July 24th, 2008 by Adam

The Daily Star reports that 26 people were detained Wednesday in Turkey as police investigated whether they had links to the Ergenekon, a shady group of secular ultranationalists opposed to the AKP. This is likely to complicate the situation as, “The investigation into Ergenekon has raised tensions in Turkey and widened the rift between Erdogan’s supporters and secularists who accuse the government of using the probe to intimidate opponents.”

In other Turkish political news, the Constitutional Court will begin deliberating on July 28 to decide whether the AKP will be banned. No timeframe for a decision has been decided, but the judges will meet daily starting on Monday.

On a related note, remember that POMED is hosting a public panel discussion today (Thursday, July 24th) at 2pm entitled “Turkey’s Political Crisis: Implications for the Middle East” in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2212. For more details, click here.

Posted in Turkey |