Turkey detains 10 retired admirals over open letter

Turkey on Monday detained 10 retired admirals after they openly criticised a canal project dear to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a country where the hint of military insubordination raises the spectre of past coups. The official approval last month of plans to develop a 45-kilometre shipping lane in Istanbul comparable to the Panama or Suez canals has opened up debate about Turkey’s commitment to the 1936 Montreux Convention.

The pact is aimed at demilitarising the Black Sea by setting strict commercial and naval rules on passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits leading to the Mediterranean. In their letter, 104 retired admirals said the existing treaty “best protects Turkish interests”. “Recently, the opening of the Montreux Convention to debate within the scope of the authority to withdraw from international treaties and the Canal Istanbul project is a cause for concern," the letter read.

The Ankara chief public prosecutor's office said arrest warrants had been issued for the 10 and ordered four other suspects to report to Ankara police within three days, opting not to detain them because of their age.