Al Jazeera :
Turkish authorities on Monday detained 10 former admirals after a group of more than 100 retired senior navy officers issued a statement that government officials tied to Turkey’s history of military coups.
State-run Anadolu news agency said the retired admirals were detained as part of an investigation into their open letter, which was launched by the chief prosecutor in the capital, Ankara. Prosecutors also ordered four other suspects to report to Ankara police
within three days, opting not to detain them because of their age, the report said.
The former senior military leaders are accused of “using force and violence to get rid of the constitutional order”, NTV broadcaster reported.
The detentions come a day after the open letter signed by 104 retired admirals was sharply condemned by the presidential office, which said the move was “reminiscent of coup times” during Turkey’s past.
Anadolu reported that those detained include Cem Gurdeniz, the name behind Turkey’s controversial “Blue Homeland” doctrine, which claims vast sections of the Mediterranean and Aegean and its undesea energy deposits. The concept is at odds with Greece and Cyprus’ claims in the region. The suspects were detained at their homes in Ankara, Istanbul and Kocaeli, and were to be questioned by the chief prosecutor’s office in the capital.
The 14 suspects are believed to have organised the declaration. Prosecutors launched a probe on Sunday into the former top navy officers on suspicion of an “agreement to commit a crime against the state’s security and constitutional order”.
Ankara’s approval last month of plans to develop a shipping canal in Istanbul, comparable to the Panama or Suez canals, opened up debate about the 1936 Montreux Convention.
Kanal Istanbul (Istanbul Canal) is the most ambitious of what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls his “crazy projects”, which have seen him building new airports, bridges, roads and tunnels during his 18 years in power.
In their letter released overnight on Saturday, the retired admirals said it was “worrying” to open the Montreux treaty up to debate, calling it an agreement that “best protects Turkish interests”.
