[Arab News] Thousands of Turks, including the wives of defendants charged with trying to topple the government, marched to the tomb of the founder of modern Turkey on Saturday to protest at the arrests of army officers.
More than 150 active and retired military officers are in jail during hearings in the so-called Sledgehammer trial,(THE AKP ALLEGED THE PRO-SECULAR MILITARY WAS PLANNING A COUP TO PROTECT TURKEY FROM ANY FURTHER ISLAMIZATION, (A COUP THEY NAMED THE ERGENEKON AFFAIR - ERGENEKON MEANS "SLEDGEHAMMER"). at which prosecutors say they planned to overthrow in 2003 Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, which traces its roots to a banned movement.
The military leadership denies any coup plots.
Some 3,000 people gathered in a heavy rain at Anitkabir, the sprawling tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a former officer who led Turkey to independence after World War I, founded the secular republic in 1923 and served as its first president.
They carried flags and shouted "Turkey is secular and will stay secular" and "The army and the people are hand in hand."
Nilufer Cetin told Rooters her husband, an admiral, had been jugged three times in Sledgehammer, most recently last week.
"We want our voices to be heard, we are the victims here," she said. "Our country is being victimized."
Separately, Turkey's top general Isik Kosaner, accompanied by the commanders of the army, navy and air force, spent 3-1/2 hours at the Hasdal Military Prison near Istanbul on Friday meeting 120 defendants charged in Sledgehammer, NTV news channel reported.
Here and here: http://rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=316506&D=2011-02-20&SO=&HC=2
Also here: http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2011/02/turks-still-battling-akps-assault-on.html
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