Ilker Basbugs Turkish high court supports former generals appeal for release Turkeys Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled in favor of retired general Ilker Basbugs appeal against his sentence for life imprisonment. The ruling may allow for his release by the lower court and set a precedent for more than 200 others currently imprisoned for allegedly playing roles in the Ergenekon conspiracy against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Constitutional Court asserted that the lower courts failure to publish its detailed verdict violated a constitutional clause regarding personal freedom. The court decided to send a request to the lower court to address the issue of the former generals release. Basbug has been held in prison near Istanbul for 26 months. Basbugs has sparked protests and polarized the country between those who see it as an opportunity to unravel a network of ultra-nationalists and those who believe it is a government attempt to silence the partys opponents and impose Islamic principles. In August a Turkish court convicted the countrys former military chief of plotting to overthrow the government and sentenced him to life in prison. Earlier that month police blocked hundreds of demonstrators from reaching the courthouse in Silivri, 25 miles west of Istanbul, in a show of solidarity with the defendants. Other high-profile defendants in the case include Mustafa Balbay, the Ankara representative of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, and Mehmet Haberal, a surgeon and founder of a university in Ankara. Both faced life prison terms, but received sentences of 34 years and 12 years, respectively. (Published by Jurist – March 6, 2014). efsadvocacia.br
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 15:52:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015