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Today's Zaman, Turkey
07 July 2008, Monday
Untouchables put behind bars
Å?ener Eruygur - HurÅ?it Tolon
Two former senior generals who were detained last week on suspicion of
involvement in an illegal gang allegedly attempting to create a
climate that would trigger a coup d'état against the Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) government were arrested by a court
early Sunday, the first time such high-ranking members of the military
have been jailed for plotting for a coup.
Turkey has seen three coups in the last five decades, but no commander
has ever been prosecuted or convicted for overthrowing the civilian
government until now. Kenan Evren, the retired general who staged the
1980 coup, is currently enjoying retirement in a southern resort town
and keeping himself busy with painting.
In a sign that this may be changing, retired Gen. Å?ener
Eruygur, the former head of the Gendarmerie Forces who is now the
chairman of the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD), which
helped organize mass anti-government demonstrations last year, and
HurÅ?it Tolon, a former commander of the 1st Army Corps, were
arrested after testifying in court during their time in custody.
The two were taken into custody on July 1 as part of an investigation
into Ergenekon, a gang suspected of having planned a shooting at the
Council of State in 2006 which resulted in the death of a senior
judge; an attack on the Ä°stanbul headquarters of the Cumhuriyet
newspaper; and even the killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink, who was gunned down by an ultranationalist teenager over a year
ago. Eruygur was one of the main characters in former Adm. Ã-zden
Ã-rnek's journal, which revealed senior military commanders had
planned to stage a coup against the ruling AK Party government in
2004. The diaries were published in a weekly last year, and a court
later established their authenticity.
Twenty-one people were detained last week in the latest stage of the
Ergenekon investigation, in the process increasing political
tension. Documents outlining a secret plan of the Ergenekon group,
including launching illegal protests on July 7 across 40 provinces,
assassinations and clashes with security forces, were seized during
Tuesday's operation. The military -- which has repeatedly criticized
the government and considers itself the guardian of Turkey's secular
system -- has denied any links to the Ergenekon group.
The generals face charges of being leaders of the Ergenekon "terrorist
organization." With the two latest arrests, 58 people have been
arrested so far in the Ergenekon investigation, which started in July
2007 when a cache ammunition and firearms was discovered in a shanty
house in Ä°stanbul's Ã`mraniye district. The two retired
generals were taken to Metris Prison in Ä°stanbul on Saturday
night.
The police convoy carrying the two retired officers was accompanied by
a large number of press vehicles. The 58 currently under arrest
include Veli Küçük, another retired senior
general, and DoÄ?u Perinçek, the head of the
neo-nationalist Workers' Party (Ä°P).
Meanwhile, the powerful chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce
(ATO), Sinan Aygün, and retired Col. Hasan Atilla UÄ?ur
along with other Ergenekon suspects Ä°brahim Ã-zcan, Birol
BaÅ?aran and journalist Barbaros Hayrettin
AltıntaÅ?, also detained in last week's raids in the
Ergenekon operation, were arrested and sent to Metris on
Saturday. They have been charged with "membership in a terrorist
organization."
Most of the suspects detained last week had health problems. Eruygur,
the former commander of the Gendarmerie Forces, was reported to have
suffered from high blood pressure. Two other suspects, Kemal
Aydın and Neriman Aydın, detained in Ankara on July 1,
collapsed when they appeared before the judge.
Aydın, retired senior Adm. İlker Güven Cumhuriyet
daily Ankara Representative Mustafa Balbay and academic Ercümen
Ovalı, all detained last week over suspected links to the
group, were released by the court they had been referred to by the
prosecution, pending trial.
"I was detained on suspicion of being a member of a terror
organization, but I feel like I was wounded by terror," Balbay told
reporters after his release.
Other suspects detained last week include author Erol
Mütercimler and Adnan Türkkan, the head of the Turkey
Youth Union (TGB). They were also released pending trial.
The court ordered a ban on leaving the country for Balbay,
Güven and Aydın.
Meriç Turan, a lawyer representing Tolon, said they would
appeal the arrest on the grounds that his client is 67 years
old. Turan refused to share detailed information on the accusations
directed at his client, citing a confidentiality order placed on the
case.
In a statement made to journalists at an Ä°stanbul courthouse in
BeÅ?iktaÅ? on Saturday, Eruygur's lawyer, Filiz Esen, told
reporters, "Our commander, who has loyally served his country for many
years, has been arrested today on baseless accusations," adding that
they would be appeal the arrest.
Kazım Arslan, a lawyer and the deputy secretary-general of
Eruygur's ADD, stated that there were attempts to "associate retired
Gen. Eruygur with the Ergenekon terrorist organization." He said there
was no solid evidence in the hands of the prosecution to back this
association.
This is the first time top generals have been arrested in Turkey,
which has had four military coups in the last 50 years.
Ergenekon suspect dies in hospital
A businessman who was earlier detained, then released, in the
Ergenekon investigation due to health problems died on Sunday in the
Trakya University Hospital's oncology department, where he was
receiving treatment for lung cancer.
President Gül on Ergenekon arrests
President Abdullah Gül, before his departure from the Kazakh
capital of Astana on Sunday, shared his opinion on the latest
developments at a press conference, saying, "Everything, most
certainly, moves on according to procedure, our Constitution, laws and
traditions."
