Journalists Listed in Alleged Coup Plan File Complaint
27 journalists filed a criminal complaint in the scope of the "Balyoz" coup plan, which was allegedly worked out by 1st Army Commander Çetin Doğan. A total of 36 journalists had been mentioned in the plan to be arrested, 27 of them filed the complaint.
The plan was published by Traf newspaper on 21 January. Upon strong reactions in the country, Chief of General Staff İlker Başbuğ and Secretary of General Staff Major General Ferit Güler had announced that the plan was not a coup plan but a "planning workshop". They had also said that the leakage of information was going to be investigated.
The plan labelled 137 journalists "to benefit from", whereas the names of 36 journalists were listed "to be arrested". 27 journalists from the latter group made a press release in Istanbul on 28 January, claiming a disregard of their personal rights.
Journalists voice their demands
Spokeswomen journalist Nazlı Ilıcak stated in the joint announcement that the time of military coups started on 27 May 1960 has still not come to an end. "The documents brought to light one after another make clear that the military is still severely meddling with politics in the beginning of the 21st century."
"We were among the journalists assorted as the ones to be arrested in the so-called war game. Another 137 journalists were labelled as the ones to benefit from. We condemn the tagging of 137 of our colleagues beyond their control as 'collaborators'. They can also file complaints. We are not together in this because we are not organized as a group", Ilıcak explained.
On behalf of her colleagues, Ilıcak demanded to cancel the Protocol on Security, Public Order and Assistance Units (EMASYA) in order to prevent future coups, furthermore to abolish the Supreme Military Administrative Court and the Military Court of Appeals, to remove article 35 of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) Internal Service Law and to have the matter investigated by the Parliamentary Investigative Commission.
"Never again İpeckçi, Mumcu or Dink"
Ilıcak also referred to bombings as mentioned in the Balyoz plan, "Non-Muslim places of worship are sacred as well as mosques. If they were going to bomb them they would also bomb mosques", she said.
Members of the Young Civilians group held up placards in the background of the podium with slogans like "Never again Balyoz" or "Never again İpekçi, Mumcu or Dink" in respect to the assassinated journalists.
Journalists called authorities to take action
Yeni Şafak journalist Ali Bayramoğlu claimed that the Poyrazköy case was accepted by a civil court in accordance to the Constitution, referring to a recent decision by the Constitutional Court that soldiers may not be prosecuted at civil courts anymore. "It is not only a matter of who is to be arrested. The people on the list should also object and complain. The actual victims are the ones on the other list. No army should see its citizens as bullets to be used", Bayramoğlu said.
Zaman newspaper general publication director Ekrem Dumanlı argued, "The authorities should definitely take relevant steps related to the heavy charges against the TSK. A diary comes up, a coup plan is revealed, weapons are found but they still do not act. Unfortunately, Turkey faces a serious threat. The whole country is threatened by that".
Also journalist Yavuz Bahadıroğlu from Anadolu Vakit newspaper, journalist Hüseyin Gülerce from Zaman newspaper and journalist Perihan Mağden from Radikal newspaper commented the allegations.
Mağden warned, "If you do not get out of that junta, there are also very serious problems within the army. The army does not take them to account but creates ambiguity".
Mehmet Altan, Abdurrahman Dilipak, Cengiz Çandar, Ekrem Dumanlı, Hasan Celal Güzel, Sadık Albayrak, Gülay Göktürk, Etyen Mahçupyan, Ahmet Taşgetiren, Ali İhsan Karahasanoğlu, Hidayet Karaca, Hüseyin Gülerce, Mustafa Karaalioğlu attended the meeting as well. (EÖ/VK)