{{short description|2003–2015 Turkish legal affair}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} '''Operation Sledgehammer''' ({{langx|tr|Balyoz Harekâtı}}) is the name of an alleged Turkish secularist military coup plan dating back to 2003,<ref name=bal>[http://www.turkishweekly.net/columnist/3321/balyoz-operation-ii-squash-blossoms.html Balyoz Operation II: Squash Blossoms] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806130521/http://www.turkishweekly.net/columnist/3321/balyoz-operation-ii-squash-blossoms.html |date=6 August 2010 }} Article of Prof. Dr. Ihsan Bal, Director of USAK’s Center for Security Studies, published on 31 March 2010; accessed on 12 April 2011</ref> in response to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) gaining office.
Claims of the plot first surfaced in the liberal ''Taraf'' newspaper, which was passed documents detailing plans to bomb two Istanbul mosques and accuse Greece of shooting down a Turkish aircraft over the Aegean Sea. The plan was to stir up chaos and justify a military coup. The army said the plans had been discussed but only as part of a scenario-based planning exercise at a military seminar.<ref>[http://www.milliyet.com.tr/simdi-de-balyoz/melih-asik/guncel/yazardetay/22.01.2010/1189208/default.htm Şimdi de Balyoz] Melih Aşık in Milliyet of 22 January 2010; accessed on 13 April 2011</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">BBC, 29 July 2011, [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14346325 Turkey: Military chiefs resign en masse]</ref>
The case was heavily criticised by the political opposition for the suspected involvement of high-ranking bureaucrats and legal officials which were close to the Cemaat movement, an Islamist movement led by exiled cleric and (then) AKP ally Fethullah Gülen. Numerous legal flaws and improper procedures throughout the case, and the lack of a response by the government also drew concern. This included the case that the original Sledgehammer document, claimed to have been produced in 2003, was actually created using Microsoft Word 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65959|title=Turkey: What Happens After the "Sledgehammer" Verdict?|work=EurasiaNet.org|accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://turkeyetc.wordpress.com/category/sledgehammer-trial/|title=Sledgehammer trial - turkeyetc|publisher=|accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref> Other irregularities included the forging of signatures of high-ranking military officers, such as that of General Çetin Doğan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2014/06/21/col-cicek-gulenlinked-parallel-structure-forged-my-signature|title=Col. Çiçek: Gülen-linked parallel structure forged my signature|date=21 June 2014|work=DailySabah|accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yavuz-baydar/turkeys-sledgehammer-case_b_1922062.html|title=Turkey's Sledgehammer Case: A Severe Blow to Militarism Within|work=The Huffington Post|date=October 2012 |accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref>
In 2012 some 300 of the 365 suspects were sentenced to prison terms, while 34 suspects were acquitted. The case was to be appealed.
On 19 June 2014 all the accused were ordered released from prison, pending a retrial, after a finding by the Constitutional Court that their rights had been violated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siyaset.milliyet.com.tr/balyozda-ilk-tahliye/siyaset/detay/1899685/default.htm|title=Flaş! Balyozda tüm sanıklara tahliye!|date=19 June 2014|work=MЭLLЭYET HABER - TЬRKЭYE'NЭN HABER SЭTESЭ|accessdate=27 May 2016|archive-date=1 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701211809/http://siyaset.milliyet.com.tr/balyozda-ilk-tahliye/siyaset/detay/1899685/default.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The timing of the decision fuelled further accusations regarding the involvement of the Cemaat movement initially, since by 2014 the AKP and Gülen had fallen out with each other. Furthermore, the then-AKP Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan openly accused the Cemaat movement of infiltrating the judiciary following a government corruption scandal, beginning a large-scale operation of either removing or relocating judicial and law enforcement employees.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/22/turkish-police-accused-spying-prime-minister-arrested|title=Turkish police accused of spying on prime minister are arrested|work=the Guardian|date=22 July 2014 |accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-turkey-police-detentions-idUKKBN0G50F320140805|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208213453/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-turkey-police-detentions-idUKKBN0G50F320140805|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 December 2015|title=More Turkish police held as PM Erdogan says purge just beginning|author=Daren Butler|date=5 August 2014|work=Reuters UK|accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref>
