But during the six recent consecutive days of court hearings, the massacre mastermind failed to show up. On the stand, one of the defendants denied any connection to the prime suspect.

"We went on an expedition on behalf of Islam on our own to accomplish this event," said defendant Emre Gunaydin.

A recurring theme seems to have surfaced for this trial: one step forward, three steps back.

In late 2007, five men went to trial and faced life sentences for tying up, torturing, and slitting the throats of Necati Aydin, 35, Ugur Yuksel, 32, and German national Tilmann Geske, 46. A year later, the Turkish Interior Ministry investigated accusations against state prosecutors for mishandling the case. The case was expanded in 2009 when evidence suggested the attacks were instigated by Ergenekon, a loose collection of ultra-nationalist generals, businessmen, mafia and journalists. It hit a bump in the road in June 2009 when a suspected middleman failed to show up for court. Although the end seemed to be in sight in 2010, the trial dragged on for another two years.

In June, CDN recounts, the courts accepted a new indictment accusing military higher-ups of orchestrating the attacks. The 761-page report claims the murders were planned by a retired military general as part of the Cage Action Plan, formed by military officials trying to undercut the government through "assassinations, threats, and acts of terror against Turkey's non-Muslim minorities."

"This indictment provides the first solid evidence that our military authorities officially assigned the named suspects to monitor and attack the Christians in Malatya," a representative told CDN.

The case's prime suspect, 70-year-old Ret. Gen. Hursit Tolon, reportedly sent the court a 10-day medical excuse from his prison cell. CDN said Tolon and the remaining suspects will testify on November 12, when hearings are scheduled to resume.

Two widows, five young children, and a fiancée survive the victims of the Malatya Massacre. Keep them in your prayers, and pray for the quick resolution of this case. Turkey is #31 on the Open Doors World Watch List. Pray for boldness for Turkish believers.

They join a larger roundup of 20 suspects taken into custody
on March 17 for their roles in the murders of three Christians: Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske.

The arrests were part of a large-scale, nine-province
operation to bring down the masterminds of the slayings. But the sinister nature of the plot went to
the highest levels of the Turkish government.

Investigating authorities say the suspects were part of a
clandestine ultra-nationalist group called Ergenekon, whose sole aim was to
discredit and destabilize the government before the European Union.  

Rody Rodeheaver with IN Network confirms this. "The aim of this group is to embarrass the
government of Turkey to the degree that they will not be accepted by the
EU. So, the killings in Malatya in 2007 and several subsequent issues were perpetrated to take the process off-track."

The group is also targeting high-profile Christians as part
of its chaos campaign. Rodeheaver says,
"An assassination plot has been uncovered on our director in Turkey."

Rodeheaver goes on to say that "the government has him on what they
call a VIP list of people who have high visibility and need to be
protected. There was an informant inside
of the Ergenekon organization who got word of this plot and revealed it to the
prosecutor's office and the police."

Last week, their director met with the anti-terrorism task
force responsible for the raids that netted the plot's architects. The government is presenting a strong show of
force in light of Ergenekon's efforts. In fact, a newspaper article about the plot revealed not only the
director's full name, but also his address.

Rodeheaver says their director was assigned a full-time
bodyguard. It's a government effort to
show that they are capable of protecting their citizens, they are listening to their
people, and they are not intimidated by the terrorists.  

There's been a rise in threats against believers, and
Rodeheaver says it as gotten so bad that their team members are ready to die
when they walk outside. "The people who
are part of the church in Turkey are very courageous and have a heart to see
Jesus be lifted up and the Gospel be proclaimed. It's our prayer that all of
the people who are there to proclaim the love of Christ will be strengthened by
this."

The next Malatya hearing is scheduled for April 29.

Two Turkish Christians, Necati
Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, and a German, Tilmann Geske, were tied up and stabbed to
death at the Zirve Publishing Co. offices on April 18, 2007.

The next hearing for
the trial is scheduled for April 13, four days before the second anniversary of
the murders.

The identities of the middlemen
linking the attackers and the alleged masterminds in the murder of the three
Christians in Malatya, Turkey are expected to take clearer focus.

According to Compass Direct, plaintiff
attorneys have called in a heavy slate of witnesses for the next hearing,
ranging from a gendarmerie commander to an Islamic theology instructor at a
nearby university. Mehmet Ulger, the former gendarmerie commander of the
province, and Ruhi Abat, a theology instructor at the local Inonu University,
are among the 10 people expected to testify at the April 13 hearing.

What's been uncovered so far
reveals a deep mistrust Christians in Turkey. The number of Christian believers declined from 22% to
only .2% between 1900 and 2000, and most of these Christians are non-Turkish. The other 99.8% of the Turkish population is Muslim. Very few have
ever heard the Gospel.

