Suspects in Turkey’s Sledgehammer Coup Plot Released

Çetin Doğan, the former head of Turkey's First Army, and a major suspect in the Sledgehammer ("Balyoz") coup plot has been released one day after 17 other suspects in the case were released on Wednesday, reports Today’s Zaman.

Critics say judges appointed by the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) are releasing suspect one by one. Retired Gen. Doğan is accused of having drafted the plot.

Initially, 41 people were arrested in the Sledgehammer probe. The coup plot includes plans to bomb the Fatih and Beyazıt mosques and down a Turkish jet over the Aegean to fuel problems with Greece for the ultimate aim of discrediting the government.

28 people have been released in the past two days. The latest releases came on Thursday when 12th Higher Criminal Court Judge Oktay Kuban released 19 people including retired Gen. Doğan, retired Gen. Engin Alan and retired Gen. Süha Tanyeli.

On Wednesday, nine others were released by the İstanbul 9th High Criminal Court. The judges were the newly assigned Tuncay Aslan and Yılmaz Alp, who ruled that the suspects should be released due to their “social standing.” Nurettin Ak, the presiding judge opposed to this, but the suspects were released in a 2 to 1 vote.

Currently, only 7 suspects stand arrested in the Sledgehammer investigation.