Uğur Mumcu

Uğur Mumcu (pronounced [uˈuɾ ˈmumdʒu]; 22 August 1942 – 24 January 1993)[1] was a Turkish investigative journalist for the daily Cumhuriyet. He was assassinated by a bomb placed in his car outside his home.[1]

Uğur Mumcu
Cover of Cumhuriyet on the tenth anniversary of Mumcu's assassination
Born(1942-08-22)22 August 1942
Kırşehir, Turkey
Died24 January 1993(1993-01-24) (aged 50)
Ankara, Turkey
Notable credit(s)Editorial opinion columnist and investigative journalist in Cumhuriyet
Spouse
​
(m. 1976)​
Children2

Biography

Uğur Mumcu was born the third of four siblings in Kırşehir. He went to school in Ankara and in 1961 attended School of Law at Ankara University.[1] Graduating in 1965 he initially began his career practicing law. In 1969 he ended his legal career to return to his alma mater; working as a teaching assistant until 1972.

He started to write during university, first in the magazine Yön and then in several other leftist periodicals. Between 1968 and 1970, he wrote articles on politics for the newspapers Akşam, Cumhuriyet and Milliyet.[2]

Arrested shortly after the 1971 military coup, he was tortured. He was writing for Ortam which was a weekly political magazine based in Istanbul when he was arrested.[3] Later, Mumcu wrote that his torturers had told him: "We are the Counter-Guerrilla. Even the President of the Republic cannot touch us."[4]

In 1974, Uğur Mumcu started a career as a columnist,[1] with the daily newspaper Yeni Ortam and from 1975 on, in the daily Cumhuriyet, which he continued until his death.[5]

Research

Uğur Mumcu is hailed as the first investigative journalist of modern Turkey.[6] He published books on current and historical political issues in Turkey. He was investigating the Kurdistan Workers' Party's ties with the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) at the time of his assassination.[7][8][9]

Shortly before his death, Mumcu was investigating how 100,000 firearms owned by the Turkish Armed Forces had ended up in the possession of Jalal Talabani, one of the Kurdish leaders of northern Iraq and, as of 2008, president of Iraq. Twenty-five days after the death of Mumcu, General Eşref Bitlis, who had been investigating the same issue, died in a plane crash, believed to be due to sabotage.[8] In his 8 January Cumhuriyet article, titled Ültimatom, Mumcu emphatically stated that he would soon reveal in a new book the ties between Kurdish nationalists and some intelligence organizations (i.e., Abdullah Öcalan and the National Intelligence Organization).[10]

According to his son, Özgür, Mumcu had an appointment with retired prosecutor Baki Tuğ on 27 January to learn more about Abdullah Öcalan's suspected ties with the MİT (the state was officially fighting his militant organization, the PKK).[11] Öcalan was detained on 31 March 1972 while studying political sciences at the University of Ankara. Per clause 16/1 of the Martial Law (№ 1402), he was sentenced to three months in jail for participating in a boycott. He was released on 24 October 1972 after the National Intelligence Organization forwarded a message to the prosecutor handling the case, Tuğ, that one of the suspects was one of their agents. Tuğ later said that he could not remember whether the agent was Öcalan, or one of the other suspects.[12]

Assassination
Grave of Uğur Mumcu at Cebeci Asri Cemetery.

On the morning of 24 January 1993, Mumcu left his home and was killed by a C-4 plastic bomb as he started his car, a Renault 12, license numbered 06 YR 245.[12]

There are numerous hypotheses over who was responsible for his murder. Given the various links (at an organizational and personal level) between the Turkish deep state and Turkish armed forces, Counter-Guerrilla, Kurdish forces and the CIA and Mossad, the hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive, especially as Mumcu was investigating some of these links.

Deep state hypothesis

One hypothesis is that he was killed to protect state secrets regarding the PKK.[13] PKK supreme council member Mustafa Karasu alleged that Mumcu was killed by the state in order to prevent his publicizing the fact that the PKK was aware it had been infiltrated by the MİT. The mole was Öcalan's pilot, Necati. Karasu alleges that they became aware of his MİT identity in May 1997, and misinformed him.[14]

The deep state might have contracted the killing out to JITEM (see below).

