The trial regarding the "Sledgehammer" ('Balyoz') coup plan eventually started on Thursday (6 January), the date of the third hearing, after the court's second dismissal of the defendants' request to recuse three judges. The Sledgehammer coup plan was allegedly designed to prepare the ground for a coup d'état by targeting Alevi officials and other non-Muslim public figures.

The hearing was held in the court room of the Silivri Prison Premises west of Istanbul. Among the defendants are high-rank military officers such as the former Air Force Commander İbrahim Fırtına, the former Naval Forces Commander Özden Örnek, the former 1^st Army Commander Cetin Doğan, retired General Şürkü Sarıışık and Vice Admiral Kadır Sağdıç.

None of the defendants is in detention. At the Thursday hearing, the Istanbul 12^th High Criminal Court read out the decision regarding the dismissal of the demand for recusal. The court furthermore started to read out the indictment that includes 196 defendants.

First coup trial heard before civil court

It is a first in the history of the Turkish Republic that a case regarding a coup attempt which involves forces commanders is being tried at a civil court.

After the rejection of the first request of recusal, the defence lawyers had appealed to the Istanbul 12^th High Criminal Court as the superior level of jurisdiction.

The superior court decreed for a rejection of the demand regarding the recusal of judges Ali Efendi Peksak, Davut Bedir and Murat Üründü on 5 January. Thus, the three judges who had issued arrest warrants for 102 defendants of the trial remain members of the court board. (BB/EÖ/VK)