On 31 March 2015 all 236 suspects were acquitted after the case's prosecutor argued that digital data in the files submitted as evidence in the case were faked and did not constitute evidence.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Doğan News Agency|title=236 acquitted in Balyoz coup case|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/236-acquitted-in-balyoz-coup-case.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80408&NewsCatID=338|website=Hürriyet Daily News|date=31 March 2015 |accessdate=6 April 2015}}</ref>
==Plot claims== Reports of the alleged plot first surfaced in the liberal ''Taraf'' newspaper on 20 January 2010. Journalist Mehmet Baransu said he had been passed documents detailing plans to bomb two Istanbul mosques and accuse Greece of shooting down a Turkish plane over the Aegean Sea.<ref name=taraf>''Taraf'', 20 January 2010, [http://www.taraf.com.tr/haber/darbenin-adi-balyoz.htm Darbenin adı Balyoz] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719124648/http://www.taraf.com.tr/haber/darbenin-adi-balyoz.htm |date=19 July 2010 }}, (original news in Turkish); accessed on 12 April 2011</ref><ref name=sunday/><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120129094115/http://www.oldthinkernews.com/?p=2069 Article title]}} "Those measures included bombing two major mosques in Istanbul, an assault on a military museum by people disguised as religious extremists and the raising of tension with Greece through an attack on a Turkish plane that was to be blamed on the Aegean neighbor."</ref> The plan was to stir up chaos and justify a military coup.
The extensive materials received by ''Taraf'', which were passed to prosecutors, formed the bulk of the prosecution case.
==Arrests== On 21 February 2010 operations were carried out in nine provinces.<ref name=rad0210>[http://www.radikal.com.tr/Radikal.aspx?aType=RadikalHaberDetayV3&ArticleID=982238&Date=25.02.2010&CategoryID=97 'Hükümeti devirecek miydiniz?'] Article in Radikal of 25 February 2010; accessed on 12 April 2011</ref> 49 people were detained including admirals, generals and colonels, some of them retired.<ref name=rad0210/> On 23 February six of them were released, but seven were arrested. Another five suspects were arrested on 24 February.<ref name=rad0210/> Further detentions and arrests followed, but at the beginning of April 2010 the number of people in pre-trial detention had dropped to nine, while 35 arrested suspects had been released, including prime suspect retired general Çetin Doğan, who had been the commander of the First Army.<ref>[http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/ShowNew.aspx?id=14293030 Çetin Doğan tahliye edildi] Archives of Hürriyet of 1 April 2010; accessed on 12 April 2011</ref> On 31 March and 1 April, 28 suspects in the investigation were released. A judge released 19 of the suspects due to the "existence of serious doubt regarding the crime". 9 others were released due to their "social standing."<ref name=sunday>[http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action;jsessionid=0F5ACAC536BA9FB91C464012E4C066D6?newsId=206322 Sledgehammer releases shakes belief in impartial judiciary] Sunday’s Zaman of 4 April 2010</ref>
On 5 April 2010 an additional 95 people (including 86 military personnel, 70 of them on active duty), were detained in 14 provinces on the same day. Nine suspects released earlier were rearrested on 6 April. However, Istanbul's chief prosecutor, Aykut Cengiz Engin, ordered the removal of prosecutors Mehmet Berk and Bilal Bayraktar from the probe as his order "any detention decision should not be taken without my approval" was not abided by.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cumhuriyet.com/?hn=128690 |title="Turkish Press Scan April 6th" |access-date=7 April 2010 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233928/http://www.cumhuriyet.com/?hn=128690 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 6 April Engin also replaced coordinating prosecutor of the investigation Süleyman Pehlivan with Mehmet Ergül.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=judicial-limbo-in-8216sledgehammer8217-investigation-2010-04-06|title=TURKEY - Sledgehammer leads to new judicial crisis in Turkey|publisher=|accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref>
