Conspiracy Seen Behind Murders of Christians in Turkey

Investigation links Malatya murders to cabal of generals, politicians.

By Damaris Kremida

In April 2007, five young men tortured and killed two Turkish converts and a German Christian at a Christian publishing house in the southeastern city of Malatya. When the resulting trial began in January 2008, the court and the Turkish public regarded it as a straightforward case of overzealous nationalists killing missionaries, whose activity was widely regarded as a national threat.

But in recent months, lawyers have tied the case to a more serious national threat. Prosecutors have expanded their investigation beyond the five assailants to local officials. The murders are now seen as a plot by the "deep state" group Ergenekon, a cabal of generals, politicians, and other prominent figures accused of trying to overthrow the government.

Here is an editorial I wrote for CT shortly after the martyrdoms.

(Here's the link to my interview with John Blok of Prime Time Florida.)