Turkish Court Confirms Military Coup Attempt
In a historic ruling, the Supreme Court of Appeals in Ankara upholds the heavy prison sentences to top ex-officers accused of attempting to oust the government in 2003.
In what appears to be another historic ruling, Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the convictions of top ex-officers in the much debated Sledgehammer case. The trial, which started in July 2010, was based on accusations of an attempt at "toppling the elected government and parliament by force" and involved 361 indictees.
This is the first time in the country’s history that a legal case against a coup reached a higher stage, possibly indicating the course of a larger conspiracy case involving a Mafia-like political network, the Ergenekon. The ruling in Ankara will also intensify the public debate on the future of politics of Turkey, on its rule of law and on civilian-military relations.
The ruling of the court’s Ninth Criminal Chamber, taken unanimously, means that 36 high-ranking suspects, including the ex-commanders of the navy, air force and Istanbul-based 1st Army of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will serve 20 years in prison. Another group of top generals, who at the time encompassing the "acts of crime" were sentenced to 18 years in prison, while 214 suspects’ convictions and 16-year prison terms were also upheld by the court.
Sledgehammer was a coup plot based on a high-level military meeting, held at 1st Army Headquarters in 2003. According to the plan, the military was to systematically foment chaos in society through acts of terror. The plot, according to the indictment, sought to undermine the government, laying the groundwork for a military takeover. The case was built on a dense variety of evidence, including sound recordings, witness accounts and digital material.
