Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Fri 05/30/2025 View Thu 05/29/2025 View Wed 05/28/2025 View Tue 05/27/2025 View Mon 05/26/2025 View Sun 05/25/2025 View Sat 05/24/2025
2008-09-28 Europe
Turkish court charges six more in coup plot
An Istanbul court on Saturday charged six more people with membership of an alleged terrorist organisation suspected of plotting to overthrow Turkey's Islamic-oriented government.

The court ordered the six, including prominent former officials, to be detained. They are the latest of about 100 people facing trial for alleged involvement with a shadowy nationalist group, or of plotting an armed uprising. The opposition say the criminal case is an act of political revenge by the ruling party against the secularist opposition, which has accused the government of trying to increase the role of Islam in Turkey.

Turkey's Constitutional Court in July narrowly voted against disbanding Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party over accusations it was plotting to impose Islamic rule. But judges still cut off millions of dollars in state aid to the party. Police detained the six, who included a former senior policeman and an ex-mayor, on Tuesday and the court ordered them held Saturday to await trial.

They are accused of being part of a nationalist network called Ergenekon, which takes its name from a legendary valley in Central Asia believed to be the ancestral homeland of Turks. Arrests of alleged members and plotters began last year, and included two former military generals, prominent government critics, a politician and a best-selling author. The first of a series of trials is due to start Oct. 20.

Many of the suspects are known as fierce opponents of Erdogan's government and organised anti-government rallies attended by hundreds of thousands of secular Turks. Some of the suspects are charged with attacks or attempted attacks on institutions and prominent Turks to create chaos and lead to the government's overthrow.
Posted by Fred 2008-09-28 00:07|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ]  Top

#1 Reichstag fire?
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2008-09-28 07:04||   2008-09-28 07:04|| Front Page Top

17:50 Pancho Poodle8452
17:34 Elmerert Hupens2660
17:22 DooDahMan
17:15 DooDahMan
17:10 DooDahMan
17:08 DooDahMan
17:08 DooDahMan
16:52 DarthVader
15:31 NoMoreBS
15:24 DarthVader
15:20 NoMoreBS
15:15 Griter+Slash1619
15:04 NoMoreBS
14:51 Grom the Affective
14:50 Secret Master
14:06 swksvolFF
13:45 Lord Garth
13:33 trailing wife
13:32 Ebbuger Whuque4103
13:17 Frank G
13:01 SteveS
12:56 mossomo
12:55 mossomo
12:43 swksvolFF









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com