Lieutenants visit Anıtkabir on the anniversary of their dismissal

The five lieutenants, who were discharged from the Turkish Armed Forces for chanting "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal" with their swords during the Military Academy graduation ceremony on August 30, 2024, gathered at Anıtkabir on the first anniversary of their dismissal.

One year after their dismissal, they laid a wreath at Atatürk's mausoleum and held a moment of silence in memory of the events that took place during their graduation ceremony.

İzzet Talip Akarsu, one of the lieutenants dismissed from the army on January 31, 2025, for chanting slogans at the graduation ceremony, has returned to the spotlight following a criminal complaint by the Ministry of National Defense. The Ministry filed a complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, alleging that a social media post by Akarsu "damaged the reputation of the state." The accusation was based on a post by Akarsu on October 30, 2025, in which he criticized the failure to play anthems specific to the Republic and expressed his views on the "Century of Turkey" anthem.

In response to the accusations, Lieutenant Akarsu replied with the lines from Nâzım Hikmet: "Yes, I am a traitor to the homeland... Nâzım Hikmet continues to be a traitor to the homeland still."