Speaking on behalf of 28 out of the 35 journalists who were on the list, Sabah columnist Nazlı Ilıcak said that they denounce the plot, dubbed the Sledgehammer Security Operation Plan. “In the so-called ‘war game,’ journalists were categorized as ‘to be arrested’ and ‘to be used.’ We condemn the idea that 137 of our colleagues were labeled ‘collaborators’ without their knowledge or approval. We invite the political parties represented in Parliament to take action,” Ilıcak said at a press conference prior to filing a criminal complaint at the Beşiktaş High Criminal Court.On Jan. 20, a Turkish daily exposed the latest in a series of recently revealed coup plans reportedly devised by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. Allegedly prepared by Gen. Çetin Doğan, the plan aimed to topple the democratically elected government after provoking chaos throughout the country.
According to the plan, the pro-coup wing in the military would have 35 journalists arrested and “make use of” 137 others in stirring up public support for the coup. The 28 writers/journalists who filed the criminal complaint against the planners of the Sledgehammer operation are: Ilıcak, Altan, Abdurrahman Dilipak, Ahmet Taşgetiren, Ali İhsan Karahasanoğlu, Çandar, Dumanlı, Hasan Celal Güzel, Hidayet Karaca, Hüseyin Gülerce, Mustafa Karaalioğlu, Perihan Mağden, Akif Emre, Hasan Karakaya, Kazım Güleçyüz, Mehmet Ocaktan, Nuh Gönültaş, Eraslan, Sadık Albayrak, Bahadıroğlu, Emre Aköz, Serdar Arseven, Mustafa Erdoğan, Etyen Mahçupyan, Gülay Göktürk, Ali Bayramoğlu, Abdullah Aymaz, Murat Belge and Abdullah Aymaz. Ilıcak said that they were not able to reach a few people on the list, including Abdullah Yıldız, Haluk Örgün and Mustafa Kaplan, and Fehmi Koru and Umur Talu were not interested in being part of the group seeking mutual action. Also on the list of “to be arrested” journalists was Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, who was assassinated on Jan. 19, 2007.
