The TSK's shame is remembered!

Müyesser YILDIZ 12punto.com.tr

Retired Air Lieutenant General Vural Avar, who passed away in Sincan Prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment in the February 28 conspiracy case, was commemorated on the second anniversary of his death. His comrades-in-arms and fellow defendants recalled that the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) refrained from sending even a single private to Avar's funeral, while commanders attended the funeral of a madman who said, "I wish the Greeks had won." They remarked, "This is the shame of the TSK. We were not like this; what has happened to us?"

The memorial ceremony held at the late Vural Avar's gravesite in Karşıyaka Cemetery was attended by his wife, retired Air Colonel Tuna Avar, as well as his comrades-in-arms, executives from the Turkish Retired Officers Association (TESUD) and Kumpasder, and representatives of the Victory Party (Zafer Partisi).

The ceremony began with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem. After his nephew, Sinan Avar, read Vural Avar's biography, he emphasized the following:

"My uncle was held captive for 18 months during the trial process. After the verdict was upheld, he was held captive in prison again in 2021, and two years ago, he left us as a result of what he called 'the angels calling.' Vural Avar's place is in heaven because he was an honorable Turkish officer who never bowed down in the face of injustice and unfairness. I believe that his rights will be restored sooner or later."

A MURDER COMMITTED BY THE HAND OF LAW

Retired Colonel Alican Türk, who organized the memorial ceremony and is one of the individuals tried in the February 28 case, also provided information about the trial process in his speech and said:

"In this case, 103 defendants, 102 of whom were soldiers, were tried. I use the word 'defendant' in quotation marks with an exclamation point next to it. This case, opened by a so-called prosecutor who took advantage of the death of the late Necmettin Erbakan, was the final link in the chain of cases prepared by FETÖ and the government working hand-in-hand to silence, intimidate, and discredit soldiers and Atatürkists. Our commanders were not sentenced; a punishment was imposed, a punishment was tailored. Vural Avar's fragile body could only endure for 489 days. His death is a premeditated murder committed by the hand of law. This murder will be passed on to future generations as a monument to heartlessness. If the great Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff, and the Air Force Command; in short, the TSK, refrained from sending a wreath or even a single private to his funeral, it is their shame. But I believe that in the future, the name Vural Avar will be given to planes, airports, parks, and gardens, and his statue will be erected in city squares."

ÇETİN DOĞAN'S MESSAGE

Retired General Çetin Doğan, who was also sentenced to life imprisonment like Vural Avar and was released following a report from the Forensic Medicine Institute, sent the following message to the memorial ceremony:

"I have known our commander, the conspiracy martyr Vural Avar, as an older brother since my middle school years. With his stance and actions, he was a role model student whom we all envied. Following in his footsteps, I wanted to enter the Air Force Academy, but I failed the eye exam. Years later, we worked in very close cooperation under the roof of the General Staff. As an unwavering defender of the Atatürkist, secular, and democratic Republic, he was a source of strength and inspiration to everyone around him. He always knew how to be democratic, understanding, affectionate, and a guide to his subordinates. In contrast, he did not hesitate to clearly express his thoughts on important issues, even at the cost of opposing his superiors, while maintaining a certain distance from them. Our nation will never forget Vural Avar, and will remember the conspirators with eternal curses."

"THEY ATTENDED THE MADMAN'S FUNERAL"

Retired Air Lieutenant General Erdoğan Öznal, another individual tried in the February 28 case, also noted in his message that prison administrations tried to obtain pardon petitions from the commanders by exploiting their old age and illnesses, and stated:

"Subsequently, the President said, 'No one has knocked on our door yet.' The commanders took an upright and honorable stance, saying, 'We did not commit a crime to ask for a pardon.' Furthermore, a request for a pardon would mean the registration of February 28 as a coup; no commander could do that. It is a pity, a great pity. Where were the soldiers and commanders who attended the funeral of the madman who said, 'I wish the Greeks had won' during the War of Independence, when they were bidding farewell to this heroic son who dedicated his years to the Air Force? We were not like this; what has happened to us?"

The final speaker, Ahmet Tatar, brother of the conspiracy martyr Lieutenant Colonel Ali Tatar and President of KUMPASDER, said, "We are experiencing a sorrowful anniversary. The moment I look into my sister Tuna's eyes, I feel that same sorrow and longing. We lived through a period they call the 'February 28 era.' When we look back, we see very clearly that all right-wing governments fed this climate. But nothing happened to them; they did not take responsibility. They loaded the burden of all the guilt and sin onto the backs of 14 commanders and stepped aside. To what conscience does it fit to force a person to ask for a pardon while their ribs are broken and they have serious illnesses? They showed how devoid they are of law and justice. What we call 'I wouldn't wish it on my enemy' is, in fact, injustice."

The memorial ceremony ended with the recitation of prayers and the attendees leaving carnations on Vural Avar's grave.