Iran hypothesis

His assassination was initially pinned on Iran.[10][15] According to this hypothesis, Iran's SAVAMA employed the virtually unknown Islamic Movement Organisation (Turkish: İslami Hareket Örgütü) to carry out the assassination. Mehmet Ali Şeker, Mehmet Zeki Yıldırım, and Ayhan Usta were taken into custody. However, it was revealed that the police had falsified the date of their capture.[16] The İstanbul police had been conducting an operation targeting Islamist organizations, just before the attack. Its intelligence chief, Hanefi Avcı, said that the attackers left no trace of their affiliation. Rather, they seemed to have been well trained by a state.[17]

During the course of the investigation, voluminous documents relating SAVAMA to the Kurdish Hezbollah were found. In addition, the Ankara police detained three suspects who were found to have stayed at a hotel in Ankara before the attack: Yusuf Karakuş, Abdülhamit Çelik, and Mehmet Şahin. Karakuş said that two Iranian spies were involved in the bombing: Muhammed Reza and Muhsin Karger Azad.[18] Çelik, a.k.a. "Abdullah Gürgen", said he reported to Muhsin Karger Azad.[19] Azad was ostensibly a consulate employee, but secretly an alleged Gladio member.[20][21] Azad left Turkey after he was "named and shamed" in the newspapers along with other diplomats alleged to be spies.[22]

Former Interior Minister Hasan Fehmi Güneş said that there was no doubt in his mind as to SAVAMA's involvement.[23]

The alleged motivation for the Iran hypothesis is that Iran's leaders saw secularism as inimical to Islam, and Mumcu had to be killed because he was an outspoken promoter of it.[24] However, others dispute the Iran hypothesis as the assassination coincided with a state visit from Iran to negotiate the passage of a natural gas pipeline from Iran, which was then subject to an embargo by the United States.[25] Tensions flared after the assassination, and the $25 billion pipeline deal fell through.[10]

CIA hypothesis

In an earlier investigation, Mumcu had been on the CIA's trail. Working on the Mehmet Ali Ağca case, he was the first to discover the connection between the Turkish mafia and the Turkish extreme right.[26] In his Cumhuriyet column, Mumcu named Ruzi Nazar as the CIA's liaison with the far-right Grey Wolves.[27] The CIA's Turkey station chief, Paul Henze, and an American reporter accosted Mumcu to convince him to write that the Pope's assassin worked for Soviets or the Bulgarians, but Mumcu said he would simply follow the information trail. Henze left with an ominous "If you do that, you might find a nice surprise in store", according to his wife, Güldal.[28][29]

JITEM hypothesis

Abdülkadir Aygan, a JITEM informant from PKK, said that the assassination was carried out by JITEM operatives including Cem Ersever at the behest of General Veli Küçük, who years later, in 2008, was tried for allegedly being a high-ranking member of the Ergenekon network.[30] Aygan said that he and Aytekin Özen had a briefcase of about 20 kg of C-4 (explosive), obtained from a Vietnam veteran, and that they had used some of it to assassinate the President of the Diyarbakir Bar, Mustafa Özer. The unnamed American soldier had allegedly given the explosives to the Regional Emergency Governorate (Turkish: Olağanüstü Hal Bölge Valiliği) in 1991 or 1992.[31]

A confidential forensic report, dated 29 January 1993, was prepared by the chief of the Criminal Police Laboratory, Muhittin Kaya. It wrote that the plastic explosive weighed approximately 2.5 kg and contained RDX, as used in C-4s. However, it contradicted itself in explaining its origin, saying Czechoslovakia in the body, and the United States in the appendix.[12]

MOSSAD hypothesis

Uğur Mumcu's brother, Ceyhan Mumcu, finds the evidence for the JITEM/Ergenekon allegations weak. He suspects Israel's involvement since it supported Barzani and Talabani in the Gulf War.[32] Israel's ambassador to Turkey had repeatedly requested to have lunch with Uğur, the only journalist to write about the dealings. Uğur agreed on the condition that he be allowed to bring a witness. The ambassador rejected the offer, and Mumcu died shortly thereafter.[10]

Ceyhan Mumcu said his suspicions were supported by evidence uncovered in the Ergenekon investigation.[33] A report seized from retired General Veli Küçük, dated 2 February 1993 and purportedly emanating from the MİT, says that the CIA and Israel's OADNA were involved.[34]


Personal life

Uğur Mumcu was survived by his wife Güldal, and their children Özgür and Özge Mumcu. Güldal Mumcu and her children established the Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation (Turkish: Uğur Mumcu Araştırmacı Gazetecilik Vakfı) in October 1994.[1]

Numerous parks, streets and monuments have been named after him.[35][36][37]

