Military says colonel has its full backing
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 04, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Hasan Iğsız said late Thursday that the military was standing behind Navy Col. Dursun Çiçek, who allegedly signed a document claimed to be a military plan to discredit the ruling party and the religious movement led by cleric Fethullah Gülen. "I have nothing to add to what our chief of General Staff has already said, but of course we are on the same line.
We have no hesitation, and we stand by him," Iğsız told daily Hürriyet. His remarks came at the U.S. Embassy’s Independence Day reception in Ankara. Faced with insistent questions from the press, Iğsız said: "What can I tell you? É But take a look at the bigger picture. The issue is not only the Turkish Armed Forces. Law is needed by everyone."
Signature
Çiçek was arrested for suspected links to the alleged Ergenekon gang, but his name has been on the front page of newspapers since mid-June because his signature was purportedly on an anti-government plan that allegedly called for manipulating the media and stirring nationalist angst.
The military denied responsibility for the plan and said it would not prosecute Çiçek because it was unclear whether the document was genuine. Çiçek was questioned last week by the prosecutors in charge of the Ergenekon case and was then arrested later that day. Government and military leaders, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, held an eight-hour meeting Tuesday to defuse tensions. Çiçek’s arrest occurred shortly after the meeting. The higher court decided to release Çiçek pending the continuation of the investigation.
Signature
Çiçek was arrested for suspected links to the alleged Ergenekon gang, but his name has been on the front page of newspapers since mid-June because his signature was purportedly on an anti-government plan that allegedly called for manipulating the media and stirring nationalist angst.
The military denied responsibility for the plan and said it would not prosecute Çiçek because it was unclear whether the document was genuine. Çiçek was questioned last week by the prosecutors in charge of the Ergenekon case and was then arrested later that day. Government and military leaders, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, held an eight-hour meeting Tuesday to defuse tensions. Çiçek’s arrest occurred shortly after the meeting. The higher court decided to release Çiçek pending the continuation of the investigation.