US, EU avoid commenting on Ergenekon verdicts, concerned for judicial process

ISTANBUL

U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf speaks at a press briefing. AA photo

The U.S. and the European Union declined to comment Aug.5 on the verdicts of Turkey's Ergenekon coup plot case that resulted in several aggravated life sentences for high-ranking army officials including a former chief of staff general while acknowledging concerns over the manner in which the judicial process was held.
 
"We won’t comment on any eventual outcome of an appeal, but we’ll continue watching the process," a deputy spokesperson of the U.S. State  Department, Marie Harf, said during a daily press briefing, adding that the U.S. would continue watching the issue.
 
Harf stated that the U.S. acknowledges Turkish citizens' serious concerns regarding the length of the trial process as well as the lack of transparency in this trial and the manner in which these verdicts and sentences were reached.
 
"We’re following the media reports of the verdicts and the severity of the sentences in this case which are being handed down," she said.
 
EU concerned for judicial process
 
The European Union, for its part, avoided commenting on the substance of the individual court rulings, in a statement by the Commission, while expressing concern in the light of European standards over the way the judicial process was carried out in Turkey, as a candidate country.
 
“The EU has indicated on a number of occasions its concerns over the rights of the defense, the lengthy pre-trial detention and the excessively long and "catch-all" indictments [indictments that are too general],” the statement read.
 
The verdict trial for the Ergenekon case was held Aug.5 at Istanbul’s Silivri Courthouse and ruled for severe punishments to be imposed on a total of 275 suspects at the end of the five-year process.