The Ergenekon operation
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Ergenekon operation started with the investigation of 27 hand grenades found in a house in Istanbul last year. Then the investigation widened and transformed into an operation to crackdown on the "Ergenekon Terror Organization", which allegedly aimed at paving the way for a military coup against the government.
More than 100 people were taken into custody in the operation, while almost 50 of them were arrested, including journalists and retired commanders.
The Ergenekon organization was claimed to be the mastermind behind the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, and is planning to kill Nobel prize-winner Orhan Pamuk.
However the Ergenekon operation intensified after the closure case was filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The operation was not limited to retired army members or ultra-nationalist but widened to prominent opponents of the ruling AKP.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has previously said the closure case was a response to the government’s determination in the Ergenekon operation. However some observers say the wider Ergenekon operation could be seen as an instrument to suppress the opponents of the government.
People who were taken into custody or arrested under the operation include:Â Â
-- Dogu Perincek - Labor Party leader
-- Ergun Poyraz - A writer of couple of books about Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul
-- Kemal Alemdaroglu - Former rector of
-- Ilhan Selcuk - Owner of leftist, anti-AKP Cumhuriyet daily