Turkish court acquits 62 officers jailed for 2003 coup plot over insufficient evidence News
Turkish court acquits 62 officers jailed for 2003 coup plot over insufficient evidence

[JURIST] The Anadolu 4th High Criminal Court in Istanbul on Tuesday acquitted [Daily Sabah report] the remaining 62 military officers for from an alleged conspiracy to initiate a coup in Turkey in 2003. A lawyer explained the ruling cites inadmissible evidence [Reuters report], notably some of the digital evidence. Allegedly, the digital evidence was rendered useless by significant time-based inconsistencies. Last week an Istanbul court acquitted 236 other officers in connection with the alleged plot, which follows the decision from August 2014 ordering the release and retrial of 230 prisoners [JURIST report] convicted for their involvement in the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot [JURIST news archive]. The scheme, which originated as early as 2003, was aimed at overthrowing former prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan [BBC profile], who is now the president of Turkey.

The government of Turkey has been under major international criticism for corruption and potential human rights violations in recent months. Earlier in April a spokesperson for Erdogan announced the imposition of a governmental order mandating Internet providers to block social networking sites [JURIST report] including Twitter and YouTube. The order stemmed from photos posted on the social media sites that show militant Marxists pointing a gun at a prosecutor who died last week during a shootout between police and the Marxists who were holding him hostage. In February an Egyptian court scheduled a date to evaluate a lawsuit which claims Turkey is a “state that supports terrorism” [JURIST report] and must be designated as such. The lawsuit alleges Erdogan supported the Muslim Brotherhood [JURIST news archive] and criticized Egypt after Mohammed Morsi was ousted in July 2013. In January anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International [advocacy website] criticized a vote by the Turkish Parliament that rejected a proposal to lift parliamentary immunity [JURIST report] in a corruption investigation against three ex-ministers and Erdogan.