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I have read that a Turkish MP has publicized that Sarin gas has been sent through Turkey to Syria, and that he is now wanted for treason.

I am from Germany, and in our law, it is treason ("Landesverrat") if you leak state secrets to the enemy or the public, with the intent to harm the F.R.G. or to benefit a foreign power.

Telling outright lies is not punishable under that law.

Now if I understand correctly, the allegations of that Turkish MP are vague and would have been plausibly deniable, which they are no longer if the Turkish head of state orders an investigation for treason as per the German definition of "Landesverrat".

Is the assumption correct that by ordering a treason investigation, Erdogan has given away that the story is true? Or what other "kinds" of treason are there in Turkey, that may allow for plausible deniability despite an investigation?

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  • @Mowzer Thanks for creating the correct tag, I wasn't allowed to do it. Would you mind to add a new "treason" tag? Looking at the populist and openly anti-democratic politicians that get elected around the world, I guess we could see it used more often in the future. – Alexander Dec 17 '15 at 9:33
  • No problem. And good point. – Mowzer Dec 17 '15 at 9:36
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    Sent through Turkey by the government? Or with its knowledge or consent? – phoog Dec 18 '15 at 5:27
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    @phoog Well, if the gas was sent through Turkey without knowledge of the government, it couldn't be a state secret. And whether they can still accuse that MP of treason if it wasn't a state secret - well, that's exactly what I'm asking. – Alexander Dec 18 '15 at 7:30
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    @Alexander I was imagining that such a statement might be seen as impugning the competence of the Turkish government. That is, assuming the act is attributed to criminal smugglers, I thought the government might take the statement as a criticism of its failure to detect or stop the smuggling. The idea that such criticism could be treasonous is frightening, but I thought that this might be the point of your question. – phoog Dec 18 '15 at 18:07

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