US embassy cable - 05ISTANBUL1556

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 001556 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2015 
TAGS: KISL, PGOV, PHUM, PINS, PTER, TU, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: HIZB-UT TAHRIR ACTIVE IN ISTANBUL 
 
REF: A. TASHKENT 2182 
     B. ANKARA 5233 
     C. ISTANBUL 383 
 
Classified By: Consul General Deborah K.Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( 
 
d). 
 
1. (U)  Members of the radical Islamic organization Hizb-ut 
Tahrir (HT) staged a protest and delivered a press statement 
after Friday prayers at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul on September 
2.  Calling for the the reinstatement of the Caliphate, HT's 
putative leader in Turkey, Yilmaz Celik, reportedly called 
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk the "criminal of the century" for 
having abolished that institution.  In a 24-page press 
statement, with an estimated 500 protestors in attendance, 
Celik outlined how "imperialist infidels, with the help of 
Muslim and Arab traitors," assisted Ataturk in the overthrow 
of the Caliphate State, and lamented that Muslims today 
suffer from disorganization and division as a result. 
 
2.  (U)  Police were present during the protest, but observed 
the events without intervening or attempting to detain Celik. 
 Their inaction in the face of the public denigration of 
Ataturk was broadcast on CNN Turk and NTV on September 2 and 
has been roundly criticized, including by Deputy Prime 
Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin.  Police officials responded that 
they were acting with restraint in the face of provocation. 
According to press reports, the Fatih Chief Prosecutor 
ordered the arrest of ten participants, including Celik. 
Seven persons were detained, and five have since been 
released.  Celik is still being sought by police.  On 
September 7, he reportedly sent a fax to a number of 
newspapers promising that one day HT would be flying the 
Caliphate flag. 
 
3.  (C)  Istanbul security directorate sources told a 
consulate officer that police had arrested several HT members 
in operations during March 2005 for "being members of a 
terrorist organization."  They indicated, however, that the 
detainees were released and charges dropped by prosecutors. 
They were thus especially upset with public criticism of the 
lack of police reaction on September 2, arguing that with the 
prosecutor's decision they had no legal basis to detain them. 
 (Note:  Previously, an Adana court reportedly called the 
group a terrorist organization in 2004 for its support of 
sharia law, and implicitly, its favoring an overthrow of the 
constitutional order, but since members of the group have not 
been proven to have used violence and force to support their 
goals, they have not been put on Turkey's list of terrorist 
organizations.  End note.) 
 
4.  (U) In addition to the group's event at Fatih Mosque, HT 
has been active in Istanbul's main pedestrian zone recently, 
distributing leaflets stating that "the infidel USA has 
become proud, spoiled and rabid with its power," "September 
11 was used as an excuse for the crusade," and that "our 
Muslim brothers (in Afghanistan) were decimated in masses" 
before "Iraqi soil became trodden with the filthy boots of 
the infidels." 
 
5.  (C)  Comment:  Hizb-ut Tahrir has operated relatively 
under the radar screen in Turkey, especially when compared to 
the group's profile in Central Asia.  The debate about the 
nature of HT may pick up after this Fatih incident, however, 
which has sparked outrage among many Turks, expressions of 
which we have heard in conversation on the streets of 
Istanbul on more than one occasion.  Cumhuriyet claimed in a 
September 7 report that HT has been infiltrated by Turkish 
Hizbullah.  Beyond the issue of terrorism, however, it is 
interesting to note that Turkish police and prosecutors here 
have not usually been so shy about using Article 301 to 
pursue those who defame the state or Ataturk; for example, 
author Orhan Pamuk faces charges for controversial comments 
made about the massacre of Armenians and other issues (ref 
B).  Some read into this inaction on September 2 a connection 
to the harsh criticism police experienced for their 
overenthusiastic response in breaking up a March Women's Day 
protest (ref C).  Turkish security officials continue to 
grapple with defining their post EU-reforms role in 
guaranteeing the safety and security of citizens while 
facilitating freedom of speech and assembly. 
JONES