Kurdish author and activist Orhan Miroğlu, who is also a columnist for the Taraf daily, said the plans show that the military does not trust the nation and has given in to a paranoia of enmity. “The plans show that the military is ready for a coup d’état no matter what political party is in power. The whole society was categorized [in accordance with its ideological and religious tendencies]. This is not something new. … The arrival of letters from unnamed military officers heralds a showdown within the armed forces. It means there is a military group that wishes for an end to pro-coup activities. When this showdown reaches an end, Turkey will be a more normal country,” the author said.
Miroğlu was referring to a third letter recently sent to prosecutors conducting an investigation into the Ergenekon criminal organization. The letter was written by a member of the military who wished to remain anonymous and also included a CD that featured 590 folders of confidential military documents.
The documents revealed that the armed forces had devised secret plans to undermine the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and diminish the public support flowing to the party. Residents of many cities were categorized in accordance with their religious and ideological backgrounds.
Professor Mehmet Altan, a columnist for the Star daily, said the military was trying to hide its illegal activities with pressure, intrigue and tricks. “There has always been criticism that the TSK works like a political party. The armed forces committed a constitutional crime with the April 27, 2007 memorandum. New plans do not surprise us. … The government should immediately remove the chief of general staff from office,” Altan said.
There has recently been increasing pressure on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from intellectuals and civil society groups to relieve Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ due to his negligence in a row that was sparked after the emergence of a military action plan against the AK Party and the faith-based Gülen movement. The prime minister has, however, preferred to tread carefully and wait for the conclusion of an ongoing military investigation into the action plan.
Oral Çalışlar, a Radikal daily columnist, voiced a similar call and said the TSK should get rid of the junta formation within itself. “All documents revealed so far clearly show the coup tradition in this country. While we have witnessed several times that this country has suffered much from coups, it is distressing and saddening to see that similar attempts still take place. Names involved in such attempts should finally be tried and punished in a way to prevent others from plotting a coup,” he added.
The head of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), Can Paker, lashed out at military plans against his foundation. One of the documents on the CD showed that the TSK also detailed a plan to undermine the credibility of TESEV and the Human Rights Association (İHD).
As part of the plan, the armed forces were to collect private information about the officials and founders of both organizations. The TSK was to later manufacture news that these foundations were working for the benefit of “foreign powers” and that they received financial aid from “Turkey’s enemies.” The armed forces was to also claim that studies published by both foundations had no scientific basis, that their officials were citizens of foreign countries and that they send their children to those countries to receive an education.
“We share all of our studies with the public. Our aim is to impact the perception of the public. There is no explanation for claims that TESEV is a ‘dangerous’ foundation. I believe those who plotted such plans have no idea about what Turkey is. I advise them to read TESEV reports,” Paker added.
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