Turkey’s ex-army chief storms out of courtroom in Ergenekon trial

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's former armed forces chief stormed out of a courtroom near Istanbul on Thursday, December 13 in protest at the handling of a trial of nearly 300 people charged with attempting to overthrow Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government, Reuters reported.

General Ilker Basbug, along with politicians, academics, journalists and other retired army officers, is on trial on suspicion of belonging to a shadowy underground network of ultra-nationalists called "Ergenekon".

The alleged group is accused of orchestrating decades of political violence, extra-judicial killings and bomb attacks, and most recently of trying to topple Erdogan.

Basbug, the highest-profile defendant, walked out after prosecutors tried to add two additional indictments at the last minute despite protests from defense lawyers.

Outside, thousands of Turkish secularists protested against the trial, denouncing it as an attempt by Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government to stifle secularist dissent.

Basbug's exit underscored the frustrations of a military elite, long the self-appointed guardian of Turkish secularism, that has been emasculated under Erdogan's rule.

Judges called a series of recesses in the packed and noisy court as they clashed with defense lawyers, who complained they were being denied the right to challenge court procedure.

State prosecutors had been expected to present their final statements but the chief judge ordered the reading of two additional indictments, adding to more than 20 already incorporated into the case and prompting further delays.