Turkey Tries Military Officers Accused in Overthrow Plot

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Dec. 16) -- Nearly 200 active and retired military officers went on trial today in a special courthouse near Istanbul, accused of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government in an elaborate coup d'etat.

The officers allegedly planned to take over the country and unseat Turkey's ruling, Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) after creating chaos by bombing at least two major mosques, provoking a conflict with neighboring Greece and assassinating religious leaders.

Had it been successful, the conspiracy, dubbed "Sledgehammer," would have been the fifth time the Turkish military, the traditional guardian of the country's secular identity, has intervened against a government since 1960.

The trial is increasing tensions between supporters of the AKP and the opposition, which fears an increasing government autocracy. The tensions were exacerbated by a last-minute change in judges and allegations of forged evidence from the family of the officer accused of masterminding the plot, retired Gen. Cetin Dogan.

"The head judge studied for about four months; he [developed] an opinion about the case," said Celal Ulgen, Dogan's lawyer, according to the Turkish daily Hurriyet. "The trial will begin Thursday. It will take time for the new head of the court to be able to [understand] the case. Such a change should not have happened."

There were indications the first day of the trial might end early amid objections about the new judge.

All the officers involved in the case have denied the charges against them, claiming that the documents used as evidence were altered military contingency plans.

Dogan's family insists that "anachronisms" prove that at least parts of the evidence were produced years after the plot was allegedly planned in 2003. They claim that names of hospitals and associations mentioned in the evidence had different names or did not exist in 2003.

One of the accused officers said that he was abroad at the time the coup allegedly was being planned and that his middle name appears in documents, even though it was not officially registered until 2007.

Supporters of the government say that only prosecutors had access to the evidence and that only a court can make decisions about its validity. The Turkish press has been cautious about reporting the claims, because of a recent lessening of press freedoms in the country and also because lawyers and members of the accused officers' families are aiming to influence public sentiment with their claims, which are difficult to independently verify.

What is being given more focus is that the unprecedented trial signifies a historic power shift in Turkey. Since the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the military has been the key power holder in the country. Its tendency to engineer coups kept Turkey unstable, and part of the country's European Union ascension requirements involves the government being able to gain control over the often rebellious armed forces and stabilize the country.

"Ever since 1923 up until recently, Turkey has been a semi-military republic," Yavuz Baydar, a columnist for the local newspaper Today's Zaman, told AOL News. "This means that it had a system of tutelage owned by the deep state that was dominated by the military and parts of the judiciary. It allowed the elected government to deal with issues related mostly to economic politics.

"National security, foreign policy and certain internal issues related to the demands of the country's Kurds and other minorities were dealt with by the military. The military defined the framework of the democratic game. This continued until [the AKP's election in] 2002, when a strong one-party government changed the parameters towards democracy dominated by civilian will," Baydar said.

The case is complicated not only by the allegations of fake evidence but also because Turks have long revered the military, with every Turkish male legally obligated to enlist. The AKP has succeeded in lowering the stature of the military in the eyes of many Turks, but opposition members deplore what they see as the party's consolidation of power and the degree of religiousness practiced by top officials.

Baydar said that while the trial puts a strain on civilian military ties in Turkey, it would prove there are rogue elements in the military that work against constitutional order. He pointed to the EU's stipulation for increased civilian control over the military, noting, "More steps must be taken in that direction. The trial must be seen in that context. What Turkey is going through is a transformation -- a painful transformation towards democratic rule."

While the Sledgehammer plot involves only military officers, including several top generals, more than 400 civilians and members of the military have been charged in a separate trial of trying to overthrow the government. The conspiracy involves a secret organization of ultra-nationalists called "Ergenekon" that allegedly plotted against the government.