Uras: People who ignore Cage plan are accomplices

“The ones who see it and do not write about it become accomplices to that crime. Those are crimes against humanity. Choosing to ignore this is to become a party to the crime. This is not acceptable considering the ethics of journalism,” he said on the “Anadolu’da Sabah” (Mornings in Anatolia) television program. He added that in spite of that, Turkey is lucky to have a free press so that those appalling crimes could be revealed.

In addition, Uras spoke on recent developments regarding the Ergenekon investigation, especially prosecutors’ plans to question three generals who are mentioned in a journal detailing plans to stage a coup d’état about their alleged actions mentioned in the journal and over various other documents obtained in the investigation.

According to Uras, it is a revolutionary development for Turkey to have the generals questioned. Uras said the Turkish people should be grateful to the unknown military officer who revealed the plans for several military coups.

On Tuesday, former Land Forces Commander Gen. Aytaç Yalman, former Air Forces Commander Gen. İbrahim Fırtına and former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek, all of whom retired in 2004, were called to testify to Ergenekon prosecutors. The three men will testify on coup plans nicknamed Moonlight, Blonde Girl and the Glove, all mentioned in a journal detailing plans against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) allegedly kept by Örnek.

The three former force commanders are being accused of having plotted to force Gen. Özkök to resign from the position of chief of General Staff in a plan outlined in a document titled “Opera-Son” -- a word play that might mean “end of the opera” in Turkish and sounds like the word for “operation” -- found among digital documents seized from Ergenekon defendant retired Gen. Hurşit Tolon, who was formerly in command of the 1st Army Corps, during a search of his house. In the document, a large number of generals at the time including Fırtına, Tolon, Gen. Fevzi Türkeri, Gen. Oktar Ataman, Gen. Çetin Doğan and several others are shown to have been behind plans to force Özkök to resign and to devise a strategy to overthrow the AK Party government.

Uras said that a group of politicians, academics and intellectuals are preparing to form a new party because there have been increased anti-democratic activities in Turkey. He said that their priority is writing a civilian constitution to replace the 1982 constitution authored by the Sept. 12, 1980, military regime.

Uras said, “The public has the impression that the prosecutors will ask them whether or not they plotted military coups and the generals will respond ‘yes.’ Indeed, this is a constitutional crime. Can you find the evidence of giving or taking bribes? Luckily, there are diaries and other evidence about those coup plots. They even left evidence behind them.”

‘Generals’ testimonies should be broadcast live’

Meanwhile, Democratic Left Party’s (DSP) leader Masum Türker said the testimony of the three generals should be heard by the public.

“If there are people who are acting in anti-democratic ways, there is no reason to keep it a ‘state secret.’ Those testimonies should be broadcast live,” he said, responding to journalists’ questions on Dec. 3.

Türker, who has been critical of the 1980 and March 12, 1971 coups, also said that coup d’états are unacceptable.