Behnan Konutgan with IN Network says
that "identity mistrust" has been a challenge in their ministry.  

There's a saying that goes: "To
be a Turk is to be Muslim; to be Muslim is to be a Turk." Konutgan says often, when they're doing
Christian work, they are asked, "Where are you from?" He often gets an incredulous response when he
tells the person, "I am from here. I am Turkish.'" Their response: "You can't be! You're a Christian." It's a cultural assumption, along with the
assumption that Christianity is a Western religion.

The problem is that many Turks
get their idea of Christianity from Hollywood. With that misconception to confront, Konutgan
says their team of four have to work carefully.

Church Planting and Evangelism
are carried out by a small church that was planted in Istanbul, through
personal visits, discipling church members and building them up in their faith.

The I.N. Network in Turkey also
works with Internet Evangelism — a "door-opening" forum to chat with
those who do not know Christ, sharing with them the truth of the good news of
Jesus. "We have a community center,"
says Konutgan," and through this community center, we want to reach our
people. The community center becomes like an 'embassy' to the people around. We
have a library there, and if anyone wants to have a discussion about the
Gospel, or Christianity, welcome. They come, and we start a
relationship." 

Those who express a deeper
interest are invited to seminars and sent other literature for personal study.

Today, the small Church in Turkey is ready to
release a limited number of its members to become involved in a full-time
ministry.

While evangelism is not
specifically forbidden, many view it with suspicion.  "Pray for the protection of the
Christian family, the protection of our children in schools, and the
breakdown of the anti-Christian spirit in Turkey." 

Their ministry team is hoping to
have 10,000 believers and local churches in 50 provinces
by 2010, as well as a team of Turkish evangelists trained and sent to
other countries with Turkish populations.

So while the government may claim ignorance, Open Doors'
Carl Moeller says, "If they're watching such a tiny group of Christians so
carefully, it's impossible that they would not also be aware  of clandestine ultra-nationalists or
terrorists wanting to attack them. So
even though terrorist groups may be carrying out these attacks, it is with the
knowledge that the government possesses, that the government is not intervening
and protecting Christians." 

On April 18, 2007, Tilmann Ekkehart Geske of Germany, and Turkish citizens Necati Aydin
and Ugur Yuksel were slaughtered at the Zirve Publications building in Malatya
where they worked.  

According to a report from Compass Direct, testimony from Monday's proceedings corroborates
a letter e-mailed to Turkish Protestant church leaders naming the men behind
the savage murders.

The five suspects are implicating another person, blaming each other, and facing new charges.  However, the repercussion beyond the trial
could stifle ministry. 

While the Turkish constitution includes freedom of
religion, worship services are only permitted in "buildings created for this
purpose." And officials have restricted the construction of buildings for
minority religions. More than that, there
is a convention of the land that to be Turkish is to be Muslim, and to be
Muslim is to be Turkish. 

Mission groups have indicated that they are viewed with
suspicion and their actions are viewed as an affront. That can also create an aggressive response against those thought to be
a threat against Turkey.   

Moeller explains, "It is typical of persecution to attack
the heart. If you can create fear and you can create a 'chilling effect' on
evangelical witness, you're going to hurt the progress of the church and the
growth of the church. So Open Doors is
continuing to encourage the believers there on the ground."

Please pray for the slain men's families. Two widows, five young children and a fiancée
survive them. Pray, too, for
opportunities for Christians in Turkey to share the truth of who Jesus is with
those around them.

Voice of the Martyrs' Todd Nettleton: "We have not heard reports of what happened in that. There were some media reports that the defendant's lawyers would ask for a delay to have more time to prepare a defense. What we do know is it seems like the prosecutors are more interested in the three who were killed than they are in the seven who are on trial." 

The accused are believed to have been motivated by nationalist and religious reasons. Last April, the victims, Necati Aydin, 35, Ugur Yuksel, 32, and German national Tilmann Geske, 46, were tied to chairs in the offices of a small Christian publishing house they ran, tortured and then murdered.

While the state prosecutor's office has demanded life sentences for the five main suspects, Nettleton claims the prosecution has gathered detailed information about the three Christians, their activities, their outreach, all the while, losing evidence against the accused. 

The end result could have a "chilling effect" on ministry. While the Turkish constitution includes freedom of religion, worship services are only permitted in "buildings created for this purpose," and officials have restricted the construction of buildings for minority religions.

In other cases, those who dare to profess Christ face harassment, threats and prison. This case speaks volumes to all who are watching and praying. Nettleton says, "If we put ourselves in their shoes, and see this trial going on, and you know that three Christians were killed, and you see what appears to be a cover up as part of this trial, obviously that's a concern. It leads to a feeling of not being protected by the Turkish government."