Court board postpones Ergenekon trial amid ‘high tension’
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Police and gendarmerie forces used pressurized water against tens of thousands of protesters. DAILY NEWS photo / Emrah GÜREL
Judges hearing the controversial Ergenekon case postponed the trial until April 11 due to high tension outside the court today as thousands of protesters clashed with police and gendarmerie forces.Following an initial hearing in the morning, the judges decided to put an end to the trial for the day.
This was the first hearing after the trial’s prosecutors released their final opinion in the alleged Ergenekon coup-plot case on March 18.
Police and gendarmerie forces used pepper gas and pressurized water against tens of thousands of protesters who pulled down police barriers in front of the 13th Istanbul High Criminal Court in Silivri.
The court is trying 275 suspects, of whom 67 are under arrest including main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies Mehmet Haberal and Mustafa Balbay; former Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ; and Workers’ Party (İP) leader Doğu Perinçek.
Prosecutors have demanded aggravated life imprisonment for a number of suspects, including Başbuğ, Balbay and Haberal.
The CHP was represented at the hearing by 50 deputies, including the deputy leader of the party, Umut Oran, and deputy group chairman Muharrem İnce.
“Even a 5-year-old child knows there is no legal system in Turkey now,” İnce said, Anatolia news agency reported.
Oran also said they demanded a fair, objective trial.
