A 'Menzil'-style Case... What Happened to the Kemalist Officer?!

For two days, we have been talking about what happened at the Tuzla Infantry School. According to allegations, during the November 10 Atatürk Commemoration Ceremony, some lieutenants did not want to wear Atatürk pins, and one of them tore the picture and threw it on the ground. Following this, a fight broke out among the lieutenants, and they ended up at the police station.

CHP Çanakkale Deputy Özgür Ceylan brought the issue to Parliament and asked Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler about it. Ministry of National Defense sources, however, described the incident as “a clear example of disinformation” and provided information that judicial and administrative processes regarding the matter have been initiated.

IF YOU LET THE NAVY PASS THROUGH THERE

What were we talking about just before this incident? We were discussing the Interior Ministry's investigation into the speech made during the liberation anniversary ceremony of İzmir on September 9 last year, on the grounds that it “targeted the Ottoman Empire and its administrators, insulted the memory of a person, and incited the public to hatred and hostility” that an investigation was launched against Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer on the grounds that he committed crimes. Here is what Soyer said:

“It was 100 years ago. Those who ruled these lands were in a state of negligence, error, and even treachery. They never thought of the youth, the women, the children, or the future. They threw an entire nation into the fire solely and exclusively to protect the reign in their palaces... Again that morning, from exactly where we are standing, from the Kordon waterfront, a sound rose that tore the sky. That sound was not just the sound of a bullet, but the harbinger of a resistance that would spread from İzmir to all of Anatolia.”

What happened next? The People's Alliance (Cumhur İttifakı) stood up as if Soyer had accused the entire Ottoman Empire and tried to exonerate Vahdettin and his men. Let us just recall what Erdoğan said.

Addressing Soyer with the words, “You ill-mannered, insolent person” he continued, “When did you reach the point where you could insult the Ottoman Empire?.. This man has no direction or anything of the sort. He has lost his compass and is devoid of manners. A person who tries to express his history through insults cannot be a child of this nation. This nation is known by these ancestors. We are currently proud of these ancestors.” and then gave the following instruction:

"Of course, we must pursue these matters. This field is not that empty. They need to know this. If we are to be worthy of our ancestors, we must do what is necessary within the framework of the law."

Another incident that occurred this month: In Erzurum, a kebab shop owner showered insults upon Atatürk on his social media account. He was arrested; however, "tuberculosis" he was released two days later on the grounds that he had the disease.

What we are saying is this: If, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, the Turkish Navy is made to hold a parade in front of a mansion bearing the name of Vahdettin—whom Atatürk himself labeled a "traitor"—then it is also claimed that certain events are taking place in military schools... An investigation is opened against Tunç Soyer... And those who insult Atatürk fill the air and are granted impunity...

HAS MENZIL INFILTRATED UYAP?

Are these events coincidental and individual, or are they a show of force by someone? I will speak of a very striking case regarding this.

The incident took place on November 12, 2021, at the Gendarmerie Commando Special Public Security Command Training Department. A dispute, followed by an exchange of insults, occurred between a Captain, C.H., known for his heroism in the 2018 Operation Olive Branch in Syria, and a sergeant major regarding Atatürk and Vahdettin. The reason for the argument was the Captain calling Vahdettin a "traitor" by referencing the Nutuk, just as Tunç Soyer did, and the sergeant major's response to him It is his response: 'He who calls the Sultans traitors is a traitor himself.'

Before I convey the dimensions reached by this debate, which became both the subject of a disciplinary investigation and a court case, I must draw attention to an interesting incident.

Before I met with you on 12punto, what I described in the article I wrote last June titled 'Did Menzil Infiltrate UYAP?' was a technical, yet highly significant detail in the case filed against Captain C.H. regarding that debate. In summary, what happened was as follows:

The date for the first hearing was set for May 9 at 09:00. However, 13 days before the hearing, on April 27, a notification was sent to the phone of the defendant, C.H., from the Ministry of Justice UYAP SMS Information Service line, first stating the time of the May 9 hearing as 14:35, and then as 14:40. Accordingly, the hearing time had been changed.

In the following days, his lawyers checked the UYAP system. The hearing time was listed there as 14:40. When the day of the hearing arrived, both C.H. and his lawyers were present at the courthouse around 14:30.

But to their surprise, the officials informed them that the hearing had already taken place at 09:00 and concluded, that the complainant's lawyer had attended, and that a warrant had been issued for the defendant to be brought by force, with the hearing postponed until November.

After overcoming their shock, the lawyers objected to the situation and requested that a formal record be made, while simultaneously accessing the UYAP system to show, "the hearing is still ongoing" as the system record indicated. The meaning of this record was that the hearing held in the morning had not yet been finalized. Upon this, the lawyers called the opposing counsel and explained the situation, and they returned to the courthouse. However, even though everyone was present, the judge stated that they could not reopen the hearing due to other ongoing proceedings and gave instructions to the Clerk of Court to document the incident.

During the documentation process, the Clerk of Court showed the lawyers that the hearing time appeared as 09:00 in the court's UYAP system. The lawyers, in turn, proved that the time appeared as 14:40 on the lawyer's UYAP portal and the Ministry of Justice's session system. After screenshots of both systems were taken, a formal record was created. Subsequently, the decision to bring the defendant, Captain C.H., by force was canceled.

Ultimately, Captain C.H. and his lawyers were unable to present their defense that day. What they were going to explain regarding the 'Menzil sect and FETÖ connections' within the Gendarmerie was left for the hearing six months later, but this 'digital operation' was not left unpursued. The matter was taken to the Ministry of Justice, and it was requested that 'the person who sent the message from the UYAP SMS system or who entered/uploaded to the system, as well as the personnel who entered/corrected/uploaded the hearing time as 14:40 into the UYAP Lawyer Portal system, be identified and investigated to see if they are members of the Menzil sect or crypto-FETÖ' be investigated.

One week later, from the Ministry, The response received was to the effect of, "It does not concern us, there is nothing we can do." As a last resort, the lawyers filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

HOW DID THE COURT CONTRADICT ITSELF?

What we are about to report now is new information regarding what happened after that criminal complaint. On August 22, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office wrote to the court handling the case, requesting "an explanation." In its response dated September 4, the court stated that the hearing on May 9 had been scheduled for 09:00 and that all parties had been notified of this, that no changes were made in subsequent stages, and that they did not have an SMS application, while also attaching two schedules.

The first of these is; "The SMS messages sent by the Court to the parties between April 20 and May 9." is a transcript. According to this, an SMS was only sent to the complainant of another case...

The second attachment is the Court's hearing list for May 9, and the hearing where "the plaintiff is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the defendant is C.H." is not at 09:00, but at 14:40!..

Yes, who carried out this "digital operation" and why; it remains unknown.

However “Atatürk-Vahdettin” After the debate, we will explain tomorrow what happened to Captain C.H., how the case turned into a trial for insulting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and what was discussed at the hearing held in recent days.