Bibliography
  • Mobilya Dosyası, um:ag (October 1975), 279 p., ISBN 975-8084-28-3
  • Suçlular ve Güçlüler, Tekin (May 1977), 99 p., ISBN 975-8084-24-0
  • Sakıncalı Piyade, um:ag (1977), ISBN 975-8084-20-8
  • Bir Pulsuz Dilekçe, um:ag (1977), ISBN 975-8084-22-4
  • Büyüklerimiz, um:ag (1978), ISBN 975-8084-06-2
  • Çıkmaz Sokak, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-02-X
  • Tüfek İcad Oldu, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-21-6
  • Silah Kaçakçılığı ve Terör, um:ag (1981), ISBN 975-8084-19-4
  • Söz Meclisten İçeri, um:ag (1981), ISBN 975-8084-18-6
  • Ağca Dosyası, um:ag (February 1982), 175 p., ISBN 975-8084-29-1
  • Terörsüz Özgürlük, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-10-0
  • Papa - Mafya - Ağca, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-15-1
  • Liberal Çiftlik, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-07-0
  • Devrimci ve Demokrat, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-16-X
  • Aybar İle Söyleşi, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-05-4
  • İnkılap Mektupları, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-03-8
  • Rabıta, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-14-3
  • 12 Eylül Adaleti, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-23-2
  • Bir Uzun Yürüyüş, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-11-9
  • Tarikat - Siyaset - Ticaret, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-12-7
  • Kazım Karabekir Anlatıyor, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-08-9
  • 40'ların Cadı Kazanı, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-13-5
  • Kürt İslam Ayaklanması 1919-1925, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-04-6
  • Gazi Paşa'ya Suikast, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-09-7
  • Sakıncalı Piyade (play), um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-27-5
  • Söze Nereden Başlasam, um:ag (October 1999), 119 p., ISBN 975-8084-79-8
  • Bu Düzen Böyle mi Gidecek?, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-79-8
  • Bomba Davası ve İlaç Dosyası, um:ag, ISBN 975-8084-81-X
  • Sakıncasız (play), um:ag (November 1984), 112 p., ISBN 975-8084-83-6
  • Eğilmeden Bükülmeden, um:ag (2004), 168 p., ISBN 975-8084-84-4
  • Kürt Dosyası, Tekin (August 1993), 107 p., ISBN 975-8084-17-8

