Turkish court charges nine police officers under Ergenekon probe

The officers -- all members of the Special Forces unit including the local chief in the eastern city of Elazig -- were charged with "membership of a terrorist organization" and remanded in custody, the agency said.

 

Seven more detainees, including the Mustafa Ozbek, chair of the Turkish Metal Workers’ Union, and the owner of VERSO Survey company, Erhan Goksel, also appeared in court on Sunday.

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The suspects were among 26 people detained in Thursday’s nation wide operation. The latest arrests brought to 16 the number of security force members remanded in custody. The court formally arrested seven army personnel earlier on Saturday, including three lieutenants.

 

The Ergenekon 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.