A mobilization to save the terrorist leader and punish the soldiers!..

While the AKP-MHP-DEM alliance accelerates its mobilization to save PKK members in prison, especially the terrorist leader in İmralı, 12 retired soldiers and former YÖK President Prof. Kemal Gürüz were sentenced to 18 years in prison each in Ankara on charges of helping to topple the government 28 years ago.

First, let us summarize Ankara's busy schedule regarding the terrorist leader yesterday.

Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and head of the PKK commission, stated that the hearing phase would end soon and that legal regulations regarding the process would be proposed to the General Assembly of the Parliament once the organization completely lays down its arms, adding, "50 years of our 103-year history in Turkey have been spent with terrorism; shackles have been placed on the feet of this country. Today, Turkey is about to leave this 50-year struggle behind," and, "I hope that in a very short time, we will have presented to all countries of the world a model that will take its place in the literature of counter-terrorism or peace solutions as the 'Turkey model'."

As can be understood from these words of Kurtulmuş, it seems the organization has not yet completely laid down its arms!..

Speaking at the MHP Group Meeting, Bahçeli emphasized that "the founding leadership of the PKK is taking responsibility" and then asked the terrorist leader to call on the Syrian PKK for a second time. He did not stop there; he announced that he saw no issue with a group of deputies from the PKK commission in Parliament going to İmralı to receive his messages firsthand and sharing them with the public.

Aren't the DEM members and their lawyers already going to İmralı every other day to receive the terrorist leader's messages and announce them to the public?.. Or did the MIT, which conducts all the meetings, not provide information to the commission in a closed session? If there is no issue to be concerned about, let the minutes of that session be released!..

Meanwhile, Bahçeli also noted the following:

"Our martyrs' families should not worry. Our veterans should not be afraid... We are not in a bargaining process. We are completely closed to a 'give-and-take' process."

Whether that is the case or not, let us look at the DEM side.

At their group meeting, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said, "Welcome to the women who marched from all four corners of Kurdistan for Öcalan's freedom," after which "biji serok Apo" slogans were chanted under the roof of the Parliament. One of the co-chairs of DEM, Tülay Hatimoğulları, also demanded that the commission listen to the terrorist leader without wasting time and that the "right to hope" be granted and a "democratic negotiation process" be initiated.

The other co-chair of DEM, Tuncer Bakırhan, explained that the terrorist leader had explicitly stated in his first call that "if the legal and political ground is formed, he would dissolve his party (meaning the PKK), including laying down arms," and that the 30 weapons burned were a "goodwill gesture." He then moved from the commission "going to Mr. Öcalan," who is a "party to the war," to talking about "language, identity, and the 100-year-old Kurdish issue."

JET DECISION

Now let us come to the work done for the February 28 case at the Ankara Courthouse the day before yesterday.

The 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation had overturned the decisions rendered in this case for some defendants.

According to the Court of Cassation; former Naval Forces Commander Hayri Bülent Alpkaya, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of a coup in the first trial, former General Staff Legal Advisor Muhittin Erdal Şenel, former YÖK member Erdoğan Öznal, and the only civilian defendant in the case, former YÖK President Prof. Kemal Gürüz, should have been punished for "aiding a coup."

Likewise, retired soldiers Orhan Yöney, Şükrü Sarıışık, İzzettin İyigün, Kamuran Orhon, Köksal Karabay, Altaç Atılan, Ersin Yılmaz, Şevket Turan, Yücel Özsır, Metin Yaşar Yükselen, Refik Zeytinci, and İbrahim Selman Yazıcı, whose cases were dropped and who were acquitted due to the 10-year statute of limitations, had also committed the crime of "aiding a coup."

Following the Court of Cassation's reversal decision, the retrial of these 16 defendants began on November 22, 2021. However, during the process, retired Major General Şevket Turan and retired Lieutenant Generals İzzettin İyigün and Kamuran Orhon passed away.

To better understand what happened at the hearing the day before yesterday, let us highlight the following:

In the session on June 20, 2022, the Prosecutor presented his final opinion and requested compliance with the Court of Cassation's ruling. The court adjourned the hearing to November for the defendants and their lawyers to present their defenses against this opinion. However, in that session in November, the court accepted numerous requests from the defendants and their lawyers, primarily for expert examination of the so-called evidence, and in a sense, expanded the prosecution.

Ultimately, in the session on May 5, the Prosecutor presented his final opinion for the second time, requesting that all defendants be punished for "aiding a coup" and that the cases of the deceased Şevket Turan and İzzettin İyigün be dropped. The hearing was adjourned to the day before yesterday to receive defenses against the final opinion.

IF THE PROSECUTOR WANTS TO PUNISH THE DEAD

In the article we wrote before this hearing, we pointed out that the Prosecutor also wanted to punish retired Lieutenant General Kamuran Orhon, who passed away on November 13, 2023, and explained that his lawyer, Aykanat Kaçmaz, planned to announce that he had died after presenting the deceased's defense to show the state of the judiciary, but the family did not allow it.

So, what happened at the hearing?

Lawyer Aykanat Kaçmaz still sent the late Kamuran Orhon's defense to the Court via UYAP the night before.

At the hearing that started at 10:00 AM, Lawyer Kaçmaz submitted a petition regarding Orhon's passing. Upon this, the Presiding Judge, referring to the defense sent by Lawyer Kaçmaz, said, "You have made his defense, the man is dead."

Lawyer Kaçmaz replied, "If the prosecution wants to punish the dead, we will present the defense of the dead."

Following these dialogues, while the deceased's population records were brought and added to the file, the Prosecutor, who changed his opinion, requested that Orhon's case be dropped.

WITHOUT TAKING THE DEFENSE OF 6 DEFENDANTS

Afterward, the court proceeded to take the defenses of the defendants and their lawyers.

However, only 7 of the 13 defendants attended the hearing; retired General Şükrü Sarıışık, retired Lieutenant Generals Köksal Karabay and Erdoğan Öznal, retired Vice Admiral Altaç Atılan, retired Major General Muhittin Erdal Şener, retired Brigadier General Metin Yaşar Yükselen, and former YÖK President Prof. Kemal Gürüz, while the other 6 defendants reported health excuses.

For example, former Naval Forces Commander Admiral Hayri Bülent Alpkaya had conveyed that he wanted to connect to the next session via SEGBİS from the Kartal Courthouse because he had broken his spine.

However, the Court rejected both the health excuses and the request of the lawyers to "make our defense after our clients," and warned that it would record in the minutes that "we are not making a defense," and held the hearing almost without a break until 8:30 PM. After a 1.5-hour break, it was announced that all 13 defendants were unanimously sentenced to 18 years in prison each, even though the defenses of 6 defendants were not taken and their final words were not asked.

IS THE REASON FOR THE SPEED THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS?

Is this the reason why the case was suddenly accelerated to this extent and concluded in one day at the expense of restricting the right to defense?

It seems like the anxiety of having less than 2 years left for the 30-year statute of limitations to expire in this case, which is political from A to Z!..

While TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş talks about the "Turkey model" for the PKK opening, and MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli says, "The crucial point of this honorable goal is to bind the environment of internal peace and tranquility to solid foundations... Turkey is on the eve of a blessed birth";

If punishing soldiers who once fought against separatist terrorism while trying to save the murderers of 40 thousand of our people is not the perfect "Turkey model," then what is?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

October 8, 2025