Batı Çalışma Grubu

The Batı Çalışma Grubu (BÇG; English: West Study Group or West Working Group) was an alleged clandestine grouping within the Turkish military said to be linked to the Ergenekon organization.[1] It was allegedly set up in 1997 by General Çevik Bir (then deputy-chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey) as part of the process relating to the 1997 military memorandum (the "post-modern coup"), and active until at least May 2009. The primary activity of the group appears to have been classifying politicians, military personnel, journalists and others according to ethnic background, religious affiliation and political leanings, and to monitor the activity of those considered a potential danger to secularism in Turkey.[2] This included monitoring some religious communities outside Turkey.[3] It has been claimed that in 1997 BÇG had records on 6 million people, and offices in the Higher Education Board (YÖK) as well as in each branch of the military.[4][5]

Creation

General Çevik Bir (then deputy-chief of the General Staff) has said he set up the group on the orders of then Chief of the General Staff İsmail Hakkı Karadayı,[6] and that it was a legal group defending Turkey, acting on the instructions of the National Security Council in its 28 February meeting and a cabinet meeting in March 1997.[7] According to General Çetin Saner, the head of the Turkish Gendarmerie's Intelligence Department at the time, the BÇG tried to create its own intelligence network, and had asked the Gendarmerie, police and National Intelligence Organization to forward information to it.[8]

One member of the group, who was later expelled from the army for alleged "reactionaryism" (Islamist leanings), said that the meeting he had attended (chaired by General Çetin Doğan) had felt like organising "an army of occupation".[9][10]

According to media reports in 2010, the group became inactive, and re-activating it under the control of the Naval Forces Command was part of the 2003 "Sledgehammer" coup plan.[11] Other reports said that some time after the 1997 memorandum the group was attached to the Prime Minister's Office, and renamed the Prime Ministry Monitoring Council (Turkish: Başbakanlık Takip Kurulu, BTK).[12] The BÇG's records are said to have been used by the Turkish Army Pension Fund (OYAK) in deciding to dismiss 35 administrators after it took over steel producer Erdemir.[13][14]

The 2009 Operation Cage Action Plan is alleged by prosecutors in the Ergenekon trials to have had BÇG involvement.

Investigation

In 2009 a group called the Encümen-i Daniş (sharing a name with a short-lived science council in the nineteenth century) came to public attention. According to Susurluk scandal investigator Mehmet Elkatmış, the secretive group was a civilian extension of the Batı Çalışma Grubu, as it was sending reports to ex-Presidents but not the current President. Group member Murat Sökmenoğlu rejected claims of links to the BÇG or Ergenekon, saying it was an informal group set up in 1954, named by Fahri Korutürk.[15]

In 2012 a number of people alleged to have been leaders in the BÇG were arrested, including retired Generals Engin Alan, Çetin Doğan, Ahmet Çörekçi, Teoman Koman, İlhan Kılıç, and Hikmet Köksal.[16] Prosecutors alleged the group met at least twice a week in 1997, and conspired to arrange Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 1999 trial for sedition for reading a poem.[17]

In 2013 the National Security Council rejected a request to release records of the crucial meeting of 28 February 1997.[18]

See also

References
  1. Today's Zaman, 11 January 2009, How the mosaic of Ergenekon terror gang was created Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Today's Zaman, 31 March 2013, BÇG carried on activities until 2009, documents suggest Archived April 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Today's Zaman, 5 June 2012, BÇG also compiled lists to keep tabs on Turks living abroad Archived June 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Today's Zaman, 29 March 2013, Shady group had office at YÖK during 1997 coup, daily says Archived March 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Today's Zaman, 25 April 2009, Ergenekon’s Gen. Eruygur blacklisted ambassadors and bureaucrats Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Today's Zaman, Karadayı knew about BÇG, Feb. 28 docs reveal Archived May 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Today's Zaman, 17 April 2012, http://todayszaman.com/news-277731-gen-cevik-bir-acknowledges-clandestine-bcgs-coup-plans.html Archived May 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Today's Zaman, 20 February 2013, Retired Gen. Saner: BÇG created alternative intelligence network Archived March 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Today's Zaman, 1 March 2011, Retired major likens BÇG meetings to ‘occupation’ Archived March 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Today's Zaman, 24 February 2013, Retired general revealed in book he was part of plot against gov't Archived March 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  11. Today's Zaman, 16 December 2010, Coup plotters reactivated clandestine BÇG in 2003 Archived December 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Today's Zaman, 12 November 2009, Controversial Web site plan produced by clandestine BÇG Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Today's Zaman, 13 April 2006, OYAK Dismissed Staff had Track Records Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  14. Today's Zaman, 10 June 2008, Feb. 28 victims angry at new form of blacklisting Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  15. Today's Zaman, 25 January 2009, A shady order in the state’s murky backrooms: Encümen-i Daniş Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Today's Zaman, 29 May 2012, Upper echelon of clandestine BÇG jailed in latest Feb. 28 wave of arrests Archived 2012-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Today's Zaman, 11 June 2013, Feb. 28 clique behind trial of PM Erdoğan, indictment claims Archived July 8, 2013, at Archive.today
  18. Today's Zaman, 9 June 2013, Feb. 28 minutes remain a state secret Archived July 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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