Veli Küçük (born 9 May 1944)Today's Zaman, 16 June 2009, Ultranationalist Ergenekon suspect is of Armenian origin, magazine reveals is a retired Turkish brigadier-general. He is thought to be the founder of the JİTEM intelligence arm of the Turkish Gendarmerie, and is accused by the Turkish government of being the head of the Ergenekon organization, based on testimony by Tuncay Güney. He was arrested in January 2008, and on 5 August 2013, sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Later, in 2019, those sentences were overturned.
Career Küçük graduated from the Turkish Military Academy in 1965. He was promoted to Brigadier-General in 1996, and retired on 30 August 2000.Zaman, 12 June 2009, Veli küçük Ermeni köyünde doğmuş, Ermeniceyi iyi biliyor
Küçük is thought to be the founder of the JİTEM intelligence arm of the Turkish Gendarmerie.
Susurluk
Küçük is said to be the last person to have spoken to Abdullah Çatlı before his death in the 1996 Susurluk car crash, and to have communicated extensively with Çatlı, Drej Ali and Sami Hoştan."Ergenekon" Conspiracy is Rooted in "Susurluk" Says Former Minister , 30 January 2008, bianet
Ergenekon Küçük was accused by the Turkish judiciary of being the head of the Ergenekon organisation, based on testimony by Tuncay Güney.Hurriyet Daily News, 15 January 2009, Key testimony handed to defense He was arrested in January 2008.Today's Zaman, 17 December 2008, Cem Ersever's archive was found in Küçük's house.Today's Zaman, 13 August 2008, Ergenekon indictment reopens gendarmerie major’s murder case
At first, Küçük is said to have close links with Alparslan Arslan, the shooter in the 2006 Turkish Council of State shooting based on a photograph in Sweden.Radikal, 28 January 2007, Veli Küçük neden her taşın altından çıkıyor?. Later on, it turned out that the man next to Küçük was not Arslan, but an Azerbaijani citizen named Mehmed Mehmedov. Moreover, Arslan said that he never went to Sweden and his father confirmed it.
During the Ergenekon trials both Muzaffer Tekin and Oktay Yıldırım kissed Küçük's hand in court, as a traditional sign of respect.Today's Zaman, 27 December 2012, Ergenekon suspect Yıldırım kisses Küçük's hand
On 5 August 2013 he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences with another 99 years.Today's Zaman, 5 August 2013, Long sentences for Ergenekon suspects, life for ex-army chief
He was released on 11 March 2014 by the 4th High Criminal Court. On 21 April 2016, the 16th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation overturned the decision of the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court. The Court of Cassation cited inconsistencies in the evidence used during the trials, illegal wiretaps, and stated that the army chief of staff İlker Başbuğ wasn't tried in the right court .
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