“They asked Diogenes what was the most beautiful thing in the world, and he replied it was freedom. And justice of course,” Haberal told reporters.
Republican People’s Party Deputy Mehmet Haberal, who was released Aug. 5 from the Ergenekon coup case due to time already served, was back in the courtroom Aug.6 as he returned to the Başkent University, where he was teaching prior to the case.
A renowned surgeon and former rector of the private Başkent, Haberal was one of the most high-profile civilian suspects of the Ergenekon case. Haberal was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison, however, he was released on Aug. 5 due to time already served.
The released deputy was greeted with flowers and flags at the university campus, where reporters caught up with him as he visited a showcase courtroom built on the campus. Haberal said he was enjoying his newly found freedom by strolling in the gardens of his house and “did not sleep at all.”
“They asked Diogenes what was the most beautiful thing in the world, and he replied it was freedom. And justice of course,” Haberal told reporters.
Haberal however was still downhearted about “the innocent people staying in prison for no reason under inhumane conditions,” according to sources.
Meanwhile, the main opposition party is in the middle of uncertainty with regards to the current legal statuses of Haberal and two other CHP deputies, journalist Mustafa Balbay and former Ankara Chamber of Commerce chairman Sinan Aygün.
Haberal will continue to receive his occupational rights, including his salary, until he takes his oath on Sept. 1, finally receiving his legislation rights as well. CHP head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is considering calling the Parliament into an extraordinary session to discuss Haberal’s status, according to sources.
Aygün, who was sentenced to 13 years, still has immunity until the Supreme Court of Appeals is done processing the appeals of the verdicts. Aygün will cease to be a deputy in case the court approves of his prison sentence, and his status will only be reactivated if he gets reelected.
Deputy Mustafa Balbay, sentenced to 34 years in prison, will receive some of his occupational rights, but will not be able to take his oath at the parliament, and will be excluded from the legislation processes.
The Ergenekon coup plot trial, considered the most important legal battle in recent Turkish history, reached an end Aug. 5 after Istanbul’s 13th High Criminal Court handed down severe punishments, including a life sentence for former Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ.
The verdict trial, which decided the fate of 275 suspects at the end of the five-year process, resulted in hundreds of years of imprisonment in total and several aggravated life sentences for a series of the country’s high-ranking army members, journalists and academics.
Turkey Tribune
