“To comment without seeing the reasons for the verdict would be inappropriate. There is an appeals process. What is important for us is that the right decision emerges,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters in Ankara, as the sentences were being announced.
Erdoğan said he hoped Friday’s verdict is a “just” one but refused to comment further, saying the proceedings against the military officers were not over yet.
The 10th İstanbul High Criminal Court convicted 326 military officers, including the former air force and navy chiefs, of coup charges.
A panel of three judges at the court on İstanbul’s outskirts initially sentenced also former air force chief İbrahim Fırtına, former navy chief Özden Örnek and former army commander Çetin Doğan to life imprisonment but later reduced the sentence to a 20-year jail term because the plot had been unsuccessful. The three were accused of masterminding the plot.
The court also convicted 323 other active or retired officers of involvement in the conspiracy, sentencing some to as much as 18 years in prison. Thirty-six were acquitted, while the case against three other defendants was postponed.
The officers were all expected to appeal the verdicts.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç described the Sledgehammer investigation as an “important probe” in terms of democracy and civil-military relations. He said he is delighted that the investigation is over but said those who are unhappy with the decision has a right to appeal to a higher court.
Arınç avoided to further comment on the decision because he said he doesn’t know the detailed reasons of their conviction.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ also avoided to comment on the content of the decision and said the Friday’s ruling is only the first instance and the convicts could appeal to higher instances.
Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım said, “We all hope that no anti-democratic initiative ever occurs in our country again” in his assessment of the decision.
Protests broke out soon after Friday’s verdicts were announced, with some of the officers’ supporters booing the decision inside the courthouse and others waving Turkish flags and shouting “Turkey is secular and will remain secular” outside.
Prosecutors accused the 365 defendants in the trial of plotting to depose Erdoğan by triggering turmoil in the country that would have paved the way for a military takeover. They claimed the plotters, taking part in an army seminar in 2003, drew up plans for a coup which included bombings of mosques, the downing of a Turkish fighter plane and other acts of violence that would have allowed the military to intervene on the pretext of restoring order.
The military has said officers taking part in the seminar discussed a fictitious scenario involving internal conflict, but that there were no plans for a military coup.
Doğan’s daughter Pınar Doğan, a lecturer at Harvard University, said her family believed the case was aimed at settling old scores and pointed to reports by experts who said computer documents submitted as evidence appeared doctored.
“Going after those perceived as opposed to this government because of its Islamist leaning is motivated in part by revenge. My father was a retired man with no political clout left,” she said.
“He had no sympathy for this government, but he would never have bombed mosques or shot down planes, never.”
Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) described the decision as “political.” The jail sentences in historic coup trial elicited harsh reaction from the main opposition as some of its deputies deemed the final verdict as “politically motivated.”
CHP Konya deputy Atilla Kart, who is also the member of the parliamentary Constitutional Reconciliation Commission, denounced the court decision as a political sham.
Kart alleged that some of government ministries have been working with illegal groups in illegally gathering digital information to make up scenarios in a bid to produce trump-up charges.
CHP Ankara deputy Levent Gök argued that the verdict is far from satisfying public’s conscience.
CHP Deputy Chairman Bülent Tezcan claimed that the courts are being influenced by the authorities and described the court decision as “lawlessness.” He added that the Friday’s decision is an indication of “new coup period” in Turkey.
Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) branded the court decision as “groundless and unfair” and said it is an “insult.”
One of MHP deputies, Engin Alan, is also among the convicts, who was given 18 years of prison sentence. Bahçeli blasted the decision and said it is very clear how the ruling confirmed the “injustice”. He accused the government of casting a shadow over justice in the hope of taking revenge on past events, particularly Feb. 28 so-called post-modern coup and added that the court decision is “open to debate.”
