General Arif Çetin retired... Here is Arif Pasha's photo album!

12punto EXCLUSIVE

Gendarmerie General Commander General Arif Çetin, who was alleged to be close to former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, has been retired. Çetin had most recently sparked controversy with his speech at the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy Graduation Ceremony, which Erdoğan also attended, amidst allegations that he would be dismissed. In his speech, while using the AKP's "Century of Turkey" concept, he also uttered Erdoğan's 'rally clichés': "We did not come to be masters of this nation, but to be its servants." 

Gendarmerie General Commander addressed the crowd with Erdoğan's words:
'We came to be servants'https://t.co/9BgawukeF5 pic.twitter.com/xudxhwlylt

— 12punto (@12puntohaber) August 15, 2024

ARIF ÇETIN'S PHOTO ALBUM

Gendarmerie General Commander Arif Çetin, who has been on the agenda due to photos taken with figures associated with the underworld such as Galip Öztürk, Selahattin Yılmaz, Hüseyin Eryılmaz, and Ferhat Aydoğan, most recently appeared in a photo with Serdar Özyurt, who is being tried for fraud.

Other figures Arif Çetin has taken photos with are as follows:

Galip Öztürk:

It was announced that 7.2 kilograms of cocaine were found in the apartment of Galip Öztürk, who was caught in an operation carried out on his office in Batumi. The Georgian Court had sentenced Metro Turizm owner Galip Öztürk to 8 years in prison.

Ferhat Aydoğan:

Ferhat Aydoğan, known as Alaattin Çakıcı's spiritual nephew and "press advisor," had shared photos of his visit to Gendarmerie General Commander Arif Çetin on his social media account, but later deleted the post. Ferhat Aydoğan had shared photos taken at the Gendarmerie General Command Mobile Operations Center established in Kahramanmaraş due to the earthquake with the message: "We visited our Gendarmerie organization's General Commander, Mr. Arif Çetin Pasha, one of the heroes of our homeland, in #Kahramanmaraş and thanked him for his devoted work in the disaster regions for 36 days."

Hüseyin Eryılmaz:

Within the scope of the "Iron Fist" operation carried out in 29 provinces against companies that caused public loss through fake invoices via shell companies in the iron and steel sector, 10 people, including Hüseyin Eryılmaz, were arrested.

Selahattin Yılmaz:

Another dubious name in a photo with Çetin is Selahattin Yılmaz. Yılmaz, who faces allegations such as being an organized crime leader, extortionist, car thief, and historical artifact smuggler, is known for his closeness to Alaattin Çakıcı. 

JULY 15 FROM A MOSQUE IMAM'S HOUSE 

The 'Parliamentary Research Commission' established by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) to create a detailed report on the July 15 Coup Attempt had heard from Arif Çetin, who was serving as the Van Gendarmerie Public Order Corps Commander. 

Regarding that night, Çetin said: "On the evening of the coup night, around 21:00, I went to my house in the lodgings in Ankara Güvercinlik. When I arrived home, the Gendarmerie General Commander called during dinner and said, 'Arif Pasha, there are explosion sounds, are you aware?' I called the Operations and Intelligence center, they did not answer repeatedly. I called the Operations Center, one phone was answered. 'There is a curfew. Martial law has been declared,' it says. This voice is only the voice of Staff Captain Ahmet Özcan, who presents the events to me every morning. He just said this sentence like a robot voice. 'Ahmet,' I said. He has been with me for a year, I recognize his voice. TEM Department Head Turgut Aslan called me on my cell phone. 'Commander, there has been a coup, did you hear?' he said. I said, 'There is something like a robot voice, he might have copied his voice, it could be a cyber attack.' Turgut Bey said there are tanks on the Istanbul Bosphorus Bridge. Since I was eating in the kitchen, I didn't see the TV. Turgut Bey also said, 'We had dinner with the Ankara Police Chief, we are close to your headquarters.' He said he would come there and pass through. I called his cell phone on the way, Staff Lieutenant Colonel Bülent answered the phone. I said, 'What's going on?' He said, 'Commander, documents are raining down from everywhere. There is a coup, commander,' he said. I said, 'Don't process any documents, I'll be there in 5-6 minutes.' He said, 'An order came from the General Staff, they will arrest those who don't process them.' I said, 'I'm coming.' Then I arrived at the headquarters in Beştepe."

He explained that on the night of the July 15 coup attempt, they managed the operation to save the Gendarmerie General Command's headquarters in Beştepe from a mosque imam's house. "There is a wall in front of the Hisarcıklıoğlu Mosque across from the guardhouse. Diagonally across from the guardhouse. I called the Gendarmerie Special Operations, I said come here immediately. We started working to capture the Operations Center. While doing these, first there is a 13-14 story building whose rough construction is finished. We first set up a secretariat there. Of course, there is no television, we cannot get news. I said, 'Find a house.' The kids said, 'There is an imam's lodging, but the light is not on.' They turned off the lights and are watching television in the living room. We knocked on the door, he didn't open it. When we learned they were inside, I said, 'We are gendarmerie police, we have to break the door.' I said, 'We have no business with you.' Then we opened it, he also opened the chain of his door. His wife and children were alarmed. I said, 'Sister, we have no business with you. Leave the living room and the television to us,' I sent them inside. At that moment, he was both watching television and when the man came and ordered us to fire on the gendarmerie, he had evaluated us as coup plotters, but when I made a speech on television, he hugged me. 'Commander, I thought you were a coup plotter,' he said. A logic had formed that those inside were official and those outside were coup plotters," he said.

WHO IS ARIF ÇETIN

General Arif Çetin was born in 1959 in the Kalecik district of Ankara. He graduated from the Military Academy in 1980 with the rank of Lieutenant and from the Infantry School in 1981.

General Çetin, who served as Team, Company, and District Gendarmerie Commander in various units between 1981-1989, graduated from the Army War College in 1991 with the rank of Staff Captain.

As a staff officer; he served as Planning Officer at the Diyarbakır Gendarmerie Public Order Command Operations and Public Order Branch Directorate between 1991-1995, Branch Manager at the Gendarmerie General Command General Planning Principles and Coordination Presidency Internal Security Research and Evaluation Branch Directorate between 1995-1996, Branch Manager at the Personnel Presidency Planning Management Coordination Department between 1996-1998, and Courses Branch Manager between 1998-2000. General Çetin, who served as Chief of Staff of the Şırnak 23rd Gendarmerie Border Division between 2000-2002, Bursa Provincial Gendarmerie Commander between 2002-2004, Head of the Gendarmerie General Command Logistics Presidency Planning and Coordination Department between 2004-2005, Head of the Operations Presidency Public Order Department between 2005-2006, and Kastamonu Gendarmerie Regional Commander between 2006-2007, was promoted to Brigadier General in 2007.

With the rank of Brigadier General; he served as Commander of the Şırnak 22nd Tactical Gendarmerie Border Brigade between 2007-2009, and Aydın Gendarmerie Regional Commander between 2009-2011, and was promoted to Major General in 2011.

With the rank of Major General; he served as Istanbul Gendarmerie Regional Commander between 2011-2013, and Head of the Gendarmerie General Command Operations Presidency between 2013-2016, and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 2016.

With the rank of Lieutenant General; General Arif Çetin, who served as Gendarmerie Public Order Commander between 2016-2017, was promoted to General with the Ministry of Interior's Decree No. 2017/346 and was appointed as the Gendarmerie General Commander. With the Presidential Decree published today, he bid farewell to his post and handed over his seat to General Ali Çardakçı.