Requests to Release 33 "Sledgehammer" Detainees Declined

Colonel Fikri Karadağ, former President of the National Forces Association, testified in the investigation into the so-called "Sledgehammer coup plan". Karadağ is a detained defendant in the first case concerned with the "Ergenekon terror organization".

The "Sledgehammer" ('Balyoz') coup plan was plotted by a group of people within the armed forces in 2002/03. It was aimed at creating disorder in the country by terrorist actions, which should eventually trigger a coup.

Karadağ gave his statement to the prosecutor

According to the Turkish news channel CNN Türk, Karadağ was interrogated by Public Prosecutor Bilal Bayraktar for about three and a half hours. The detained defendant had been brought to the Courthouse in Beşiktaş (European side of Istanbul) from Silivri Prison where he serves his detention.

Requests for release of 33 military officers declined

33 retired and active military officers are charged with ""attempting to use coercion and violence to overthrow the government or prevent it from carrying out its duties" in the scope of the investigation into the "Sledgehammer coup plan". The Istanbul 10^th High Criminal Court rejected the objections of the detainees on 5 March and decided to keep them in detention.

Among the 33 defendants are former 1^st Army Commander retired General Çetin Doğan, retired Lieutenant General Engin Alan, retired Vice-Admiral Feyyaz Öğütçü, Rear Admiral Cem Aziz Çakmak, Senior Rear Admiral Ramazan Cem Gürdeniz and retired military officers Bülent Tunçay, Suha Tanyeli, Ali Deniz Kutluk, Ali İhsan Çuhadaroğlu, Mehmet Kaya Varol, Özer Karabulut, Ümit Özcan, Suat Aytın, Metin Yavuz Yalçın and İzzet Ocak.

The court rejected their requests for release by reasons of "the status of current evidence, the characteristics and properties of the alleged crime, the offenders being under strong suspicion and the reception of evidence not having been completed". President Judge Zafer Başkurt voted against the release of 20 military officers.

Zaman: Shocking list in Sledgehammer plan

Zaman newspaper put forward that the directives given by General Çetin Doğan regarding the actions planned in the scope of the "Sledgehammer coup plan" "reveal to what extend the members of the junta have been made to lose their temper".

The newspaper reported that Doğan suggested in his directive to sever connections with certain personnel of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) on duty in the area of the 1^st Army Region. Apparently, Doğan suggested to sever connections with 832 employees with alleged reactionary tendencies or connections to separatist organizations.

According to Zaman, the 77-page list handed in as Appendix-C also included military officers of the General Staff.

In the voice records Doğan argued: "First of all, the structural stability of the armed forces is being protected that way. There a numerous examples showing that it is impossible to bring the people involved in this to their senses and change their minds. Thus, as a first step it should be investigated what they did in their past and the structure of the army should be strengthened". (EÖ/VK)