Sedat Peker

Sedat was born in Adapazarı, in the Turkish province of Sakarya. He spent considerable time in Germany. In a 1999 interview with Milliyet he self-identified as a pan-Turkist and Turanist.

Peker was tried in 1997 for the murder of the drug smuggler Abdullah Topçu, but was acquitted. The two other defendants in the same case, alleged to be Peker's employees, were sentenced to life imprisonment. After the acquittal, he fled to Romania and was sought for, amongst others, protection racketeering, coercion, and incitement to murder. During this time it was reported that Peker had been visited by a minister and a member of parliament from the Motherland Party and guaranteed, in return for an unknown favor, to be only imprisoned for a short period of time.[http://i.milliyet.com.tr/ergenekon/iddianame.aspx?sayfa=303 Indictment in the Ergenekon case, page 303] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011190201/http://i.milliyet.com.tr/ergenekon/iddianame.aspx?sayfa=303 |date=2016-10-11 }} (Turkish). As of 2022, Peker revealed that the favour that secured his release was to turn in a cassette footage of then PM Mesut Yılmaz being beaten up in Hungary because of his gambling debts.{{cite web | url=https://www.birgun.net/haber/sedat-peker-den-mehmet-cengiz-ile-mesut-yilmaz-a-dair-iddialar-ve-video-aciklamasi-394447 | title=Sedat Peker'den Mehmet Cengiz ile Mesut Yılmaz'a dair iddialar ve video açıklaması }}

On 17 August 1998, Peker was brought to Turkey in his own free will and surrendered to the authorities. The case against him was opened in September 1998. He pleaded guilty to the crimes for which he was accused and the court found him guilty of building a criminal organization. During the trial, Peker made some remarks without further explanation: "An older member of parliament sent me an SMS which said I shouldn't behave too arrogantly. I would like to tell you (the court) everything, because if I don't it could come to pass that I commit suicide under suspicious circumstances." The prosecutors requested at least 7½ years' imprisonment, but Peker was only sentenced to eight months and 29 days. He was released on 24 May 1999.{{Cite web|url=https://bianet.org/english/law/199221-sedat-peker-acquitted-of-trial-of-threatening-academics|title=Sedat Peker Acquitted of Trial of Threatening Academics|last=|first=|date=16 July 2018|website=Bianet|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}

In May 2005, he was arrested during Operation Butterfly. On 31 January 2007, he was again found guilty of building and leading a criminal organization, robbery, forgery, and two counts of false imprisonment, and sentenced to 14 years and five months.Today's Zaman, 1 February 2007, [http://todayszaman.com/news-101668-sedat-peker-sentenced-to-14-years-of-jail.html Sedat Peker sentenced to 14 years of jail] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201701/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-101668-sedat-peker-sentenced-to-14-years-of-jail.html |date=2016-03-04 }}[http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/haber.aspx?id=5864822&tarih=2007-01-30 Sedat Peker'e 14 yıl hapis cezası], Hürriyet, retrieved 26 October 2008.[http://arsiv.sabah.com.tr/2008/09/22//haber,DE738449464A4A30B0CA36A85B5EE9BF.html Sedat peker is tried again], Sabah (Turkish)

Peker is allegedly a member of the underground Turkish organization Ergenekon,[https://www.faz.net/s/RubDDBDABB9457A437BAA85A49C26FB23A0/Doc~E9863FCB962094E1D9EFF2E804B888A78~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html?rss_politik Turkey: Trial against „Ergenekon“-Conspirators begins], Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, (German) and Veli Küçük stated in 2008 that Peker was the "son of a friend."Today's Zaman, 21 March 2008, [http://todayszaman.com/news-136926-ultra-nationalist-mobster-questioned-over-ergenekon.html Ultra-nationalist mobster questioned over Ergenekon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518101706/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-136926-ultra-nationalist-mobster-questioned-over-ergenekon.html |date=2015-05-18 }} so on 5 August 2013, Peker was sentenced to ten years in prison as part of the Ergenekon trials; 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=2013-08-06 }} however, he and other convicts (Doğu Perinçek,Kemal Kerinçsiz and Tuncay Özkan) were released a few months later.

