Intrigue in Ankara

Today's Zaman has a strange tale of intrigue involving the Military Court of Appeals in Turkey. The opening paragraphs set the stage:

Muharrem Köse, a legal adviser to the General Staff, denied the remarks of a member of the military court of appeals, who claimed that Köse and some of the members of the court have connections with the “parallel state,” and said he will take legal action against the person making the claim for his comments.

Although the name of the member of the court has not been released, Köse stated that a defamation campaign aiming to discredit the members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and himself was launched in the eyes of the public.

“It has been understood that this baseless claim targeting the legal adviser to the General Staff and some of the members of the military court of appeals were based on a letter of advice that was fabricated by a member of the military court of appeals on active duty. Therefore, the accusations regarding the members of the TSK are baseless as they were brought forward by a member of the military court of appeals in order to affect ongoing administrative actions and discredit the glorious Turkish military. As a matter of fact, the military court of appeals has decided to launch an administrative investigation into the abovementioned member,” Köse said in a written statement.

Watch this space. Global Military Justice Reform will be following this case.