"We, and many jurists, claim that if there is a need for a separate indictment, this should be done by the Supreme Court of Appeals and if a trial is required, then it should be held by Supreme Council," his lawyer İlkay Sezer said.
The Constitutional Court also functions as the Supreme Criminal Court to hear cases brought against the country's highest officials for crimes related to their official duties.
One of Erdoğan's four deputy prime ministers, Bülent Arınç said on Saturday he hoped the legal process would be speedy and distanced the government from the case.
"I hope the court process on Başbuğ is completed as soon as possible," Arınç said. "Nobody has the luxury to commit crimes in Turkey, and the judiciary is independent."
The case against Başbuğ centers on websites spreading propaganda against Erdoğan's government that the military was accused of running until 2008. Several of Başbuğ's subordinates have been indicted. No formal charges have yet been laid against Başbuğ.
The retired chief is also accused of leading a gang of anti-government conspirators.
The case is linked to Ergenekon, an alleged ultra-nationalist network police say they first unearthed in 2007. Hundreds of people have been jailed in the investigation, including journalists, academics, lawyers and military officers.
Basbug told the court he was being accused of trying to bring down the government “with a couple of press statements and one or two Internet stories,” according to Hurriyet. “If I had such bad intentions, as the commander of a 700,000-strong force, there would have been other ways,” he said.
Although hundreds of officers have been detained over the past year suspected of involvement in alleged plots against the government, the action against Başbuğ stunned many Turks.
Basbug was taken to Silivri jail, west of Istanbul, after a court in the city ruled that he should be held pending trial, the state-run Anatolia news agency said. Basbug denied the charges, calling them “tragi-comic,” and his lawyer Ilkay Sezer said he will appeal the court’s decision.
Basbug’s arrest is the latest expansion of an investigation into plots to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose roots in Islamist movements put him at odds with the secularism of the military. More than 250 officers have been jailed, and legislation to enforce civilian control over the army has weakened an institution that has forced four elected governments from office since 1960.
There were small pro-military protests in the cities of Bursa, Mersin and Afyon on Saturday, involving a couple of hundred people, according to newspaper reports. The protesters carried Turkish flags and banners that read "Not a submissive, but resistant army" and "Army and people, hand in hand."
Military chiefs were once regarded as the most powerful men in Turkey.
The secularist military has a history of tension with the AK Party due to the party's Islamist roots, although the party shuns the Islamist label and describes itself as socially conservative.
Sources:
todayszaman
Bloomberg
BBC News
GlobalPost
msnbc.com
NewsSky
en.wikipedia
NYTimes
National Post
BBC News
The Constitutional Court also functions as the Supreme Criminal Court to hear cases brought against the country's highest officials for crimes related to their official duties.
One of Erdoğan's four deputy prime ministers, Bülent Arınç said on Saturday he hoped the legal process would be speedy and distanced the government from the case.
"I hope the court process on Başbuğ is completed as soon as possible," Arınç said. "Nobody has the luxury to commit crimes in Turkey, and the judiciary is independent."
The case against Başbuğ centers on websites spreading propaganda against Erdoğan's government that the military was accused of running until 2008. Several of Başbuğ's subordinates have been indicted. No formal charges have yet been laid against Başbuğ.
The retired chief is also accused of leading a gang of anti-government conspirators.
The case is linked to Ergenekon, an alleged ultra-nationalist network police say they first unearthed in 2007. Hundreds of people have been jailed in the investigation, including journalists, academics, lawyers and military officers.
Basbug told the court he was being accused of trying to bring down the government “with a couple of press statements and one or two Internet stories,” according to Hurriyet. “If I had such bad intentions, as the commander of a 700,000-strong force, there would have been other ways,” he said.
Although hundreds of officers have been detained over the past year suspected of involvement in alleged plots against the government, the action against Başbuğ stunned many Turks.
Basbug was taken to Silivri jail, west of Istanbul, after a court in the city ruled that he should be held pending trial, the state-run Anatolia news agency said. Basbug denied the charges, calling them “tragi-comic,” and his lawyer Ilkay Sezer said he will appeal the court’s decision.
Basbug’s arrest is the latest expansion of an investigation into plots to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose roots in Islamist movements put him at odds with the secularism of the military. More than 250 officers have been jailed, and legislation to enforce civilian control over the army has weakened an institution that has forced four elected governments from office since 1960.
There were small pro-military protests in the cities of Bursa, Mersin and Afyon on Saturday, involving a couple of hundred people, according to newspaper reports. The protesters carried Turkish flags and banners that read "Not a submissive, but resistant army" and "Army and people, hand in hand."
Military chiefs were once regarded as the most powerful men in Turkey.
The secularist military has a history of tension with the AK Party due to the party's Islamist roots, although the party shuns the Islamist label and describes itself as socially conservative.
Sources:
todayszaman
Bloomberg
BBC News
GlobalPost
msnbc.com
NewsSky
en.wikipedia
NYTimes
National Post
BBC News
No comments:
Post a Comment