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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Turkey charges 86 for 'coup plot' | Turkey charges 86 for 'coup plot' |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A top Turkish prosecutor has brought charges against 86 people allegedly involved in a coup plot. | A top Turkish prosecutor has brought charges against 86 people allegedly involved in a coup plot. |
| Aykut Cengiz Engin said those charged included leading figures from the army, business and the secular press. | |
| The charges follow speculation about a shadowy group of hardline nationalists determined to act in what they see as defence of Turkey's secular values. | |
| Tensions have been rising in Turkey amid efforts to close the ruling party over alleged anti-secular activities. | |
| The Constitutional Court is considering a case against the AK Party, in which it is accused of aiming to introduce Sharia law in Turkey, in contravention of the strictly secular constitution. | The Constitutional Court is considering a case against the AK Party, in which it is accused of aiming to introduce Sharia law in Turkey, in contravention of the strictly secular constitution. |
| The Turkish prime minister and president - both AKP members - are named in that case and could be barred from office. They and the party reject the charges, which they say are part of a campaign against the party. | |
| 'Provocation' | |
| On Monday prosecutor Mr Engin filed charges at an Istanbul court against 86 people, 48 of whom are already in custody. | On Monday prosecutor Mr Engin filed charges at an Istanbul court against 86 people, 48 of whom are already in custody. |
| "The indictment covers crimes such as forming an armed terror group... and attempting to overthrow the government by force," Mr Engin said. | "The indictment covers crimes such as forming an armed terror group... and attempting to overthrow the government by force," Mr Engin said. |
| Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin said other charges would follow | |
| A court must decide within two weeks whether to open the case againt the 86 suspects. | |
| The are accused of plotting to create chaos in Turkey, provoking secularist anger and a military coup that would topple the government. | |
| The indictment referred to the killing of a judge in a 2006 armed attack on a court, and the bombing of a secularist newspaper. | |
| There have been several coups by the Turkish military, which sees itself as the ultimate guardian of the country's secular values. | |
| Some secularists believe the AK Party, many of whose members are former Islamists, is intent on installing Islamism in Turkey. They say the AKP's moves to overturn a ban on the Islamic headscarf at universities is evidence of this. | |
| 'Deep state' network | |
| Dozens of suspects have been arrested over the past year, following the discovery of a cache of hand grenades at the house of a retired army officer. | |
| Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to crack down on the so-called Ergenekon group - an alleged "deep state" network of renegade ultra-nationalists from the military, police, business and press. | |
| Prosecutor Engin said the 86 charged on Monday include at least one former general, along with journalists, academicians and businessmen. | |
| He said an additional indictment was being prepared against a dozen others, including two senior retired generals arrested earlier this month. | |
| Critics of the government accuse it of using the investigation to suppress some of its most vocal opponents. |