Ruling AKP faced previous coup attempts before 2010, says Turkey's justice minister

ISTANBUL

Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin says that 2010 should be noted as a milestone in the military’s relationship with politics and of the military’s domination. DHA photo

The Turkish justice minister said there have been hidden coup attempts during the rule of the Justice and Development (AKP), adding 2010 was a breaking point for military-politics relations.

“There were some attempts for military bureaucracy to reappear, some of its habits from previous periods. Some of these were reflected to public, but there are also others which haven’t,” Sadullah Ergin said in an interview with the daily Milliyet.

“It’s not true to say these kinds of things [coup attempts] never happened during the AKP period. There is a habit from past,” he said.

However, the minister stated 2010 should be noted as a milestone in the military’s relationship with politics and of the military’s domination.

“The Sept. 12, 2010 [constitution amendment] referendum is a turning point. It liberated the politician, opened way for democracy and initiated questioning tutelage centers. This process is still continuing,” he stressed. “Don’t forget, we came to these days from history, democracy, which was stopped by coups every ten years since 1950s.”

The minister said prior to 2010, “the AKP took a stance which fully protects the nation’s will and objects to these kinds of interventions,” adding after 2010 “the ground is clearer.”

He also claimed the AKP has been looking to resolve the Kurdish issue from the start of its rule, but it was only after “weakening the tutelage,” it could take concrete steps.

Ergin, however, gave a broad definition of tutelage by also including civilian bureaucracy, media, university, judiciary, the private sector and some non-governmental organizations into it.

“Unfortunately, it would be remorseless to invoice bill all these interventions to military bureaucracy. This sin is a product of a structure,” he said.