In May and June 2011 another round of interrogations followed resulting in the arrest of 15 members of the Turkish Armed Forces.<ref name=hur110607>[http://www.news.az/articles/turkey/37886 Two more officers arrested in Turkey’s 'Sledgehammer' probe] NewsAz of 7 June 2011; accessed on 14 June 2011</ref> The arrests are based on documents reportedly seized in February from a house that belonged to Col. Hakan Büyük's son. The new evidence consists of written documents, video files and digital material on a flash disk, and includes plans to be put into action if the coup attempt were to fail.<ref name=hur110607/>
==Trial== The trial started on 16 December 2010 with the first court hearing, held in the court house of Silivri Prison. The presiding judge, Ömer Diken, was appointed only two days earlier, after the previous presiding judge was removed because of an ongoing disciplinary investigation.<ref>{{cite news |author=Selcan Hacaoğlu |title=New Turkish coup trial begins |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/16/AR2010121600599.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=16 December 2010 |accessdate=16 December 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> 187 defendants were present.<ref name=ilk>[http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/16546751.asp Balyoz davası gergin başladı] in Hürriyet of 16.10.2010; accessed on 12.04.2011</ref> Nine defendants including retired General Ergin Saygun had not appeared.<ref name=ilk/> None of the defendants were in pre-trial detention.<ref name=ilk/>
After the hearing of 11 February 2011 the court decided to arrest 163 defendants.<ref name=dha>[http://www.dha.com.tr/haberdetay.asp?Newsid=141647 Balyoz'da 163 tutuklama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719152614/http://www.dha.com.tr/haberdetay.asp?Newsid=141647 |date=19 July 2011 }}, News Agency Dogan of 11.02.2011; accessed on 12.04.2011</ref> Meanwhile, the court room in Silivri Prison was extended.<ref name=mil>[http://www.milliyet.com.tr/balyoz-un-durusma-salonu-genisletildi/siyaset/haberdetayarsiv/14.03.2011/1363961/default.htm?ver=37 Balyoz’un duruşma salonu genişletildi] Milliyet of 11.02.2011; accessed on 12.04.2011</ref>
On 20 February 2011 an additional indictment was forwarded to Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 10. It charged 28 defendants, 15 of them in pre-trial detention in connection with documents found at the home of Colonel Hakan Büyük's son with "the attempt to remove the government of the Turkish Republic" and demanded sentences between 15 and 20 years' imprisonment. In case that the indictment is accepted the case may be merged with the main Sledgehammer (Balyoz) case in which 196 defendants are on trial.<ref>[http://yenisafak.com.tr/Gundem/?t=21.06.2011&i=325720 Bilvanis paşasına 20 yıl istendi] daily Yeni Şafak of 21 June 2011, accessed on 21 June 2011</ref>
On 29 July 2011 the court charged 22 suspects. On the same day the chief of the Turkish armed forces, Işık Koşaner, has resigned along with the army, navy and air force heads. Koşaner portrayed his resignation as a protest at the jailing of military officers. "It has become impossible for me to continue in this high office, because I am unable to fulfil my responsibility to protect the rights of my personnel as the chief of general staff," Koşaner said.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accepted the resignations and appointed Necdet Özel as the chief of the armed forces. The decision stamped the civilian authority on the country's military, which has long regarded itself as a protector of Turkey's secular traditions."This is effectively the end of the military’s role in Turkish democracy," said Asli Aydintasbas, a columnist for the Turkish daily newspaper Milliyet. "This is the symbolic moment where the first Turkish republic ends and the second republic begins."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/30/world/europe/30turkey.html|title=Top Generals Quit in Group, Stunning Turks|date=30 July 2011|work=The New York Times|accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref>
