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Coup suspect Gen. Doğan: If there is a crime, I am guilty, not my friends
Yesterday was the second hearing into the Sledgehammer trial in which 196 retired and active duty members of the military stand accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Sledgehammer is a suspected military plan which aimed to create an atmosphere of chaos in the country through a series of acts of violence that would eventually lead to a coup.
It is believed to have been drafted by Doğan at a military seminar in 2003. The retired general was arrested twice earlier this year but was later released from prison on the grounds of ill health. Doğan claimed yesterday that the coup documents were “fabricated.”
“I was the commander [of the 1st Army] when the military seminar was held. I presided over the seminar. The friends [who attended the seminar] acted in line with the hierarchy. If there is a crime, then it is I who am responsible for it, not my friends,” he declared.
The retired general’s remarks received applause from the other suspects. The presiding judge, Ömer Diken, issued a warning, saying in the future he would send any suspects who applauded out of the courtroom. All 196 suspects in the trial stand accused of a failed attempt to render Parliament ineffective and overthrow the government. Such a charge calls for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. According to the Sledgehammer plan, the military was to systematically foment chaos in Turkey through acts of violence including planned bomb attacks at the Fatih and Beyazıt mosques in İstanbul. The objective of the alleged plot was to undermine the government in order to lay the groundwork for a coup d’état. Retired Adm. Özden Örnek, the former naval forces commander, and retired Gen. İbrahim Fırtına, the former head of the air forces, were also present during yesterday’s trial. The two are among the prime suspects in the Sledgehammer case.
The lawyers for some suspects asked the judges to revoke an earlier decision denying a request to replace three judges in the case, and also to refer the former force commanders to the Supreme State Council for trial or to a military court instead of the İstanbul 10th High Criminal Court. The lawyers argued that the indictment contained military terms and civilian judges would fail to understand them.
İstanbul prosecutor Savaş Kırbaş objected to the request and asked the judges to turn it down. The prosecutor said the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) assigns specially authorized courts to hear terror-related crimes. The presiding judge said the trial will be adjourned until Jan. 6. He said the judges in the case would announce their decision at that time.
Meanwhile, members of the İstanbul Bar Association also attended the hearing yesterday. They sat next to the lawyers of the Sledgehammer suspects and told reporters after the hearing that they were there to show their support for the lawyers. They also advised the prosecution that they were attending the Sledgehammer case as “observers.” Aydeniz Alisbah Tuskan said they attended the hearing to ensure the İstanbul court was fair in its trial.
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