Turkish Intelligence Document: ISIS to Target Kaos GL?

It has been revealed that the Governorship of Ankara is oblivious to the intelligence document suggesting that ISIS plans to target many locations including Kaos GL. The association is awaiting a response from the General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces and the Prime Ministry.

Source: Kaos GL, “Emniyetin haberi yok, Genelkurmay da kendine ivedi!” (“The police is oblivious, the General Staff is self-prioritizing!”) 8 April 2016, http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=21480, and  KaosGL, “Turkish intelligence document: ISIS targets Kaos GL,” 12 April 2016, http://kaosgl.org/page.php?id=21494

Kaos GL Association contacted the Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) and Ankara District Police Counter-Terror Department as soon as the document was in circulation.

Upon receiving a response from the Counter-Terror Department stating that “such information has not yet reached them,” the association received a confirmation from GATA Ankara over the phone regarding the document being an “internal correspondence,” although the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces has not officially confirmed it.

Kaos GL Association has also submitted an application to the Governorship of Ankara, the Provincial Police Department, Prime Ministry and General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces after the GATA document labeled “urgent” with the subject heading “action warning” began to circulate on social media.

The lawyers of Kaos GL Association Hayriye Kara and Oya Aydın informed kaosGL.org that they have not yet received a written response from the General Staff or the Prime Ministry to their application.

The Governorship is Oblivious, The District Police Lacks the Capacity to Provide Protection!

The internal correspondence document of the General Staff Gülhane Military Medical Academy dated 29 March 2016 and labeled as “urgent” with a subject of “action warning” began to circulate on social media on April 1.

According to the document, Kaos GL Association is among the locations of potential targets in Ankara and Istanbul for “DEAŞ [ISIS — Trans.] terrorist organisation” as referred to by GATA.

The lawyers of the association  informed kaosGL.org that they submitted an application to the Governorship of Ankara and requested urgent protection.

From Governorship to Provincial Police, and onto District Police

The lawyers of Kaos GL Association explained their deliberation at the Governorship of Ankara as follows:

“The governorship has simply accepted the petition and told us that they will send it to the related department in the Provincial Police Department of Ankara. We requested them to pursue it themselves given the urgency of the situation. However, the governorship did not send an order for an investigation to verify the context of the document or to provide protection or to investigate the seriousness of the situation. The Governorship has only approved that they received such information, dated and stamped to notify they received it and are directing it. We understand that they laid it at Ankara Provincial Police’s door.”

The lawyers of the Association pointed out that despite their persistent request for security and protection, responsibility of decision making has been attributed to first Governorship to Provincial Police and from them to the District Police.

After the “Çankaya District Police is in charge” approach by the Provincial Police Department, the lawyers inquired “What happens if the District Police could not provide such protection?” to which Provincial Police responded as “then they will write back to the Provincial department again.”

Çankaya District Police: We Do not Have the Capacity

As Provincial Police sent the petition to the District Police of Çankaya, we also went to the District Police Department, the lawyers said.

Çankaya District Police, who appears to be oblivious to the document, told “we can increase the patrol in that area and have the officers check the location regularly but we do not have the capacity to assign a team to secure the area permanently.”

Kaos Cultural Center is Temporarily Closed

The lawyers of the association are awaiting a response to their application inquiring “Whether such document exists or not, if it exists what kind of precautions will be taken” and “If such document does not exist, whether or not the people who released it for circulation will be investigated?”

The lawyers suggested that the intelligence document stating the Association being counted among “possible target” locations “caused unease among staff, Association members, and volunteers.“

Association declared that until the necessary precautions are taken and the information is received on the outcome of the document, Kaos GL Cultural Center will remain closed, works and activities will continue.

Kaos GL, founded in 1994 is pursuing its activities since 2005 as an association registered to Governorship of Ankara Association Department. Kaos GL Association is the first registered association in Turkey that is working in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights.

 

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