Army’s anti-democratic plot sparks nationwide outcry

The discovery of an original copy of a military plot, called the Action Plan to Fight Reactionaries. A letter mailed to an Istanbul prosecutor by an unnamed military officer last week revealed that the plot was produced by a group of army members aiming to undermine the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Gülen movement. The officer also attached the original copy of the plot, whose authenticity was verified by a forensic examination, refuting claims that the plot was a fabrication.

The army plot was first leaked to the media in June when a Turkish daily published a photocopied version of it. The General Staff, however, denied possession of the plot and said it was a “piece of paper” aimed at undermining the credibility of the armed forces.

According to the plot, the TSK had a systematic plan to damage the image of the AK Party government and the Gülen movement in the eyes of the public, to play down the Ergenekon investigation and to gather support for members of the military arrested as part of the inquest into Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal organization accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Dozens of its suspected members are currently in jail on charges of attempting to destroy the democratic character of the republic.

President Abdullah Gül also spoke out against a military plan to interfere in the political realm, saying, “What needs to be done in a state governed by the rule of law will be done.”
İstanbul prosecutors invited six army members who the officer accused in his letter of having contributed to the preparation of the action plan to testify, but none of them have done so thus far. Prosecutors also warned that members of the military would be brought in to testify under force of police if they refuse to comply with the invitation.

CHP and Öymen's praise Dersim Genocide

During a speech he delivered in Parliament in criticism of the government's Kurdish initiative, which seeks to extend the rights of Kurds in Turkey to alleviate and ultimately end the separatist terrorism of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Öymen said: “Didn't mothers also cry at the time of the Sheikh Said Rebellion? Didn't mothers also cry at the time of the Dersim Rebellion?” in response to PM Erdogan’s phrase “Let no more mothers cry,” also frequently used by the government as part of its efforts to end the PKK's campaign of terrorism.

Öymen's reference to the Dersim rebels as an example of terrorism drew anger and resentment from the country's Alevis and Zazas.

Ferhat Tunç, a folk singer from Tunceli, commented, saying: “I watched that speech in horror. I see this as a racist, skull-measuring approach. In my opinion, Onur Öymen committed a crime against humanity with his discourse.”
Enver Devletli, an official of the Tunceli Pir Sultan Abdal Association, agreed, saying Öymen was a “racist.” He added: “Öymen made a statement in line with the general fascist approach of the CHP. I condemn his words.”

‘The CHP should apologize’

The events of 1937 in Dersim were tragic, and the violence employed by the state came close to genocide, according to Celal Karagöz, deputy chairman of Tunceli’s Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli Culture Association. “If he made this statement to mean that a similar method should be employed in similar events after this date, this is a very unfortunate statement.”

Doğan Bernek, head of the Federation of Alevi Foundations, said: “I was deeply saddened when I watched Onur Öymen’s speech. It was a speech that well exceeded the intended purpose. He used the most inappropriate arguments fit for a discussion.”

Part of CHP history

A harsh response to Öymen’s words about the Dersim Rebellion came from Star columnist Ergun Babahan, who responded by saying: “Did any mothers cry in Dersim? No, none did because there was no mother left to cry. All were killed along with their babies in their arms. Nobody knows how many died or were killed in the incidents of 1937 and 1938.”

Babahan quoted Muhsin Batur, a senior air force commander who participated in the efforts to suppress the rebellion, from Batur’s memoirs, saying: “We received orders and got to Elazığ by train. From there on, we began the operations starting in Pertek [in Tunceli]. I served in Dersim for close to two months. I apologize to my readers, but I’ll avoid recalling this part of my life.” Babahan said, “This retired diplomat [Onur Öymen] is citing an era a former commander is ashamed to speak of as an example.”

Babahan also quoted former Foreign Minister and then Police Chief İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil, who confessed: “They strangled the people of Dersim like mice. They used gas.” “This is the incident Öymen has no guilty conscience about,” Babahan added. He also said he found it hard to grasp why Öymen did not defend teaching about this historical event, which he considers exemplary, in schools. “Tell them about the Armenian deportation, about Dersim. … You should do this as part of CHP publications because those are an important part of your party’s history.”

He said what was done to the people of Dersim at the time was the exact same thing that Saddam Hussein did in Dujail.

Öymen also spoke after the controversial statement, saying he did not use any offensive expressions in his speech. “What I was highlighting was that Atatürk never adopted the policy of talking to armed terrorist organizations, unlike the Justice and Development Party [AK Party].”