Turkish chief of staff protests crackdown by Islamist government
Friday, January 9, 2009 Free Headline Alerts
ANKARA — Turkey's military has registered strong concerns over a crackdown on secular critics by the Islamist government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.
Turkish sources said Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug and his aides were dismayed over the arrest of scores of former senior officers, including generals, on charges that they had sought to overthrow the Erdogan government.
They said Basbug was concerned that this marked an effort by Erdogan to marginalize the secular military.
"The commander of the Turkish Armed Forces has submitted his opinions and assessments, especially on yesterday's developments, in his meetings with Mr. prime minister and Mr. president," the army said in a statement.
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.