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The Susurluk scandal was a scandal that rocked Turkey between 1996-1997, and pointed to an illicit relationship between the government, the armed forces, and organized crime in the country, a connection sometimes attributed to the deep state. It started with a car accident on 3 November, 1996, near Susurluk in Balıkesir province in Turkey. The scandal led to the resignation of the Interior Minister, Mehmet Ağar (a leader of the True Path Party, DYP), following revelations that Abdullah Çatlı, leader of the far-right Grey Wolves organisation, worked for the state ^[1].

Scandal

According to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, the scandal led to the discovery of the "Susurluk gang", "organized under the pretext of "guarding the State against communism" during the cold war era and of "struggle against the PKK" since 1980s" and that it "was engaged in illegal acts such as drug trafficking, collecting tributes, money laundering through casinos, kidnapping people for political and economic benefits, conspiracy, murder" etc ^[1].

It began by a chance discovery after a car accident on 3 November, 1996 near Susurluk in Balıkesir province in Turkey. In this accident, former Deputy Chief of Istanbul Police Hüseyin Kocadağ, the leader of the Grey Wolves (Nationalist Action Party’s violent youth organization) Abdullah Çatlı, and a woman named Gonca Us (Abdullah Çatlı's girlfriend, a Turkish beauty queen turned mafia hit-woman) died; DYP Şanlıurfa MP Sedat Bucak, who was also the leader of a large group of village guards in Siverek, was injured ^[1]. This coalition exposed the connections between the security forces, politicians and organized crime.

Abdullah Çatlı was a convicted fugitive, who had been wanted for drug trafficking and murder. Evidence seized at the crash site indicated that he had been carrying:

diplomatic credentials, given by the Turkish authorities
a government-approved weapons permit
six ID cards, each with a different name; Lucy Komisar writes that "At the scene of the Mercedes-Benz crash, Turkish investigators found Çatli with a fake passport. "The person on this photo, Mehmet Özbay, serves as a specialist for the police directorate and he is allowed to carry guns." Mehmet Özbay was an alias -- the very same alias that Mehmet Ali Agca had on his own passport."^{[citation needed]}
several handguns, and silencers
a cache of narcotics.
thousands of US dollars.

When it became obvious that Çatli was a police collaborator, the Turkish Interior Minister, Mehmet Ağar, resigned. Several high-ranking law enforcement officers, including Istanbul's police chief, were suspended. And the red-hot scandal eventually endangered the careers of other senior government officials.

A Parliamentary Investigation Commission established after the accident published a 350-page Susurluk Report in April 1997. The Commission’s report maintained that the state organs used the Grey Wolves and that some state forces initiated the right-left conflicts in the 1970s.^[2]

Official reactions

On 15 January, 1998, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit declared: {{cquote|It seems that some illegal methods were employed within the state during the anti-terrorist struggle. In the report, some military people are mentioned, but the report implies that the army as a whole was not involved in such affairs. I am glad to hear that. If the army had been involved in such affairs, it would have been highly difficult for us to solve the problem. On the other hand, the situation of the Gendarme is a bit complex because its affiliation is to both the army and the Ministry of Interior Affairs. That's an outcome of the report. JİTEM seems corrupted.^[3].

Sürekli Aydınlık İçin Bir Dakika Karanlık

"Sürekli Aydınlık İçin Bir Dakika Karanlık" (one minute darkness for the sake of perpetual light) was a nationwide popular event to protest the dirty relations triangle of Susurluk (a nationalist mafia leader, a high ranking police officer, and a member of parliament) or deep state. Participants all around the country would turn of the lights for a minute every night at 9pm; later this changed to flashing the lights. It started on February 1, 1997, and ended on February 28, 1997.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c 1998 Report from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, chapter II, "SUSURLUK SCANDAL: Counter-guerilla Affairs", p.39-86 (see note p.39) Template:En icon
^ Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT): Annual Report 1997, ISBN 975-7217-22-0, in the Turkish version the quote is on p. 7
^ 1998 Report from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, p.40
^ http://www.sodev.org.tr/AYLAR/subat/28_subat_muratyetkin5.htm (in Turkish)

Bibliography

1998 Report from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, chapter II, "SUSURLUK SCANDAL: Counter-guerilla Affairs", p.39-86

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 A Parliamentary Investigation Commission established after the accident published a 350-page ''Susurluk Report'' in April 1997. The Commission’s report maintained that the state organs used the Grey Wolves and that some state forces initiated [[Right-wing and left-wing armed conflicts (Republic of Turkey)|the right-left conflicts in the 1970s]].<ref>Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT): Annual Report 1997, ISBN 975-7217-22-0, in the Turkish version the quote is on p. 7</ref>
+== Official reactions==
+On [[15 January]], [[1998]], Deputy Prime Minister [[Bülent Ecevit]] declared: {{cquote|It seems that some illegal methods were employed within the state during the anti-terrorist struggle. In the report, some military people are mentioned, but the report implies that the army as a whole was not involved in such affairs. I am glad to hear that. If the army had been involved in such affairs, it would have been highly difficult for us to solve the problem. On the other hand, the situation of the Gendarme is a bit complex because its affiliation is to both the army and the Ministry of Interior Affairs. That's an outcome of the report. [[JİTEM]] seems corrupted.<ref> 1998 Report from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, p.40 </ref>.
 == Sürekli Aydınlık İçin Bir Dakika Karanlık ==
-"Sürekli Aydınlık İçin Bir Dakika Karanlık" (one minute darkness for the sake of ''perpetual light'') was a nationwide popular event to protest the ''dirty relations triangle'' of Susurluk (a nationalist mafia leader, a high ranking police officer, and a member of parliament) or [[deep state]]. Participants all around the country would turn of the lights for a minute every night at 9pm; later this changed to flashing the lights. It started on [[February 1]], [[1997]], and ended on [[February 28]], [[1997]].<ref>http://www.sodev.org.tr/AYLAR/subat/28_subat_muratyetkin5.htm (in Turkish)</ref>
+"''Sürekli Aydınlık İçin Bir Dakika Karanlık''" (one minute darkness for the sake of ''perpetual light'') was a nationwide popular event to protest the ''dirty relations triangle'' of Susurluk (a nationalist mafia leader, a high ranking police officer, and a member of parliament) or [[deep state]]. Participants all around the country would turn of the lights for a minute every night at 9pm; later this changed to flashing the lights. It started on [[February 1]], [[1997]], and ended on [[February 28]], [[1997]].<ref>http://www.sodev.org.tr/AYLAR/subat/28_subat_muratyetkin5.htm (in Turkish)</ref>
 == References ==