Temporary peace at the top of the State

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (C), Prime Minister Tayyip ...

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul (C), Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Chief of Staff General Ilker Basbug (R) meet at the Presidential Palace in Ankara February 25, 2010. Turkey’s political and military leaders meet on Thursday as a storm gathers over a coup plot investigation against the armed forces which is threatening stability and investor confidence in the EU-candidate country. REUTERS/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Palace Press Office/Handout

Turkey?s Leaders Seek to Defuse Crisis

from NYT > Turkey by By SEBNEM ARSU and SABRINA TAVERNISE
Tensions were rising between the military and the government over the arrests of 20 former and current officers on charges of plotting a coup. Three of those officers were subsequently released.

Turkish leaders meet as coup plot storm gathers – washingtonpost.com

BBC News – Turkey’s religious-secular divide

Release of Turkey generals eases tensions for now – washingtonpost.com

Turkish voices

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
‘Coup’ arrests spark fresh debate on army’s role

Read more

A roundup of aftermath of biggest raid against Ergenekon

Power shift from BBC News | Europe | World Edition Turkish army coming under increasing pressure Largest Ergenekon probe touches all untouchables Today’s Zaman İbrahim Fırtına, who was interrogated earlier in January by prosecutors conducting the investigation into Ergenekon, was detained yesterday in addition to Turkish soldiers stand at the entrance of the War Academy … Read more

“Ergenekon sees biggest raid today!

Eski komutanlar gözaltında

update: 22:15

49 arrested so far.

Turkish police arrest 50 officers in move against anti-Islamist coup – Times Online

Former Top Generals Detained in Turkish Coup Inquiry – NYTimes.com

Ergenekon sees biggest raid, two former force commanders detained
Today’s Zaman
The plot was allegedly devised by the military members of Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal organization accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

Turkish military ‘plotters’ held

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
Fourteen top Turkish military figures are arrested over an alleged coup plot dating back to 2003, media report.

File transfer to Istanbul sparks new debate on legal authority
Hurriyet Daily News
Legal experts engaged in a fresh debate after the files of the recently arrested Erzincan prosecutor were transferred to Istanbul, saying Ergenekon

Prosecutor versus Prosecutor – Bar Associations Object

from Bianet :: English
Istanbul prosecutors will follow up the file of Erzincan Chief Prosecutor Cihaner. HSYK appointed successors for the Erzurum prosecutors responsible for the search and arrest of Cihaner. Lawyer Serbest applied to the ECHR upon the HSYK decision. 25 bar associations objected Cihaner’s arrest.

Read more

Latest in Intelligence wars: alleged Gen. Başbuğ’s tape leaked

Nothing really secret about what he said, but it is the fact that a secret meeting of generals can easily be wiretapped by some… Content of what he said here in Turkish. AK party hits back against Turkish judiciary euronews Ihan Cihaner is accused of belonging to Ergenekon ? a right-wing group investigators claim is … Read more

“The ?judicialization? of politics

Turkish judiciary invades the politics…
Men sit under a statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of ...

Men sit under a statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of secular Turkey, in central Ankara February 17, 2010. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The ?judicialization? of politics

by GÜLAY GÖKTÜRK-  BUGÜN

Today the democratic world is facing the serious problem of the ?judicialization of politics.? I don?t mean just the way state elites have been seizing politics via the high judiciary in Turkey.

Read more

HSYK coup today.

The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey (HSYK) had just ripped of a key special Prosecutor’s judicial authority who decreed the arrest of a Prosecutor related to Ergenekon case. HSYK had been effective in obstructing judicial investigations against the military tutelage.

Venice Commission secretary slams HSYK, urges judicial reform

Read more

The Economist on the Turkish army…

The Turkish army Economist Scores of officers, including retired generals, have been interrogated or arrested in connection with the so-called Ergenekon case, named after an alleged Interview with Ali BALCI on Turkish scholarship and Ergenekon case by Changing Turkey Ali Balcı, Dr., is a Research Assistant at Sakarya University. He graduated from the Department of … Read more

Enver Aydemir still needs our attention and Hrant Dink case, too

Disciplinary Fine for Detained Conscientious Objector Aydemir from Bianet :: English The Eskişehir Military Court imposed a one-month disciplinary fine on conscientious objector Enver Aydemir because of his refusal to wear prison clothes and disobedience of orders. Aydemir is not allowed for one month to see anybody else but his lawyer. Police forget to bring … Read more

Judicial tutelage at work: Yet another political ruling by the Turkish judiciary

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – A politically motivated ruling

by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
A ruling by the 8th Chamber of the Council of State on Monday to retain a system that uses a lower coefficient to calculate the university admission examination scores of graduates of vocational high schools has disappointed many who have severely criticized the court.

