An Unusual Witness and Unanswered Questions in the Bosphorus Bridge Case

The statement of complainant Berat KULUNYARAB on page 444 of the indictment brings to mind many questions that have not yet been answered. In his personal statement he says:

“From the police station at the foot of the bridge, I saw POLICE OFFICERS shooting at civilians. That's why I called 155. While I was interviewing, several police officers reacted to me. They took me to the police station and detained me until noon on July 16, 2016. In the images in the flash memory that I will present to you, there are also my images. I think that by examining these images, people acting in favor of the coup will be identified. I came from Nevşehir Province to testify.”

Who are these police officers shooting at civilians? Why did they shoot at civilians? Have any civilians been killed or injured as a result of this gunfire? Does the autopsy report contain any information in this context? While trying to call 155, is it correct that this person was taken to Bridge Station by the police and detained until noon on July 16? If it is true, who are the police who did this and gave the order?

Berat KULUNYARAB's statement also includes the following issues that draw attention.

His expression is exactly as follows: "Since I have intelligence acquaintances, I knew that there would be a coup attempt on July 15, 2016. Therefore, on July 14, 2016, I came to Istanbul from Nevşehir by bus. I started to wait in Ümraniye district. When the news about the start of the attempt came, I took action towards the Bosphorus Bridge.”

This complainant says that he learned about July 15 earlier. Who did he talk to on the phone or face to face from the moment he learned about the incident, according to the HTS records? What is the number of these mysterious people who learned from the intelligence officer they knew that there would be an uprising, who came consciously and in a planned way to oppose the soldiers, and who were not legally prosecuted?

In his statement, this person said: "When I came to Altunizade (Kısıklı), I saw that three trucks were parked on the road, blocking the tunnel and passages. Together with the citizens gathered there, we broke the windows of the trucks, got inside them, and pushed them to open the way. To prevent the soldiers from taking over the bridge, we reached the Anatolian Side entrance of the Bosphorus Bridge with other citizens... When I went to the bridge, I came across pro-coup civil intelligence officers, police officers and citizens."

The person states that when he came to the bridge, pro-coup civil intelligence officers were there. What were the intelligence officers doing there at that hour? How did he know that these people were intelligence officers? According to what circumstances he reached to the conclusion that those people were civil intelligence officers who are pro-coup? Who are these pro-coup civilian intelligence officers? Has any official action been taken against them? Who sent them there? Were they trying to create an atmosphere of conflict between soldiers and civilians?

IT DOES NOT SEEM POSSIBLE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND JULY 15 WITHOUT FULLY ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS.

Dilaver Derviş