Multiple Investigations into Bombing General

Sirnak Prosecutors Office prosecution also investigating retired General Tokat for public revelation on ordering clandestine street bombings to intimidate judges and civil servants. New probe looks into whether he was involved in similar activities there

şırnak

The Public Prosecutor's Office of the southeast Turkish Sirnak province has joined the list of those looking into retired Lieutenant General Altay Tokat's public revelation that he was responsible for ordering one or two clandestine street bombings when assigned to the region "to bring judges and civil servants in line".

The probe, coming in the wake of an ongoing investigation in Diyarbakir and another one launched at the end of July by the Chief of General Staff Headquarters, is meant to uncover whether Tokat was involved in similar extrajudicial activities while he was appointed as the Public Order Corps Commander in the region.

Turkey's Human Rights Association (IHD), the Association for Human Rights and Solidarity with the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER), the Diyarbakir Bar Association and the Patriotic Front Jurists Initiative had previously filed criminal complaints against Tokat.

Self-confessed 'bomber'

Tokat's revelations were made during an interview with the "Aktuel" weekly and reported in summary in the July 27 issue of Sabah newspaper.

He was speaking in relation to the controversial bookstore bombing in Semdinli by members of the security forces, which the general described as a "possibly clumsy" operation.

"In my time," the retired general said, "I also had them throw a few bombs to some critical points. These were empty places! My issue was to give a message".

Tokat said the message given through street bombings targeted civil servants and judges who were assigned to the region and the explosions occurred close to were they lived.

"Civil servants, judges that come from the West [of Turkey] don't understand the seriousness of the situation... when things became calmer, they started to take this business nor seriously... In consequence I had [bombs] thrown at two places close to their houses. After that they understood that they needed to be careful. One [act of] disaster is better than a thousand words of advice. This way I educated them," he said.

"You can't immediately evaluate this by saying throwing bombs is illegal. I might have saved the lives of those people. I did not tell them either. Now if you construe this as assassination, I'll laugh at that" he was quoted as further saying.

(TK /II /YE)