Army denies second visit to Hasdal

ANKARA

The Turkish military denied July 6 that the country’s top soldier made a second visit to Hasdal Prison, where many high-ranking on-duty and retired officers have been jailed on charges of alleged attempts to stage a coup against the government.

Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel made his one and only visit to Hasdal Prison in 2011 after his appointment as the top commander, the military said in a statement posted on its website, noting that the visit was made with feelings of responsibility and fidelity. “The second visit to Hasdal did not happen.” More than 100 high-ranking military officers have been arrested in recent years as part of ongoing separate prosecutions into alleged plots against the government since 2003.