 17, 2009 – 12:42 pm

Ex-journalist, former volunteer at publishing house suspected of instigating slaughter.

Istanbul, February 12 (CDN):

A Turkish court has charged two more men for instigating the murder of three Christians in Malatya in 2007 - a former employee of the Christian publishing house where they were killed, and an ex-journalist suspected of ties to a group that tried to engineer a political coup. A judge ordered the arrest of former journalist Varol Bulent Aral, 32, on Feb. 4 on suspicion of instigating the murder. Aral has been connected to Ergenekon, an ultranationalist cabal of retired generals, politicians, journalists and mafia members under investigation for conspiracy in various murders. [recent coverage of this group: Hurriyet, NPR]

Huseyin Yelki, 34, a Turk who has worked for Christian organizations, was arrested on Monday (Feb. 9) after suspected ringleader Emre Gunaydin implicated him for instigation of murder. Yelki is a former employee of Zirve Publishing Co. in Malatya, site of the brutal torture and murder of two Turkish Christians, Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, and a German, Tilmann Geske, on April 18, 2007. Last week Gunaydin claimed in his testimony that Aral and Yelki worked together to instigate the attack. Yelki’s testimony at a hearing last August sharply differed from Gunaydin’s account, but plaintiff attorneys said they believe that there is reason to suspect Yelki. The attorneys, however, have yet to identify any motives Yelki might have had for involvement in the murders.

Entire article.

Previous MM entry relating to Malatya incident:

Turkey: Christians’ Trial for “Insulting Turkishness” Stalls Again (includes previous CDN articles on the subject)