See also

References
  1. About Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine um:ag
  2. "Out of Tragedy in Turkey Emerges a Journalistic Mission". Nieman Reports. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. Ayla Acar (2012). "A Review in Opposition in the Period 12th March (1971): Ortam" (PDF). İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi (in Turkish) (42): 6–8.
  4. Lucy, Komisar (April 1997). "Turkey's terrorists: a CIA legacy lives on". The Progressive. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  5. "Uğur Mumcu kimdir?".
  6. "An interview with Turkish journalist Ismail Saymaz;". Journo.com.tr. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  7. Aydin, Zulfikar Ali (27 July 2008). "PKK-MİT ilişkisini yazamadan öldürüldü". Sabah (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  8. Ergenekon linked to Mumcu murder Archived 13 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Today's Zaman, 5 August 2008
  9. Duzel, Nese (29 May 2006). "Mumcu, Apo'nun devletteki bağlantısını buldu". Türkiye. Radikal (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2008. It was reported by press that Mumucu was killed due to his discovery of the relation between MIT and Abdullah Ocalan.
  10. Mumcu: "Yakında yayımlanacak bir kitabımda, Kürt milliyetçileri ile istihbarat örgütleri arasındaki ilişkilere ışık tutacak çok ilginç belgeler açıklayacağım!" Quoted in Kumbasar, İsrafil K (26 May 2006). "Uğur Mumcu, kendisini dört kez çağıran İsrail Sefiri ile ne konuştu?". Yeni Çağ (in Turkish). Alt URL Archived 14 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Alpman, Nazım (24 January 1999). "Babam bir şeylere ulaşmıştı". Milliyet (in Turkish).
  12. İşleyen, Ercüment (24 January 1999). "Artık konuşun". Milliyet (in Turkish). O tür bir olay hatırlıyorum. Ancak Apo'yla mı ilgiliydi, başka bir mensupla mı ilgili onu çözemedik. Sayın Mumcu'ya da söylediğim şuydu: Bana böyle birşey gelmişti. Onunla ilgili mi değil mi bende resmi yazı olacak, dedim. O yazıyı ararken o olay oldu. Gelen yazı `dokunmayın' mealinde değil `bizim mensubumuzdur' şeklindeydi. Aradığım belge oydu. Belgede bir şahıs ismi var. MİT hesabına çalışan bir sanığın ismi. O belgeyi arıyorum. Onu bulursak Mumcu'nun aradığı düğüm çözülecek.
  13. "28 Şubat'la ilgili iddialar var". Sabah (in Turkish). 27 July 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2008. Oğuztan, Mumcu'nun yanı sıra Jandarma Genel Komutanı Orgeneral Eşref Bitlis ve JİTEM Komutanı emekli binbaşı Ahmet Cem Ersever'in devlet sırrının ortaya çıkmaması için öldürüldüklerini iddia etti.
  14. Ergenc, Erdinç (30 July 2008). "MİT ajanının sızdığını PKK'lılar da kabul etti". Sabah (in Turkish). Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  15. Kumbasar, İsrafil K (25 May 2006). "Uğur Mumcu'nun bombalanmasına neden olan yazı". Yeni Çağ (in Turkish). CIA ve MOSSAD'ın Türkiye ile İran arasında uyuşmazlık çıkarabilmek için ülkemizde birtakım cinayetler işleteceği, sorumluğunu İran üzerine atmaya çalışacağı yaygın bir söylentidir. Bu söylenti, istihbarat kaynaklarına dayandığını söyleyen bir yuttaşımız tarafından bana da bildirildi. Bu senaryoyu daha önce de yaşadık. Uğur'un ölümüne neden olan yazıyı okumanızı ve sonraki gelişmeleri yeniden incelemenizi tavsiye ediyorum. Alt URL
  16. Ekşi, Oktay (27 December 2008). "Mumcu cinayeti aydınlanırken". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  17. Akyol, Fuat (22 January 2000). "Hangı Hızbullah?". Aksiyon Dergisi (in Turkish). Feza Gazetecilik A.Ş. 268. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2008. İslami Hareket Örgütü üyeleri çok profesyoneldi. Örgüt görevlisinden çok devletçe eğitilmiş kişiler görünümündeydiler. Kendilerine İslami Hareket denildiğinde bunu kabul ettiler ve 'Siz söylediniz, biz kabul ettik' dediler. İslami Hareket diye bir bildiri, dergi, afiş ve benzeri örgüt simge ve uzuvları yoktu. Bu bir örgüt değil gruptu, ancak kimin adına çalıştığı belirlenmeden grup söndü.
  18. "Mumcu zanlıları itirafa başladı". NTV-MSNBC (in Turkish). 10 May 2000. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  19. Zelyut, Rıza (5 December 2008). "Muhsin Karger Azad". Güneş (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  20. Ocak, Serkan (29 December 2008). "Oğuztan: Eymür, Tuncay Güney'e emir veriyordu". Türkiye. Radikal. Retrieved 27 December 2008. Güney, İran Konsolosluğu siyasi işler müsteşarı Muhsin Karger'le tanışıp dostluk kurduğunu ve doğrudan Mehmet Eymür'e bilgi ve fotoğraflar aktardığını, Karger'in İran'da MOD adıyla anılan gladyo mensubu olduğunu bizzat şahsıma anlatmıştır.