07 July 2008, Monday
TODAY'S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL
07 July 2008, Monday
Untouchables put behind bars
Å?ener Eruygur - HurÅ?it Tolon
Two former senior generals who were detained last week on suspicion of
involvement in an illegal gang allegedly attempting to create a
climate that would trigger a coup d'état against the Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) government were arrested by a court
early Sunday, the first time such high-ranking members of the military
have been jailed for plotting for a coup.
Turkey has seen three coups in the last five decades, but no commander
has ever been prosecuted or convicted for overthrowing the civilian
government until now. Kenan Evren, the retired general who staged the
1980 coup, is currently enjoying retirement in a southern resort town
and keeping himself busy with painting.
In a sign that this may be changing, retired Gen. Å?ener
Eruygur, the former head of the Gendarmerie Forces who is now the
chairman of the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD), which
helped organize mass anti-government demonstrations last year, and
HurÅ?it Tolon, a former commander of the 1st Army Corps, were
arrested after testifying in court during their time in custody.
The two were taken into custody on July 1 as part of an investigation
into Ergenekon, a gang suspected of having planned a shooting at the
Council of State in 2006 which resulted in the death of a senior
judge; an attack on the Ä°stanbul headquarters of the Cumhuriyet
newspaper; and even the killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink, who was gunned down by an ultranationalist teenager over a year
ago. Eruygur was one of the main characters in former Adm. Ã-zden
Ã-rnek's journal, which revealed senior military commanders had
planned to stage a coup against the ruling AK Party government in
2004. The diaries were published in a weekly last year, and a court
later established their authenticity.
Twenty-one people were detained last week in the latest stage of the
Ergenekon investigation, in the process increasing political
tension. Documents outlining a secret plan of the Ergenekon group,
including launching illegal protests on July 7 across 40 provinces,
assassinations and clashes with security forces, were seized during
Tuesday's operation. The military -- which has repeatedly criticized
the government and considers itself the guardian of Turkey's secular
system -- has denied any links to the Ergenekon group.
The generals face charges of being leaders of the Ergenekon "terrorist
organization." With the two latest arrests, 58 people have been
arrested so far in the Ergenekon investigation, which started in July
2007 when a cache ammunition and firearms was discovered in a shanty
house in Ä°stanbul's Ã`mraniye district. The two retired
generals were taken to Metris Prison in Ä°stanbul on Saturday
night.
The police convoy carrying the two retired officers was accompanied by
a large number of press vehicles. The 58 currently under arrest
include Veli Küçük, another retired senior
general, and DoÄ?u Perinçek, the head of the
neo-nationalist Workers' Party (Ä°P).
Meanwhile, the powerful chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce
(ATO), Sinan Aygün, and retired Col. Hasan Atilla UÄ?ur
along with other Ergenekon suspects Ä°brahim Ã-zcan, Birol
BaÅ?aran and journalist Barbaros Hayrettin
AltıntaÅ?, also detained in last week's raids in the
Ergenekon operation, were arrested and sent to Metris on
Saturday. They have been charged with "membership in a terrorist
organization."
Most of the suspects detained last week had health problems. Eruygur,
the former commander of the Gendarmerie Forces, was reported to have
suffered from high blood pressure. Two other suspects, Kemal
Aydın and Neriman Aydın, detained in Ankara on July 1,
collapsed when they appeared before the judge.
Aydın, retired senior Adm. İlker Güven Cumhuriyet
daily Ankara Representative Mustafa Balbay and academic Ercümen
Ovalı, all detained last week over suspected links to the
group, were released by the court they had been referred to by the
prosecution, pending trial.
"I was detained on suspicion of being a member of a terror
organization, but I feel like I was wounded by terror," Balbay told
reporters after his release.
Other suspects detained last week include author Erol
Mütercimler and Adnan Türkkan, the head of the Turkey
Youth Union (TGB). They were also released pending trial.
The court ordered a ban on leaving the country for Balbay,
Güven and Aydın.
Meriç Turan, a lawyer representing Tolon, said they would
appeal the arrest on the grounds that his client is 67 years
old. Turan refused to share detailed information on the accusations
directed at his client, citing a confidentiality order placed on the
case.
In a statement made to journalists at an Ä°stanbul courthouse in
BeÅ?iktaÅ? on Saturday, Eruygur's lawyer, Filiz Esen, told
reporters, "Our commander, who has loyally served his country for many
years, has been arrested today on baseless accusations," adding that
they would be appeal the arrest.
Kazım Arslan, a lawyer and the deputy secretary-general of
Eruygur's ADD, stated that there were attempts to "associate retired
Gen. Eruygur with the Ergenekon terrorist organization." He said there
was no solid evidence in the hands of the prosecution to back this
association.
This is the first time top generals have been arrested in Turkey,
which has had four military coups in the last 50 years.
Ergenekon suspect dies in hospital
A businessman who was earlier detained, then released, in the
Ergenekon investigation due to health problems died on Sunday in the
Trakya University Hospital's oncology department, where he was
receiving treatment for lung cancer.
President Gül on Ergenekon arrests
President Abdullah Gül, before his departure from the Kazakh
capital of Astana on Sunday, shared his opinion on the latest
developments at a press conference, saying, "Everything, most
certainly, moves on according to procedure, our Constitution, laws and
traditions."
07 July 2008, Monday
TODAY'S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL