Police Raids Magazine Critical of the Army

Security forces have raided the offices of weekly Nokta following the magazine's publication of alleged military coup plans by retired generals.

About 50 police officers took the journalists by surprise on last Friday, confiscating all computers at the offices to search for the source of the news article, which gained vast public attention.

While the investigation is told to relate to recent publications, Nokta workers say the limits of the public prosecutors' search warrant exceeds that and enables the police to search for anything or everything.

The magazine rooted the allegations on alleged diaries by ex-commander of Turkish marine forces, Adm. Özden Örnek. The texts, which consist of more than 2 thousand pages include detailed plans by ex commander of the gendarmerie to seize power.

Örnek denied that the diaries belonged to him. While an investigation has been launched against Nokta weekly on allegations of "disinclining the public from military duty" and "promoting unrest among army members", the judiciary failed to investigate military coup plans revealed by the weekly.

Army chief questions

Turkish army chief Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt questioned the authenticity of the diaries during an unexpected press conference on Thursday.

"We can't avoid asking ourselves if the texts published in this magazine are authentic. I can sit in front of a computer and write some diaries and claim that those belong to a journalist.

The editor-in-chief of that magazine said that there would be evidence at General Staff archives. I ordered a through search at the archives and there are no signs of any coup plans", he said.

Journalists react to police raid

Hours after police raided Nokta's offices in Istanbul, several journalists' associations and rights organizations decried the action.

Around 200 journalists gathered in front of the magazine's offices on Friday night and expressed solidarity with their colleagues. And on Sunday, they sold Nokta on Istiklal Street, heart of the city as a protest against police action towards the magazine.(EÜ)