Baykal lashes out at "slander campaign" against judiciary, military

The judiciary and military are facing a "slander campaign," main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal charged yesterday. Speaking at the CHP parliamentary group meeting, Baykal said that the government's duty was to stop this campaign, not covertly encourage it. Baykal claimed the ruling party's ideology was recently expressed by a woman wearing an Islamic headscarf on TV, who said she preferred Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini to Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. "She also said the country should stay in British hands because her rights would be more secure," continued Baykal, "I remember Foreign Minister Ali Babacan saying during a trip abroad that Muslims in Turkey are under pressure. This reflects a certain mindset." He also claimed that not only secularism, but even the regime and the republic were at stake.