Europe officials visit arrested MPs, Başbuğ

SİLİVRİ – Hürriyet Daily News

Two parliamentarians from the European Council paid a visit to arrested military officials and deputies in Silivri prison yesterday.

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Turkey rapporteur and French MP Josette Durrieu, together with monitoring commission secretary Sylvie Affholder met three deputies and former Chief of General Staff İlker Başbuğ, who are among the jailed suspects in the ongoing Ergenekon coup plot probe. 

The deputies also visited a deputy from the Nationalist Movement Party, Engin Alan, as well as two deputies from the Republican People’s Party, Mehmet Haberal and Mustafa Balbay, who are also being tried for having links to Ergenekon.

Ergenekon is an alleged ultra nationalist shadowy gang accused of planning to topple the government by staging a coup, initially through the spread of chaos and mayhem.

The three deputies were all elected to Parliament in 2011, after they had already been arrested.

The European committee needed special permission from the Silivri Public Prosecutor’s office in order to realize the visit and they are expected hold a press meeting on June 21.