SILIVRI, Turkey: Two retired Turkish generals went on trial on Monday in a group of 56 people accused of planning a coup in a case that highlights a power struggle over Islam’s role in the European Union candidate country.
They join 86 others already being tried for their links to a shadowy right-wing group accused of plotting a campaign of bombings and assassinations, in order to force the army to step in against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
The plot by the “Ergenekon” group is one of several factors that has strained relations between the government, which has its roots in political Islam, and the armed forces, who see themselves as guardians of Turkey’s secular principles.
The two-year-old case, in which almost 200 people including retired and active army officers, lawyers and journalists have been charged, has hurt financial markets and divided public opinion in predominantly Muslim but officially secular Turkey.
Supporters say the case is a watershed moment in the waning influence of NATO member Turkey’s powerful military, which has a long history of interfering in politics.
Critics say the AK Party, which ended the secularists’ decades-long grip on power in 2002, is cajoling the judiciary to punish opponents in its attempt to take over state institutions.
Among the 56 people who went on trial on Monday at Silivri prison near Istanbul are two four-star generals - the highest-ranking officers charged in Turkey’s modern history.
They are retired general Sener Eruygur, a former commander of the paramilitary gendarmerie forces, and retired general Hursit Tolon, a former army commander.
