Turkish opposition slams Ergenekon detainees, sends "wake up call"

CHP leader Deniz Baykal said Wednesday he wanted to send a "wake up call" to the country, and called on everybody to evaluate their responsibilities in terms of protecting the republic's principles.

 

"Today we witnessed some detainments that clearly show a radical transformation. Turkey is turning a historical corner... Such things only happen at the times of regime changes," Baykal told a press conference.

"This is a revenge operation, not a legal one," he added, reiterating that the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) was behind the Ergenekon operation.

The deputy leader of CHP's parliamentary group, Ahmet Suha Okay, raised his party's concerns that former presidents, Suleyman Demirel and Ahmet Necdet Sezer, could also be taken into custody.

 

"This government has been detaining anybody who publicly makes any criticism. This situation worries us," he told hurriyet.com.tr on Wednesday.

 

In the latest investigation and detainment wave in the controversial Ergenekon case, around 30 people were taken into custody. Three retired generals, two academics and a journalist are among the latest detainees.

 

A group of CHP deputies had visited the home of Kemal Guruz, the former chairman of the Higher Education Board (YOK), after he was taken into custody.

 

Deputy leader of the CHP, Yilmaz Ates, went one step further and said the operation is a human rights violation.

 

"This is a violation of human rights. The AKP is trying to suppress every single person who opposes it," Ates told reporters, adding that Guruz is a scientist but was being treated as a "terrorist".

 

Turkey's other opposition party, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), also raised similar concerns regarding the course of the Ergenekon case.

 

The deputy leader of the MHP's parliamentary group, Mehmet Sandir, told CNNTurk that the investigation a.

 

"People have been interrogated, their homes are searched, and their phones are tapped. They tap the opponents of the AKP on an administrative order and they include those prominent names in the case," Sandir added.

 

The case, which divided Turkey, was filed against more than 80 people on the charge of forming an illegal organization to provoke a series of events that would pave the way for a military coup. However many believe the government use the Ergenekon case as an excuse to suppress its opposition.