  21. "19. DOGU PERINÇEK". TBMM Susurluk Komisyonu Raporu (in Turkish). 26 December 1996. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2008. Ugur MUMCU'nun öldürülmesinde Iran'in MOD adli yeralti kurulusunun önemli rolü bulundugunu, MOD'u ABD'nin büyük ölçüde kontrol ettigini, eroin isine girdigini ve içinde Sah döneminden kalma SAVAK ajanlarinin çalistigini, Lazim ESMAELI ve Asgar SIMITKOV'u öldüren Iranlilarin da bu örgütten olduklarini, Iran Disisleri Bakani Mumcu suikastinden sonra Türkiye'ye geldiginde konunun sorulmasi üzerine 'Biz, 25 milyar dolari kapsayan bir dogalgaz ve petrol anlasmasi yapmak için Türkiye'ye geliyoruz, tam geldigimizden bir gün önce böyle bir suikast yapip Türkiye ile iliskilerimizi berhava etmenin hangi mantiga sigdigini açiklamak lazim' dedigini ve kendilerinin de bunun dogru oldugu kanisinda olduklarini, burada Iran'in bir çikari olmadigini, ABD'nin raporlarinda 'Kemalizmin modasi geçti, Türkiye'ye ilimli Islam gerekli, Türkiye'nin kimligi ilimli Islam olmali' dendigini, bizim kültürel kimligimizi Amerika'nin belirledigini ve bunun da 'Ilimli Islam' oldugunu, bu sebeple Amerika'nin, Kemalizmin bugünkü temsilcileri ve savunuculari olan Ugur MUMCU, Bahriye ÜÇOK ve Muammer AKSOY'u öldürterek Kemalizmi savunanlara gözdagi operasyonu yürüttügünü,…
  22. Bakacak, Mustafa (10 May 2000). "'Ajanım' dedi bıraktılar". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  23. Kilic, Ecevit; Emec, Ali Selim (19 January 2007). "Kafatasçı cinayetlerde Özel Harp Dairesi'nin rolü tartışılsın". Yeni Aktüel (in Turkish). 81. Retrieved 22 December 2008. Evet. İran istihbarat örgütünü kastediyorum... planlamanın nereden yapıldığı konusunda kafamda bir tereddüt yok.
  24. Zelyut, Rıza (12 May 2000). "Muhsin Karger Azad'ı tanımıştım". Akşam (in Turkish). Retrieved 28 December 2008. İran, Uğur Mumcu'yu öldürtmüş olabilir mi? Olabilir...Çünkü, bu ülkenin temel çalışmasını 'İslam devrimini ihraç etmek' oluşturuyor. Hatırlayacaksınız. 1997 yılında, İran'ın en üst düzey ayetullahları ile konuşmuş ve bunu da yayımlamıştım. İranlı ayetullahlar, Türkiye'yi Amerikan güdümünde dinsiz bir memleket gibi görüyor.
  25. Söylemez, Haşim (11 August 2008). "Eşref Bitlis ile Cem Ersever'i aynı ekip öldürdü". Aksiyon (in Turkish). Vol. 714. Feza Gazetecilik A.Ş. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008. Mumcu'nun İran istihbaratının yardımıyla öldürülmüş olması mantıklı değil.
  26. Saéz, Jesús López (2005). "8. PAPAL ATTEMPT, STATE´s SECRET". The Day of Reckoning. Meral Ediciones. ISBN 84-933979-2-X. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  27. Keskingören, Tuğrul (31 May 2008). "Ruzi Nazar ile Röportaj". Açık İstihbarat (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2008. Tabi Turkiye'de Uğur Mumcu gibi yazarlar bu olayi bizim uzerimize yikmaya calistilar ve benim hakkimda Cumhuriyet gazetesinde haber yaptilar.
  28. Kirikkanat, Mine G (25 January 1999). "Gerçeğin çaresizliği". Radikal (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 October 2008. Uğur Mumcu'nun Mehmet Ali Ağca dosyası üzerinde çalıştığı günlerde kapı çalınmış, içeri kapı komşuluğuna gelir gibi Paul Henze girmişti. Henze, deneyimli gazeteciye, Ağca'nın Rus ya da Bulgar ajanı olduğunu yazmasını önerdi. Mumcu, CIA'nın önerisini: 'Ben bulduğum gerçekleri yazarım, söyleneni değil,' diye geri çevirince, Henze'nin yanıtı Uğur Mumcu'ya bir süre sonra öldürüleceğini ihtar eder gibiydi: 'Eğer böyle yaparsanız, sizi güzel sürprizler bekler!'
  29. Bortaçina, Azer (24 January 1999). "Namus borcu ödenmedi". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  30. "Charges reveal killer face of suspects". Today's Zaman. 26 July 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  31. Unlu, Ferhat (25 August 2008). "Mumcu'yu öldüren C-4 ABD'li eski askerden". Sabah (in Turkish). Retrieved 27 August 2008. Ersever'in valizinde yaklaşık 20 kilo C-4 olduğunu gözlerimle gördüm. Bu patlayıcıları 1991 ya da 92'de Vietnam gazisi bir Amerikalı adam Olağanüstü Hal Bölge Valiliği'ne vermişti. Ersever de patlayıcıları oradan aldı.
  32. "MİT belgesi gerçek, kardeşimi İsrail öldürdü". Zaman (in Turkish). 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  33. On pages 826 Archived 5 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine and 827 Archived 5 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine of the Ergenekon indictment (in Turkish)
  34. "Uğur Mumcu'yu İsrail suikast timi öldürdü". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). ANKA. 26 July 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  35. "UĞUR MUMCU PARKI". Çankaya Belediyesi. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  36. "Ugur Mumcu Parki (Eskisehir) - Aktuelle 2019 - Lohnt es sich? (Mit fotos)". TripAdvisor (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  37. "Memorial to murdered journalist Uğur Mumcu vandalized in Ankara - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2019.

Further reading
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