Court releases three suspects in top officials' wiretapping case

An Ankara court has ruled for the release of three arrested suspects in the case into officials from Turkey?s top science body and telecommunications authority on charges of illegally wiretapping the encrypted phones of high-ranking state officials, including then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. 

In an interim decision on July 13, the Ankara 2nd Heavy Penal Court ruled for the release pending trial of three suspects, Ferhat Saraç, Bülent Kocagürbüz and Ahmet Yeni, while the arrest of the nine remaining suspects is continuing. 

As the court?s decision was read, Özgür Ören, one of the suspects who will remain under arrest, fainted. 

A total of 28 people working at the Telecommunications Directorate (T?B) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜB?TAK), including former T?B Deputy Chairman Osman Nihat ?en and former TÜB?TAK Vice President Hasan Palaz, are standing trial. 

The suspects are accused of ?attempting to annul the government of the Republic of Turkey or attempting to partially or entirely block the government from performing its duties, being a member of a terror organization, collecting state information that should have remained confidential for purposes of political or military spying aims, and openly revealing the secrecy of communication between individuals.?

?en denied the accusations, saying he did not give ?any unlawful orders and no unlawful wiretapping was conducted? during his term at the T?B. Referring to his extensive career at the T?B, where he had worked in every capacity since March 2007, ?en said he was forced to resign by those who claimed it would be ?bad? for him otherwise. He also claimed that the current head of the T?B insulted him and ?bullied him intensely?...