Ergenekon keeps Turkey on tenterhooks

Turkey's Supreme Court has overturned the 2013 ruling on the Ergenekon case in which 275 persons, including military officers and opponents of the government, were sentenced to prison, some for life, for allegedly attempting to overthrow the AKP government. The Turkish press discusses the decision.

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Sözcü (TR) /

AKP pushed for the trial

The Gülen movement is now being held solely responsible for the fact that evidence used in the trial of 2013 was procured illegally, but back then it was closely allied with the AKP government, the oppositional newspaper Sözcü points out:

“It was the AKP government that pushed for the trial back then, benefited from its results and is still leading the country today! Its goal was to oppress, intimidate and scare society. And we have to admit, it was successful. ... Naturally the Gülen movement was also on the scene and active not just in the Ergenekon trial but everywhere. But it was encouraged by the AKP government. It was only when a row broke out between the two over financial interests that the Gülen supporters were cast as the bad guys. Before that the AKP and the Gülen community were in cahoots.”

Daily Sabah (TR) /

Putschists must be punished

The verdict is correct, the pro-government paper Daily Sabah writes, and calls for the true putschists to be found:

“Some people both in the military and among the civilians were involved in a plot to end Erdoğan's rule in its prime. Why? Because they felt that Erdoğan was the leader of the silent masses with religious sensitivities and that these masses who represent about 70 percent of the nation should not rule, but rather be ruled by a secularist elite. Those who want the minority elite to run Turkey instead of those who reflect the will of the people are still active. ... That is why we must get to the bottom of the Ergenekon case and bring the truth to light, discarding the distortions created by the Gülen Movement. Then we will be able to say with conviction that the days of coups and military interventions in Turkish politics and democracy are over.”