According to the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) Security Operation Plan, which was published by Taraf daily in segments Wednesday and yesterday, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) plotted to create chaos and overturn the government. The TSK allegedly planned to bomb mosques and attack popular museums with Molotov cocktails. The attacks’ desired result was to increase pressure on the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government over failing to provide security to its citizens. The attacks were to eventually lead to a military coup. The Sledgehammer plan also spelled out actions to be taken after the coup, including the expurgating of Kurdish and Arabic elements from Turkish culture: “All national values including the Turkish Ezan [Call for prayer] should be implemented again and all the damage to Turkish culture which was caused by Kurdish and Arabic elements should be repaired,” excerpts from the plan published by Taraf read.
Sırrı Sakık, a deputy from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), said that the discovery of such a plan is not surprising. “The mentality which is able to think of bombing mosques and shooting down its own plane of course would develop racist plans and implement assimilation policies. But the question is who we can trust for our security; we have to discuss this immediately,” Sakık told Today’s Zaman. He also suggested that politicians should put aside their daily political concerns and discuss the situation to develop solutions, if they aim to create a real democracy. Emin Aktar, chairman of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, also urged Parliament to take immediate action and reform the TSK.
“It is impossible to live with constant fear of a new military coup, the public should be reassured that this will never be the case,” Aktar told Today’s Zaman.
Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Diyarbakır representative of the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV), said that the military, in its existing structure, is a threat to democracy. “This Sledgehammer plan revealed the realities that we knew but that were not paid attention to by the general public. We as Kurds were always under the threats mentioned in the plan. It is obvious that some people who had knowledge about this plan had tried to implement these plans -- just remember the grassroots campaign to not shop from Kurds,” he told Today’s Zaman. He also urged the government to take action as soon as possible and put the General Staff under the control of the Defense Ministry.
