Top naval commander resigned in protest at arrests: Sources

ISTANBUL

A Turkish naval commander who resigned in November 2012 did so out of protest at the number of officers being imprisoned as part of various alleged coup plots, daily Hürriyet quoted military sources as saying yesterday.

“According to the information I have received, Navy Cmdr. Adm. Nusret Güner resigned from his post in November [2012]. The reason is simple: ‘Our friends are being imprisoned one by one and we are not able to do anything; in fact, we are even helping them get jailed,’ Güner reportedly said,” Can Ataklı, a columnist for daily Vatan, said in an article published Jan. 23.

Ataklı also said Güner’s resignation was not approved by Turkish Naval Forces Adm. Emin Murat Bilgel, who reportedly rejected the resignation, noting that “it will cause trouble within the command echelon.” Instead, Bilgel offered to discuss the resignation after the New Year.

Bilgel, however, acquiesced due to Güner’s insistence that he be allowed to resign. Military sources confirmed Ataklı’s claims, daily Hürriyet reported today, saying the resignation was initially rejected before being approved by the relevant unit commander.

Many top generals are imprisoned in the “Balyoz” (Sledgehammer) and Ergenekon coup-plot cases.

Some 300 of the 365 suspects in the Balyoz case were sentenced to prison terms, while 34 suspects were acquitted on Sept. 21, 2012, by an Istanbul Court for Serious Crimes.