German Foundations Accused of Spying in Turkey

At a time when bilateral relations between Turkey and Germany seem to be looking up with Berlin’s backing for Ankara’s EU bid, a controversial court case in Turkey has thrown a dampener on the burgeoning ties.

On Thursday, a court in Ankara began hearing charges of spying and working to undermine the Turkish state against 15 people from four German foundations as well as a group of Turkish citizens.

The Turkish accused are residents of the village of Bergama in western Anatolien who protested against the use of cyanide in gold mines in their region.

The four German organizations targeted include political foundations which seek to promote civil society and bilateral cooperation – the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. All four are charged with promoting separatist tendencies and also stand accused of supporting the group of Bergama environmentalists.

Episode prompted by controversial book

The so-called espionage affair has been simmering in the Turkish capital for almost a year.

A book by a self-appointed Secret Services expert and Turkish scientist, Necip Hablemitoglu is believed to have triggered the episode. Hablemitoglu was mysteriously shot dead in front of his house in Ankara by unknown attackers last week.

In his book, "The German Foundations and the Bergama Affair", Hablemitoglu accused German foundations in Ankara of spying and having close contacts with "state enemies" such as ecological, Kurdish or fundamentalist Islamic groups.

He described the German foundations as "centers of agitation against Turkey" and said that the foundations were supporting the protests against the use of cyanide "to the advantage of Germany."

The former public prosecutor Nuh Mete Yüksel, who recently withdrew from the prosecution due to a scandal, said in his indictment, "The foundations are the most effective and dependable crutches of German foreign policy. When one observes their activities in Ankara closely, it’s clear that there are grave signs that this is a case of espionage."

The Turkish prosecution is calling for sentences for up to 15 years.

Controversial protests

The affair took a further controversial turn when the group of Bergama activists protesting against the use of cyanide took to flamboyant demonstrations in a bid to attract Turkish as well as international attention.

Recently, the activists appeared semi-naked in large groups on the Bosporus bridge in Istanbul.

German government condemns charges

The German government has dismissed the charges as baseless.

For months Berlin has been making diplomatic efforts to urge Ankara to put a stop to the chicanery and to rehabilitate the foundations. But the government in Ankara which has distanced itself from the case, has pleaded that its hands are tied because the Judiciary in Turkey is independent.

"We are convinced that these accusations are baseless, unfounded and even absurd," the German ambassador to Turkey, Rudolf Schmidt told a news conference in Ankara this week.

German foundations incensed by accusations

The German foundations in Ankara are also outraged by the accusations.

Wulf Schönbohm of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung that is close to the opposition Christian Democratic Party (CDU) described the accusations as "rubbish" and "absurd and laughable" in a newspaper interview in October.

The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung has been working since 1983 to help Turkey get closer to the European Union.

"In Germany, I’m already viewed as half-Turkish because I advocate the EU perspective of the country," Schönbohm said.

Schönbohm suspects that forces who want to disrupt close ties between Turkey and the EU are behind the campaign.

Turkish organisations regret campaign

The Turkish partner organizations of the German foundations, who have also been charged, are equally upset by the accusations.

The Chairman of the Turkish Democratic Foundation, Bülent Akarcali, remembers the year 1985 when his organization began a direct cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. "It took a leading role and attracted further German political foundations to Turkey. That was very important for the development of Turkey," the conservative Akarcali said.

The Chairman of the Social Democratic Foundation, Ercan Karakas describes the affair as "extremely unfortunate at a time, when Turkey wants to once again develop closer ties to the EU."