The army said Basbug discussed the latest arrests with Erdogan in an
unscheduled visit on Jan. 8. On the previous day, about 40 former officers,
including three retired generals, were arrested on suspicion of
participating in a plot to overthrow the Erdogan government, which sparked
an emergency session of the military's General Staff.
So far, 86 people have been prosecuted on charges of terrorism in a case
criticized by leading jurists. The jurists as well as other Erdogan critics
said the arrests were part of a crackdown against the military and other
pro-secular elements in Turkey.
"There are no political motives, " Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek
said.
The military, the second largest in NATO, has lost much of its political
influence under the Erdogan government. The European Union, which has been
considering membership by Turkey, said Ankara must bolster supervision over
the military, including the area of arms procurement.
Over the last year, the government has been arresting and investigating
secular critics. The targets included Hussein Buzoglu, a former chief
prosecutor who had accused the government of seeking to establish a
"religious dictatorship."
"We are concerned about the rule of law as these people were detained
because of their works and sensitivity over the democratic order,
constitutional regime, secularism and integrity of the state, in a way that
could be assessed as revenge," Muammer Aydin, head of the Istanbul Bar
Association, said.
