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Protests in Turkey highlight alleged coup plot
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by Amy Judd | April 18, 2009 at 02:13 pm
106 views | 12 Recommendations | 2 comments
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Thousands of people protested in Turkey today, in central Ankara, to highlight an investigation into an alleged coup plot, that critics see as a crackdown on opponents to the government.
The protest was held at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. The investigation of the alleged coup plot had continued this week and resulted in a wave of detentions of a university head and an anit-govenment media executive.
This investigation has resulted in the markets in the country going down and increasing tensions between the government and the military.
At the moment, about 150 people are on trial in Turkey for alleged links to Ergenekon, a right-wing group that many think is trying to topple Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's party. These people, including retired senior military officers, lawyers and academics are accused of campaigning to bomb and attack the country so that the army would have to step in.
Since 1997, the Turkish military has pushed four governments out of power.
Protesters waved flags and shouted slogans. Some said the case was part of the struggle between the Islamist-rooted AK Party and the secularists whose long grip on power came to an end when the AK Party won elections in 2002.
"I am worrying about the course of Turkey now. Unfortunately the ones running Turkey these days seem to be against the secularism of the Turkish republic," said Perihan Yinanc.
Some protesters chanted: "The government must resign."
The government sees nothing wrong with the investigation and the army has denied all links to Ergenekon.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 15:15 on April 18th, 2009
Thank you, Amy, for this piece.
I'm surprise that Turkey is accusing the right-wing when MP Erdogan isn't exactly centrist. He is more conservative than any of his predecessors.
at 01:01 on April 24th, 2009
photos do not match with the content of the news. photos belong to a protest against an operation and investigation which aims to silence DTP (Democratic Society Party, party struggling for oppressed Kurds rights).
it has nothing to do with ergenekon operation and case.