Cem Ersever

{{Short description|Turkish military officer (1950–1993)}}

{{Infobox Politician

| name = Cem Ersever

| image = Cem Ersever.jpg

| imagesize = 200px

| caption =

| birth_date = 6 June 1950

| birth_place = Erzurum, Turkey

| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|11|4|1950|df=yes}}

| death_place = Ankara, Turkey

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| allegiance = Turkey

| branch = Turkish Army

| serviceyears = 1968–1993

| rank = Major

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}}

Ahmet Cem Ersever (1950 – 4 November 1993) was a commander in the Turkish Gendarmerie, and said to be one of the founders of the Gendarmerie's JITEM intelligence unit. He was assassinated in November 1993.[http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=150071 Ergenekon indictment reopens gendarmerie major’s murder case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205213650/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=150071# |date=2008-12-05 }}, Today's Zaman, 13 August 2008. His girlfriend and translator Nevval Boz was also assassinated, along with İhsan Hakan, a former PKK member.

Prior to his assassination, Ersever had left the army and began speaking to the press, and said he was in charge of JITEM's south-eastern operations. In his resignation statement he said "A gang formed inside the authorized organization in the Southeast is preventing the Turkish nation from seeing the real dimensions of the events taking place there."Today's Zaman, 2 February 2008, [http://todayszaman.com/news-133117-ersevers-top-secret-archive-found-in-generals-house.html Ersever’s top-secret archive found in general’s house] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418224509/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-133117-ersevers-top-secret-archive-found-in-generals-house.html |date=2014-04-18 }} He published a book on the war with the PKK under the pen-name Ahmet Aydın. His interviews with journalist Soner Yalçın were published in Aydınlık, after which the Military Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation, and took a deposition from Ersever.Today's Zaman, 2 October 2011, [http://todayszaman.com/news-258664-recordings-of-late-major-confirm-illegitimate-practices-in-anti-terror-fight.html Recordings of late major confirm illegitimate practices in anti-terror fight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004012718/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-258664-recordings-of-late-major-confirm-illegitimate-practices-in-anti-terror-fight.html |date=2011-10-04 }} Ersever's archive went missing after his death, but was later found in the house of Veli Küçük during investigations for the Ergenekon trials.Today's Zaman, 13 August 2008, [http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&link=150071 Ergenekon indictment reopens gendarmerie major’s murder case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921082134/http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&link=150071# |date=2012-09-21 }} A report found in Küçük's house suggested that journalist Uğur Mumcu, General Eşref Bitlis and Ersever had all been killed to cover up arms sales from the Ergenekon organization to armed Kurdish groups.[http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&link=149402 Ergenekon linked to Mumcu murder] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213010827/http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&link=149402# |date=2013-12-13 }}, Today's Zaman, 5 August 2008

He was declared a "martyr" by the Turkish Gendarmerie in 2011.Hurriyet Daily News, 10 January 2011, [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-gendarmerie-declares-alleged-jitem-founder-a-martyr.aspx?pageID=438&n=jitems-alleged-founder-considered-as-martyr-2011-01-10 Turkish Gendarmerie declares alleged JİTEM founder a 'martyr'] Doğu Perinçek has claimed that Ersever was assassinated to cover up his role in the assassination of Eşref Bitlis earlier that year.Hurriyet Daily News, 7 December 1996, [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/perincek-says-ersever-killing-was-to-cover-up-bitlis-murder.aspx?pageID=438&n=perincek-says-ersever-killing-was-to-cover-up-bitlis-murder-1996-12-07 Perincek says Ersever killing was to cover up Bitlis murder] A report in the 1990s by police chief Hanefi Avcı said that Ersever had been killed by Mahmut Yıldırım (codename Yeşil) on the orders of Veli Küçük.