Members from the large group of civil society organizations such as the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER), various labor unions, the Anadolu Gençlik Association (Anatolian Youth) and the Freedom Association (Özgür-Der) gathered in Taksim to protest against the antidemocratic plots under the slogan of “We are here to protect to nation's will.”
The rally was part of a series of rallies which kicked off on Friday in Ankara and İstanbul and came after the recent discovery of the original document of a military plot aiming to overthrow the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the faith-based Gülen movement. Former prosecutor Reşat Petek urged the Turkish military to rid itself of officials aiming to achieve this antidemocratic goal by forming juntas and stated, “The people who prepared the plot should be tried; however, the people who leaked the document from the military have asked to be tried.” Petek also added that those who focus on the people having leaked the document are actually protecting the masterminds behind military coup.
Ahmet Faruk Ünsal, the head of MAZLUM-DER, voiced his criticism of the plot against the AK Party government and the Gülen movement and regarded it as a plot against the nation. He condemned the people who focus more on how the document was leaked to the press than the perpetrators of it. “It is of no importance to know who leaked the document. What should be done is that the military officials who attempted a military intervention should be tried in civilian courts,” said Hülya Şekerci from Özgür-Der.
The demands of the platform's members are that the military officials involved should be discharged from the military and brought before civilian courts, the General Staff ought to be under the control of the Defense Ministry and the dominant role of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) must be stopped, military courts should be changed to disciplinary courts which only try soldier's profession-related crimes and lastly a new constitution should be written which must be based on civilian principles.