Read more

GATA incident, EMASYA annulled, one more military official arrested- roundup on Turkish politicis

Ergenekon Col. Dönmez purged from TSK, sentenced to four years imprisonment Today’s Zaman Dönmez who has been considered as a key suspect in the ongoing Ergenekon investigation which aims to reveal the shady network within state, escaped from What the GATA incident tells us by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK An unfortunate incident that took place three … Read more

Now in İstiklal Street, A march against coups

Another coup plan unveiled: “Sledgehammer”

There is no need to have another coup plan unveiled, but Taraf daily insists on the new coup plan… some military officials might have planned these bloody plans.. in fact, most tactics were already employed in the 12 September 1980 coup… A roundup on Turkish politics follows…

Bloodiest coup plan: ?Sledgehammer?

by LALE KEMAL
In the midst of increased accusations of civilian fascism leveled against the political authority, the Taraf daily?s disclosure of another plot yesterday — said to be the bloodiest coup plan in Turkish history — has revealed how old coup scenarios are being put into service.

Read more

Turkey is not heading towards civilian fascism…

http://img.blogcu.com/uploads/5nolu_bizim-cocuklar.jpg

As the military tutelage is under heavy assault, another wave of counter-attack comes from the pro-military circles. That definitely does not mean anyone suspecting of a possible civilian fascism era is pro-military. But hegemonic issues are complicated and thus it is hard to detect who is who in these hegemonic struggles. A sincerely concerned columnist’s ideas may easily be manipulated. Like Şerif Mardin’s ideas on “neighborhood pressure” before, some sincere ideas seems to be manipulated these days. My brief ideas for the moment:

1. It is a normalization baby.In many fronts. Turkey’s leadership was so distanced from the ordinary citizens. A total separation of worlds. Now it looks a bit similar. Is this good? I don’t know. But arrogant materially westernized but mentally oriental and distanced Turkish elites are replaced arrogant materially local and mentally local and seemingly less distanced elites.This annoys circles associated with older elites. These maybe sincerely democratic in thought but class counts. Social class reflexes rise unconsciously as the transformation of elites continue…

2. Just having a larger historical perspective: Was there any time in Turkish Republican that is better than now? This strongly worded “civilian fascism” always existed if one has to admit its existence. But there was always a military tutelage to this civilian fascism. (As if military tutelage was possible without civilian backing). Now the latter is gone (I am still not sure about that, too), civilians can enter into intelligible communication about democratization. Now that some parties will not call the Army for help!

Read more

Oh boy, so JİTEM never existed…

Turkish army continues embarrass itself. In a recent official statement they denied the existence of JİTEM. This intelligence unit formed within Turkish Gendarmerie had been effectively used in fight against PKK and notarious with illegal practices… Any suprise? Today, Star daily published some photos and documents about the existence of this intelligence unit…

A rotten year for the military

by ÖMER TAŞPINAR
Not surprisingly, as far as Western coverage of Turkish politics goes, it was once again The Economist that offered the most convincing verdict on how 2009 will be remembered in Turkey. Here is the opening salvo from last week?s article: ?It has been a rotten year for Turkey?s generals.,

General Staff statement lacks credibility

by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK

The General Staff continues to draw criticism for a statement it made regarding the apprehension of seven military officers who were caught tailing Kadir Kayan, a judge at the Ankara 11th High Criminal Court.

Numerous military documents prove JİTEM’s existence
Today’s Zaman
JİTEM is also thought to be an instrumental arm of the terrorist Ergenekon organization, which is charged with plotting against the government.

Read more

Turkey’s national security not compromised in the Cosmic room search…

…because cosmic room residents were busy with creating internal enemies and crushing them….

veresiyedarbeci

Kenan Evren (L), former chief of staff who could lead the coup d’etat and İlker Başbuğ (R) who could not lead perform the coup d’etat. Eminimsi blog plays with a traditional drawing that compares the vendor who sells on cash and who sells on account…

‘Secularists have little respect for people’s votes, human rights’
Today’s Zaman
Nobel laureate and Turkish author Orhan Pamuk on Tuesday criticized secularists in Turkey who consider democracy a threat that may turn the country into an

Read more