On 15 August 2011 Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 10 held the first hearing in the second ''Balyoz'' trial.<ref name=abend>''Akşam'', 16 August 2001, [http://www.aksam.com.tr/dort-yildizli-durusmada-gerginlik-sesinizi-yukseltmeyin--61541h.html Dört yıldızlı duruşmada gerginlik! 'Sesinizi yükseltmeyin']; accessed on 16 August 2011</ref> 26 defendants were present, 21 of them in pre-trial detention. Prime suspect General Bilgin Balanlı read out a 4-page defence pleading not guilty. The demand to recuse the court was sent to Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 11. The hearing was adjourned to 3 October 2011.<ref name=abend/>
In mid-November 2011 a third 264-page indictment was sent to Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 10, accusing 143 suspects, 66 of them in pre-trial detention with an attempt to overthrow the government. The prosecutor demanded to combine trial 1 and 2 with this case. After the cases 1 and 2 had been combined the number of defendants had increased to 244, 184 of them in pre-trial detention. Should this case also be merged the number of defendants will be 367.<ref>CNN Türk of 9 November 2011: [http://www.cnnturk.com/2011/turkiye/11/11/3.balyoz.iddianamesi.mahkemede/636423.0/index.html "3. Balyoz iddianamesi" mahkemede]; accessed on 13 November 2011</ref>
==Comments on the trial== When on 5 April 2011 the Court rejected the demands for release for the second time, the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces issued a press release.<ref name=tsk>[http://www.tsk.tr/10_ARSIV/10_1_Basin_Yayin_Faaliyetleri/10_1_Basin_Aciklamalari/2011/BA_05.htm Press Release BA 05/11] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411175849/http://www.tsk.tr/10_ARSIV/10_1_Basin_Yayin_Faaliyetleri/10_1_Basin_Aciklamalari/2011/BA_05.htm |date=11 April 2011 }}, published on the website of the Turkish Armed Force on 06.04.2011; accessed on 12.04.2011</ref> Reminding that the Turkish Armed Forces repeatedly informed on the seminars in question and the expert opinion the prosecutor's office had demanded it was hard to understand why the court had ordered the continuation of pre-trial detention.<ref name= tsk/> Mehmet Ali Şahin, President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, stated that the press release casts a doubt in the judiciary in Turkey.<ref name=CNN>[http://www.cnnturk.com/2011/turkiye/04/07/sahinden.tsknin.balyoz.aciklamasina.elestiri/612477.0/index.html Şahin'den TSK'nın 'Balyoz' açıklamasına eleştiri] CNN Türk of 07.04.2011; accessed on 12.04.2011</ref> Deputy President of the AKP, Hüseyin Çelik called this an interference in an ongoing trial.<ref name=CNN/> US Ambassador to Ankara Francis J. Ricciardone stated that a transparent trial was expected and he tried to understand, how freedom of press could be discussed, when journalists were being arrested.<ref>[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkish-press-scan-for-feb.-16-2011-02-16 "Turkish Press Scan for Feb. 16"] in Hürriyet Daily News of 16.02.2011; accessed on 12.04.2011</ref> Hüseyin Çelik called this an interference into internal affairs.<ref>[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkish-press-scan-for-feb.-17-2011-02-17 Turkish Press Scan for 17 Feb.] in Hürriyet Daily News of 17.02.2011; accessed on 12.04.2011</ref>
Dani Rodrik<ref>Dani Rodrik is son-in-law of chief suspect Çetin Doğan, and a professor of international political economy at the Harvard Kennedy School.</ref> and Pinar Doğan,<ref>Pınar Doğan is daughter of chief suspect Çetin Doğan and a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.</ref> son-in-law and daughter of chief suspect Çetin Doğan, stated, "what lies behind the trials is an apparent effort to discredit the government’s opponents on the basis of the flimsiest evidence and often, far worse, by framing them with planted evidence and forged documents" in their personal blog page.<ref name=dani>Of the three sources mentioned in [http://www.thewashingtonreview.org/articles/sledgehammer.html a separate article] only the one from [http://www.tnr.com/article/world/75123/turkey%E2%80%99s-other-dirty-war The New Republic], entitled "Turkey’s Other Dirty War" is available without subscription, dated 24 May 2010; accessed on 19 May 2011</ref> Commenting on all investigations in the Ergenekon cases they alleged: the key evidence is typically produced by anonymous informants; they provide the "originals" of secret documents detailing criminal activities and these revelations are followed by selective leaks to the media about the "evidence".<ref name=dani/>
