Court Expected to Finalize Balyoz Case on Sept. 21

ISTANBUL- Doğan News Agency

Ret Gen Çetin Doğan. AA photo

A decision in the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot case is expected to be announced Sept. 21. 

Within the case, which is being held in Istanbul’s 10th Court for Serious Crimes, 365 retired and regular soldiers are being tried, including Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) member Gen. Bilgin Balanlı, retired generals Çetin Doğan, İbrahim Fırtına, Ergin Saygun and Admiral Özden Örnek. Currently, 250 of these 365 suspects are under arrest. 

The 106 hearing of the case, which has been underway for about 18 months, was heard in Silivri on Sept. 4. During the trial the court made its interlocutory decision and urged all convicts in the case to be present at the following trial, which was postponed for Sept 20 and 21. 

Convicts that are not currently under arrest and who have not made their defense will make them Sept. 20. After the defenses, the last remarks of the 365 convicts will be heard. Then the court will take a break to finalize its decision. The court is expected to announce the decision in the afternoon. 

Balyoz is the name of an alleged Turkish secularist military coup plan, against which a case was initiated on December 16, 2010 with the first court hearing held in the court house of Silivri Prison.