On 13 January 2016, Peker threatened in a well-attended speech that the academics who signed the petition for peace with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/notorious-criminal-threatens-academics-calling-for-peace-in-turkeys-southeast.aspx?pageID=238&nID=93834&NewsCatID=341|title=LOCAL - Notorious criminal threatens academics calling for peace in Turkey's southeast|access-date=2016-03-30}} For this speech he got prosecuted, but acquitted in July 2018.

In early 2020, he went from Turkey to Montenegro, then he left the Balkans to Morocco, and later to the United Arab Emirates.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In May 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, he started a confession video series on YouTube announcing one video each Sunday about the deep state in Turkey. He accused Tolga Ağar, son of former interior minister Mehmet Ağar, of raping and murdering Kazakh student Yeldana Kaharman.{{cite web |url=https://www.birgun.net/haber/sedat-peker-berat-albayrak-in-abisine-seslendi-ben-devletin-karakolunda-milletvekilinin-kemiklerini-kirdirdim-344133 |title=Sedat Peker, Berat Albayrak'ın abisine seslendi: Ben devletin karakolunda milletvekilinin kemiklerini kırdırdım |website=birgun.net |language=Turkish |date=9 May 2021 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/turkey-s-wicked-messenger-has-gone-viral-here-s-why-1.1227895 |title=Turkey's 'wicked messenger' has gone viral. Here's why |website=thenationalnews.com |date=24 May 2021 }} In addition, he alleged Mehmet Ağar's role in the killing of Kutlu Adalı,{{cite news |title=Kutlu Adalı cinayeti: Sedat Peker'in iddialarının ardından 'Soruşturma yeniden açılsın' çağrıları yapılıyor |url=https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-57219829 |access-date=23 May 2021 |work=BBC News Türkçe |language=tr}} and alleged Ağar's involvement, along with former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım's son Erkam, in an international drug trafficking scheme.{{cite web |url=https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkish-mafia-boss-claims-former-pms-son-ex-minister-part-of-intl-drug-trafficking-scheme-news-57577 |title=Turkish mafia boss claims former PM's son, ex-minister part of int'l drug trafficking scheme |website=duvarenglish.com |date=23 May 2021 }} He later accused SADAT, founded by retired Brigadier General and former presidential advisor Adnan Tanrıverdi, of being involved in the arms shipment to Al-Nusra Front during the Syrian Civil War.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-57301656 |title=Sedat Peker'in iddialarına SADAT'ın yanıtı ne oldu, Bayırbucak Türkmenleri ne diyor? |website=BBC |language=Turkish |date=30 May 2021 }}

On December 12, 2021, 140journos released a documentary on YouTube featuring him and some prominent journalists and political figures like former Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç of Turkey. The documentary touched on the impact of the deep state in Turkey on the political and judicial system and how Sedat Peker's involvement with the government scandals started.{{cite web |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/sedat-peker-aylar-sonra-kamera-karsisinda-140journostan-sedat-peker-belgeseli-1892171 |title=Sedat Peker aylar sonra kamera karşısında: 140journos'tan Sedat Peker belgeseli |website=cumhuriyet.com.tr |language=Turkish |date=12 December 2021 }} He also accuses the Minister of the interior, Süleyman Soylu, of having betrayed him after having protected him.{{Cite web |last=M@Rt1n@Sl@n |date=2022-11-09 |title=Mafias and the Turkish state |url=https://ostkonflikt.org/?p=1043 |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=Ost Konflikt |language=en-GB}}

On 30 May 2008, during his incarceration, Peker married his lawyer, Özge Yılmaz.trabzonunsesi.com, 14 June 2008, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110116044516/http://www.trabzonunsesi.com/news_detail.php?id=16523 Sedat Peker Avukatıyla Evlendi] (Turkish)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.sedatpeker.com/ Sedat Peker's official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625035602/http://sedatpeker.com/ |date=2014-06-25 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20010404084209/http://ozturkler.com/ Peker's Pan-turkic Website]
• [https://www.youtube.com/c/sedatpekerreis/featured Sedat Peker's YouTube Channel]
• [https://www.youtube.com/c/sedatpekerreis/featured ya devlet başa, Documentary featuring Sedat Peker]

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Category:1970 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Adapazarı

Category:People convicted in the Ergenekon trials

Category:Pan-Turkists

Category:Turanists

Category:Turkish nationalists

Category:Turkish crime bosses

Category:Turkish expatriates in Germany