Against this Fevzi Bilgin, Assistant Professor of Political Science, St. Mary's College of Maryland held, "Mr. Rodnik’s interpretation and presentation of the case is neither unbiased nor genuinely informational. It is also a platform to internationalize the grievances of the current military establishment in Turkey and defame the current government as being religiously motivated."<ref name=fevzi>[http://www.thewashingtonreview.org/articles/sledgehammer.html Sledgehammer (Balyoz): How Turkey Averted a Coup in 2003] Washington Review of July 2010; accessed on 19 May 2011</ref> In his opinion "It is rather likely that Sledgehammer was the first coup plan devised right after AKP’s victory in the parliamentary elections on 3 November 2002."<ref name=fevzi/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://balyozdavasivegercekler.com/2012/05/03/how-many-different-ways-can-you-say-forgery/|title=How many different ways can you say "forgery"?|work=Balyoz Davası ve Gerçekler|date=3 May 2012 |accessdate=27 May 2016}}</ref>
On 16 January 2013 Mr. Orhan Aykut confessed to the ''Aydınlık'' newspaper that together with Mr. İhsan Arslan (AKP deputy at the time) they received a suitcase of real Balyoz Seminar documents from Mr. Iskender Pala (who was expelled from the Turkish Navy for not being secular) at Movenpick Hotel in Istanbul in 2007 and using these documents they had created fake evidences with a group of specialists in Ankara to be used in Balyoz Case.<ref>Aydınlık, 16 January 2013, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160305074231/http://www.aydinlikgazete.com/mansetler/19644-bavulu-paladan-aldik-cdleri-ankarada-urettik.html ‘Bavulu Pala’dan aldık CD’leri Ankara’da ürettik’ -(TAMAMI)]}}</ref><ref>Aydınlık, 22 January 2013, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130123205707/http://www.aydinlikgazete.com/mansetler/18593-vardiya-sirasi-savcilarda.html Vardiya sırası savcılarda -(TAMAMI)]}}</ref>
==Verdict== On 21 September 2012 Istanbul Heavy Penal Court announced its verdict. Some 300 of the 365 suspects were sentenced to prison terms, while 34 suspects were acquitted. Three retired generals were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment: Çetin Doğan (retired 1st Army Cmdr. General), İbrahim Fırtına (Air Force Cmdr. retired General) and Özden Örnek (retired Navy Cmdr. Adm.) on charges of "attempting to overthrow the government by force" but the terms were later reduced to 20 years' because of the "incomplete attempt at staging a coup".<ref>Hürriyet Daily News, 21 September 2012, [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/court-hits-ex-top-soldiers-hard.aspx?pageID=238&nID=30704&NewsCatID=338 Court hits ex-top soldiers hard]; accessed on 22 September 2012</ref> In the case of 78 defendants (including Engin Alan) the court commuted aggravated life imprisonment to 18 years' imprisonment.<ref name=dtfrad>See the monthly report of the Democratic Turkey Forum (DTF) in German for [http://www.tuerkeiforum.net/Meldungen_im_September_2012 September 2012] or as detailed article in the daily [http://www.radikal.com.tr/Radikal.aspx?aType=RadikalDetayV3&ArticleID=1101174&CategoryID=77 Radikal of 21 September 2012]; both accessed on 22 September 2012</ref> While 214 defendants received sentences of 16 years' imprisonment, one defendant was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. The court separated the case of three defendants and dropped charges for one defendant. Arrest warrants against 250 defendants in pre-trial detention were prolonged. In addition, six arrest warrants were issued against defendants attending the hearing and 69 decisions on apprehension were issued against defendants who had not come to the hearing.<ref name=dtfrad/>
The verdict was to be appealed.<ref>Today's Zaman, 27 February 2013, [http://todayszaman.com/news-308259-sledgehammer-case-referred-to-supreme-court-of-appeals-for-review.html Sledgehammer case referred to Supreme Court of Appeals for review] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012163759/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-308259-sledgehammer-case-referred-to-supreme-court-of-appeals-for-review.html |date=12 October 2013 }}</ref>
