The Aug. 5 verdicts in the Ergenekon case proved once again that Turkish society still has a long way to go before it develops a culture of democracy and rule of law.

According to the prosecution, the Ergenekon network was the very essence of Turkey’s “deep state” — carrying out assassinations and false flag operations in order to overthrow democratically elected governments. Prosecutors contended that Ergenekon operatives even plotted a coup against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from 2004 through 2007. Dozens of nationalist officers, policemen, academics and journalists were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

The case was a great opportunity for Turkey to put an end to its problematic tradition of military supremacy in politics, but allegations of trumped-up evidence, lengthy detentions, lack of societal consensus over the verdict and, most important, the possibility that Ergenekon may not even be finished raise a very dangerous specter for Turkey.

Much has been written about potentially tampered evidence, late-night arrests and denial of defense to the accused in the case. One could argue that this is just how the court system in Turkey operates — notoriously unjust and inefficient. How people misinterpret Ergenekon is what’s troublesome.