Following the article yesterday, Cumhuriyet journalist Çiğdem Toker wrote another article on SADAT, a company expressed to have a role in war crimes committed in Northern Kurdistan.

Toker said, “The fundamental problem with SADAT Inc. that openly declares they give training on unconventional warfare, or in layman’s terms counter-guerilla training, is that it’s outside of the military and security “services” we assume are in the state’s monopoly,” and continued:

“(...) He writes in detail in the announcement published on yeniakit.com.tr “as an answer to ‘some defamation attempts’” that SADAT Inc.’s activity cannot be monitored, the National Defense Ministry has sent a document to the company that says ‘We don’t have the authority to audit’.

The company, whose consultant cadre includes Yeni Akit writer Abdurrahman Dilipak, says in their statement on June 27 that they told the state to ‘come and audit us’ after they were founded.”

‘WE WORKED WITH THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE AND THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE’

Toker gives the following information on the auditing process:

- “Facility Special Security Document” (TÖGEK) to act as a basis for “Defense Industry Service Sector” auditing and monitoring was prepared and referred to the National Defense Ministry.

- But the Ministry’s Technical Services Department sent a written reply to the company that said the Defense Industry Service Sector wasn’t subject to any regulations in Turkey, and they didn’t have the authority to audit.

- After this, the company demanded the defense industry service sector be included in the two laws on the defense industry regulations (Numbers 5201 and 5202).

- They prepared draft articles to this end; and -this is important- they “worked with the Parliament, President’s Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Foreign Ministry”.

Çiğdem Toker’s article says that as the company defined itself, it cited defense consultancy firms acting in line with US interests and said “The purpose of SADAT Inc. is to save the Islamic countries that the Turkish Armed Forces can’t reach from the throes of these companies”.

SADAT Inc.’s chairman of the board is retired Brigadier General Adnan Tanrıverdi.

TUNCEL HAD BROUGHT THE MATTER TO THE AGENDA

DBP Co-chair Sebahat Tuncel had announced that 34 villagers were attempted to be burned, and said: “34 villagers were arrested by the soldiers. A unit arrives, they have beards and armbands with Arabic writing on them, bringing gas along and attempts to burn the villagers. He says they will burn them. Maybe they would have, if the military officer there had allowed it. The officer objects, says he has informed the regiment of these people he has arrested and they can’t do anything. That unit, whoever they may answer to, says the people are all terrorists, they would burn them all, and they didn’t have to answer to anybody. He threatens to burn the people. If the officer hadn’t intervened, maybe now 34 people would have been burned alive.” Tuncel had mentioned there being talk of an organisation called “SADAT”.