Coup panel report is cover up for ruling AKP: Opposition parties

ANKARA

Opposition parties that have members in a parliamentary investigation commission into the July 15, 2016, coup attempt are expected to file an objection against a draft report over claims that it was not reflecting the truth and worked as a cover up for the political leg of the coup. 

“This draft report, released by the commission’s chairman, Reşat Petek, hides the political leg of a controlled coup attempt and is used to smear innocent individuals and institutions,” main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chairman Aykut Erdoğdu said in a press conference with CHP commission members Aytun Çıray, Zeynel Emre and Sezgin Tanrıkulu on May 29 - to mark the opposition’s dissent to the report.

“It is a report to whitewash, hide and mask the political leg of the coup,” Erdoğdu said. 

CHP members also criticized the publication of the report, saying that opposition members were given a very limited time to review the draft. The preparation was organized by AKP members.

“The report is done by AKP members of the commission because we’ve only seen the report at the press conference, without even seeing it before,” Çıray told radio channel RS FM on May 28.

“They gave us five days to contribute to the report that they prepared in three months,” Çıray added.

Criticizing the limited time given to the opposition parties to assess the report, the CHP and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are currently in preparation to file an objection against the report.

“This report had been prepared by 31 experts in five months. We were expected to respond to it in five working days. Today, the HDP and the MHP [Nationalist Movement Party] will apply for the extension of the duration. If it will not extend, we will prepare the objection,” Tanrıkulu said.


‘Report is cover up for AKP’

Saying that the report is severely lacking content, opposition members have stated that the process of preparation of the report indicated that it was a “cover-up report.”

“Even the slightest information that could insinuate a political responsibility on the AKP in the coup attempt was taken out of the draft. The coup attempt was tried to be portrayed as if it was an unavoidable natural disaster and the political and administrative responsibilities were hidden,” Erdoğdu said.

“They have blocked any initiative that would contradict the narrative that they have established during the coup panel. They have denied any demand to invite witnesses in order to shed light on the coup day and the night,” HDP lawmaker Mithat Sancar also told RS FM.

“Most important of all, the panel did not issue the demands of the opposition, which called to invite Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and National Intelligence Agency [MİT] Undersecretary Hakan Fidan to listen. They just asked for a written statement. But Akar did not even issue a written opinion,” Sancar said.
Sancar also stated that the information included in the report can be obtained from independent sources, while it left many questions unanswered. 

“It was asked whether there was any information received before the July 15 coup attempt. In the MİT report submitted to the panel, it was said that a person on July 14 came to MİT headquarters at around 14:20,” he added.

“The claim indicating that the government was informed about the coup but waited for the putschists to act instead of preventing it was not rebuked yet. We have voiced this as a ‘controlled coup’ many times, we demanded a methodology to eliminate such suspicions,” Sancar said. 

[HH] AKP member defends report

But AKP lawmaker Emine Nur Günay defended the report, stating that “it was the most extensive investigation report that has ever been done in Turkey.”

“We have listened to 141 people, and received more than 200 reports and documents. Everything that can be done has been done. The MİT report arrived and this way our report was completed,” Günay told the radio channel.

Answering criticisms concerning Akar and Fidan, Günay said Akar could not attend because he was in a field operation at the time he was summoned.

“When we invited our Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, he was conducting cross border operations. Also, the individuals who have not participated in the panel have sent their reports to us. Akar has not issued a report but we have been waiting for the MİT report,” she said.