The Constitutional Court of Turkey found in 2014 that the defendants' rights had been infringed during the judicial process, which triggered to which in 2021, the Court of Cassation (Turkey) reversed the verdict because key pieces of evidence in the indictment were found to be fabricated, and the forensic experts handling the material were indicted <ref>{{Cite web |last=Özdilek |first=Zehra |date=2021-06-18 |title=Yargıtay, sahte delilleri gerekçe göstererek Balyoz davasını bozdu |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/yargitay-sahte-delilleri-gerekce-gostererek-balyoz-davasini-bozdu-1845286 |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=www.cumhuriyet.com.tr |language=tr}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |title=Balyoz Davası Delillerine “Sahtecilik” Soruşturması |url=https://bianet.org/haber/balyoz-davasi-delillerine-sahtecilik-sorusturmasi-164519 |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=bianet.org |language=tr}}</ref>. Certain word documents contained fonts that were anachronistic, and Süha Tanyeri's handwriting had been copied from his personal notepad to fabricate evidence. Other irregularities included a coup plan drafted in 2003 making an assignment to TCG Alanya (a navy ship), which did not exist until 2005. The plan also made references to companies that did not exist in 2003, and CCTV systems that did not exist in 2003.
==Fair trial intervention== In 2013 the President and Board of the Istanbul Bar Association were charged with attempting to influence members of the judiciary in the trial, after they had intervened in a 2012 hearing to demand a fair trial. The European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights said their intervention was legal and approved by the Presiding Judge at the time.<ref>ELDH European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights, 13 May 2013, [http://www.eldh.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/ejdm/publications/2013/Turkish_Ministry_of_Justice_-_13.5.2013.pdf?PHPSESSID=754b85f250685509f1e395837d9b0186 Prosecution of the President of Istanbul Bar Association as well as its board members on charges of attempting to influence the members of the judiciary, indictment dated 30.01.2013]{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Key actors== *General Aytaç Yalman (Commander of the Turkish Army, 2002 - 2004) *General Çetin Doğan (Commander of the First Army, 2001 - 2003) *Admiral Özden Örnek (Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, 2003 - 2005) *General İbrahim Fırtına (Commander of the Turkish Air Force, 2003 - 2005) *General Engin Alan (Chief of the Special Forces of the Turkish Army, 1996 - 2000) *General Şükrü Sarıışık (Secretary-General of the National Security Council, 2003 - 2004)
==See also== * Sarıkız, Ayışığı, Yakamoz and Eldiven * Ergenekon (allegation)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://balyozdavasivegercekler.com The Truth About The Seldgehammer Case] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130416030633/http://vardiyabizdeplatformu.com/ the webpage of the families of Sledgehammer Defendants] * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110717113327/http://www.turkishgladio.com/readfile.php?id=32 Turkey, Ergenekon, and Sledgehammer Plan]}} * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8531486.stm BBC:Top Turkish officers charged over "coup plot"] * [https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/25/whats_really_behind_turkeys_coup_arrests SONER CAGAPTAY What’s Really Behind Turkey’s Coup Arrests?] * [http://www.ergenekonteror.com/ Website in English and Turkish] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320011534/http://www.ergenekonteror.com/ |date=20 March 2011 }}; providing original documents such as the indictments as well as news and comments] * [https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/a-moscow-show-trial-on-the-bosphorus/ Moscow Show Trial on the Bosphorus] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120828052232/http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/turkey/2012/120305B.html THE SNAKE THAT DOESN’T TOUCH ME: TURKEY’S SPECIAL AUTHORITY COURTS] * [http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/03/turkeys-jailed-journalists.html Turkey’s jailed Journalists] * [http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/03/12/120312fa_fact_filkins#ixzz1ojhqKbUt The Deep State]
{{Military coups in Turkey}}
Category:Politics of Turkey Category:Greece–Turkey relations Category:2003 in Turkey Category:Recep Tayyip Erdoğan controversies Category:2000s coups d'état Category:Alleged coup attempts in Turkey