Arif Doğan

{{Infobox Politician

| name =Arif Doğan

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| imagesize = 200px

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| birth_date = 1945

| birth_place = Kırıkhan, Turkey

| death_date = 17 October 2014

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|allegiance = Turkey

|branch = Turkish Army

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|rank = Colonel

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Arif Doğan (born Kırıkhan, Hatay Province, 1945 – 17 October 2014) was a commander in the Turkish Gendarmerie, and said to be one of the founders of the Gendarmerie's JITEM intelligence unit.{{Cite web|url=http://www.haberturk.com:80/gundem/haber/1000535-arif-dogan-hayatini-kaybetti |title=Arif Doğan hayatını kaybetti |date=17 October 2014 |website=haberturk.com |language=tr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020044314/http://www.haberturk.com/gundem/haber/1000535-arif-dogan-hayatini-kaybetti |archive-date=20 October 2014 |url-status=dead }} He was a defendant in the Ergenekon trials, and in August 2013 was sentenced to 47 years in prison.Today's Zaman, 5 August 2013, [http://todayszaman.com/news-322781-long-sentences-for-ergenekon-suspects-life-for-ex-army-chief.html Long sentences for Ergenekon suspects, life for ex-army chief] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806033514/http://todayszaman.com/news-322781-long-sentences-for-ergenekon-suspects-life-for-ex-army-chief.html |date=August 6, 2013 }} He has stated in court that he founded JITEM in the late 1980s on the orders of Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Burhanettin Bigalı, with the approval of the Chief of Staff (Necip Torumtay) and of the Interior Ministry, and transferred control to Veli Küçük in 1990.Hurriyet Daily News, 14 October 2010, [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-dailies-leak-contradictory-testimony-from-retired-colonel.aspx?pageID=438&n=8216military-and-interior-ministry-approved-jitem8217-says-self-claimed-founder-2010-10-14 Turkish dailies leak contradictory testimony from retired colonel] He had previously claimed to have founded JITEM on his own initiative, and to have "frozen" it in 1990.Hurriyet Daily News, 27 September 2010, [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=self-claimed-jitem-founder-wants-to-be-heard-in-court-2010-09-27 'JİTEM founder' demands day in Turkish court]

In 2010 a voice recording said to be of Doğan was anonymously posted online, in which Doğan said he had ordered the deaths of Eşref Bitlis and Cem Ersever, referring to the death of Bitlis (in a suspicious plane crash) as an "assassination". JITEM informant Abdülkadir Aygan said that this was true.Today's Zaman, 23 September 2010, [https://archive.today/20130702191253/http://todayszaman.com/news-222422-dogans-account-perfectly-true-says-ex-jitem-member.html Doğan’s account perfectly true, says ex-JİTEM member] Doğan said that the voice in the recording was his, but said the recordings had been spliced to incriminate him.Hurriyet Daily News, 8 January 2013, [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/retired-general-testifies-in-probe-into-generals-death.aspx?pageID=238&nID=38577&NewsCatID=338 Retired general testifies in probe into general’s death]

On 17 January 2011 Doğan, while testifying in court in the Ergenekon case, declared that he set up Kurdish Hizbollah as a contra group to fight and kill militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The organization was originally to be called Hizbul-Kontr ("Party of the Contras").{{cite news |author=Benjamin Harvey |title=Turkey Officer Says He Created Local Hezbollah Group, Star Says |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-18/turkey-officer-says-he-created-local-hezbollah-group-star-says.html |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=18 January 2011 |accessdate=18 January 2011}}