Turkey widens investigation of alleged coup plot by military, secularists
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
ANKARA Ñ Turkey is expanding its investigation of an alleged military-aligned coup against the Islamist government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.
So far, about 150 people, many of them military officers and secular critics, have been prosecuted on charges of participating in the alleged coup.
Critics of Erdogan have countered that the investigation was meant to neutralize the secular opposition.
Erdogan denies the charge and says his government upholds Turkey's secular principles.
"The judicial bodies are authorized to deal with those who commit crimes," Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazici said.
On April 13, Turkish police arrested the dean of a leading university in connection with the so-called Ergenekon group. In all, 18 people were arrested, including two former university deans. "Turkey is on the right track," Yazici said.
The Turkish General Staff has expressed concern over the arrests. So far, the military has not directly intervened in the investigation.
Officials said authorities were also targeting the head of a Turkish secular group, the Ataturk Thought Association, with branches throughout the country and organizer of anti-government demonstrations in 2007. They said the home of acting chairman Mustafa Yurtkuran has been searched as part of the more than year-long investigation.
"This is an operation against the intellectuals of this country," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, an opposition leader in parliament, said.