Death benefits denied to Lieutenant Colonel Gökhan Ünyeli's family: 'Who does the TSK Solidarity Foundation stand with?'
Sözcü columnist İsmail Saymaz wrote that the family of Lieutenant Colonel Gökhan Ünyeli, who served at the Signal, Electronics and Information Systems School and Training Center Command under the Land Forces Command's Training and Doctrine Command and died by suicide after being accused of FETÖ affiliation, has been denied death benefits.
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Sözcü columnist İsmail Saymaz wrote in his column today that no assistance is being provided to the family of Lieutenant Colonel Gökhan Ünyeli, who died by suicide after being accused of FETÖ affiliation.
“The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's indictment alleges that Ünyeli was called 10 times via payphones in 2012. Is the content of these calls known? No. Is there a witness? No. Does he have ByLock? No. Does he have an account at Bank Asya? No. Is there any record of him being a founder, manager, or member of foundations or associations affiliated with FETÖ? No. Despite this, he is accused of FETÖ membership,” wrote Saymaz, drawing attention to Ünyeli's words: “I have never come together with this structure. No one called me or invited me to their gatherings.”
'I CANNOT SUPPRESS THE ANGER I FEEL'
Ünyeli, who was suspended on March 25 before his shift ended and sent a farewell letter to his friends via WhatsApp the next morning, was found by two women walking in Oran Forest. In that letter, Ünyeli noted the following:
“I regret to state that humiliating administrative/judicial measures have been applied to me personally for the last year. I hope no one else experiences what I have gone through because of a missed call made to my phone 12 years ago by an unidentified person. In an environment where those who praised the FETÖ ringleader from the parliamentary podium become Ministers of Justice, and those who stood at attention to have their photos taken become members of parliament, you might say 'don't take it seriously,' but I cannot suppress the anger I feel, and I cannot accept it.”
A QUESTION OF 'SOLIDARITY' FOR THE TSK SOLIDARITY FOUNDATION
Saymaz stated, “Instead of apologizing to the family of Ünyeli, who was put on trial based on baseless allegations, the TSK is withholding death benefits. By positioning itself as a court, it is trying to portray Ünyeli as guilty. Those who retired Admiral Mehmet Sarı—who was filmed chanting in a dervish lodge while in uniform—with full benefits are now trampling on the honor of an Ataturkist lieutenant colonel who died by suicide after being accused of FETÖ affiliation and are seizing his rights. The TSK Solidarity Foundation must decide: who are they standing in solidarity with?”