Mehmet Dişli calls out to Akar: 'Answer me, did I hold a gun to your head?'

Müyesser Yıldız - 12punto.com.tr

In today's session of the General Staff 'Roof' case, which began being retried at the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court in the Sincan Prison complex following the Court of Cassation's partial reversal decision, Mehmet Dişli, known for his closeness to Hulusi Akar, presented his defense.

HE COMPARED ABDÜLKADİR SELVİ'S WRITINGS TO THE KABATAŞ LIE

Claiming for the first time after 10 years that he was also subjected to torture while in custody and in prison, Dişli said, "But I will not describe this because I feel ashamed." In the first part of his defense, he blamed several individuals, primarily Abdulkadir Selvi, for the perception created about him.

Dişli made the following claims in summary:

"While I was in custody, even before my statement was taken, a savage media offensive was launched against me, and a criminal profile was created that would incite public outrage. A so-called journalist wrote that I held a gun to Hulusi Akar's head, tied his hands and feet, tied him to a chair, and took him away. It is no different from the Kabataş lie. What kind of humanity, morality, or journalism is this? What do they eat and drink, how do they look their children in the face? We learned later that they were just putting out what was handed to them. This person is the one who wrote the most about me, and not a single thing he wrote was true. This means he was given a task regarding me. I don't know what kind of connection they have with the pure FETÖ member Tuncay Opçin, but they were partners in slander."

AKAR IS TRYING TO CONVINCE EVEN THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM

Stating that a sense of victimhood was created for some people through these publications, referring to Hulusi Akar, Dişli continued as follows, accompanied by footage of Akar's speech in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey:

"That I held a gun to his head was the standard lie of that day. Answer me, did Mehmet Dişli hold a gun to your head? He benefited the most from these fabrications and tried to shut down questions regarding this by shouting and yelling. He has convinced himself of this and is trying to convince those there as well. We asked artificial intelligence, 'If someone is told to hold a gun to a person and take over, what does the person who takes over at gunpoint do to the one who held the gun later? How logical is such an offer?' The AI replied, 'It is neither logical, nor rational, nor reasonable.' Even a machine has logic."

Dişli, who explained that he returned the "base" label to a journalist who called him that after July 15, 10 years later, and that he invited another "disrespectful" journalist who wrote against him to the hearing two days ago to listen to his defense but that the journalist did not come, and who told his lawyer, who called a television station that presented footage of someone else at the General Staff Headquarters as Mehmet Dişli, that the response given was, "Mr. Lawyer, don't interfere in our business, or you will find yourself next to Mehmet Dişli," said, "To hell with such journalism."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

Mehmet Dişli also spoke about retired military judge Zeki Üçok, whom he accused of being the source of the claims that he was a FETÖ member:

"The first arrests were made according to the lists they prepared. I don't know what evidence this profiler presented, but everything this base person, who also profiled me, said about me is a lie and slander. For example, he wrote that I was investigated for 'light houses' (ışık evleri) in military high school and that I was a monitored personnel. I am a graduate of a civilian high school, and I have never been investigated or been a monitored personnel in any period of my life. The reason I was thrown into the FETÖ sack and tried here is the profiling of Zeki Üçok, every word of which is a lie. Unfortunately, no one asked, 'Who the hell are you; with whom, on whose behalf, and with what authority did you do this work?' One day, when the law becomes the judge, I will hold this person accountable. This base profiler said 'we made a clean sweep' after we were arrested. Of course you did, because we were arrested with the lists you provided."

After these statements, Dişli apologized to the court panel, saying, "Please excuse my reactions. Three or five people... My life was ruined," and he cried and could not continue.

EVEN AKAR HAS NO SUCH CLAIM

In the continuation of his defense, Dişli claimed that he was made a member of the so-called Peace at Home Council by prosecutors with fake evidence and rigged statements, just as he was thrown into the FETÖ sack with Zeki Üçok's profiling, and noted the following:

"If they had a single piece of evidence, they wouldn't have tortured people so much to get statements against me. While even the complainant Hulusi Akar has no claim regarding me, Frankenstein stories were written about me and a utopian personality was created. A disrespectful journalist even wrote that I was not in prison, and this was taken seriously and even a parliamentary question was submitted. They also said I entered the Cosmic Room. I wasn't even in Ankara on that date. That's how the perception was created. They say, 'Come on, believe it, this is you.' No, that is not me. The facts have emerged, but the horse has already bolted to Üsküdar."

"General Yaşar, please take a look at these files"

In the afternoon part of his defense, Mehmet Dişli brought up an interesting claim, calling out to Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and explaining the following:

"Compensation lawsuits are being filed against us because we are supposedly members of the Peace at Home Council. Finally, a compensation lawsuit was filed for the aircraft, fuel, ammunition, and personnel used on July 15 at the Merzifon Air Base. Yaşar Güler, I know you well. The Yaşar General I know would kick the person who brought these files out of his office. They have turned malice into jurisprudence. Please take a look at these files. Merzifon Air Base was closed for maintenance 2 months before July 15. In other words, expenses are being demanded from me for an aircraft that did not take off on July 15, for fuel and ammunition that were not used, and for personnel who were not called. I can't bring myself to say it, but the Ministry is officially demanding tribute from us. If the Ministry says, 'We stand behind the lawsuit,' this is even more serious. In that case, the Ministry should be asked where and when these aircraft that took off from Merzifon were used, what the type of ammunition was, and who gave this order; it should be compared with the ammunition used in Ankara."

"Is a document with Akar's name on it not a document?"

While emphasizing that he was definitely not a member of the so-called Peace at Home Council, Mehmet Dişli also said:

"It is said that there is a council, but no document can be found. There is also a document that says 'Hulusi Akar, Chairman of the Peace at Home Council.' Is this not a document? But it has been ignored by saying 'there is no document.' Another document is the assignment list. The spaces next to Akar and the force commanders were left blank. It was already written as council chairman for Akar. Couldn't a different conclusion have been drawn from this? Yes, there is a council, but the identification of these names has been prevented intentionally or unconsciously. This fabricated council is inconsistent and contrary to the principles and procedures of the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces). Nothing is asked of Hulusi Akar, it is not made an issue; but the fact that 'continue' is written next to my name on the appointment list is made a presumption of council membership."

Whose hands he kissed

In the final part of his defense today, while responding to the accusations directed at him in the opinion, he explained the reason for leaving the General Staff at 20:07 on the evening of July 15 and returning at 20:48 as follows:

"As the Strategic Transformation Department, we had prepared the 'TSK Future Shaping Project-2033' and were going to present it to the President on Monday, July 18. When the Chief of General Staff said that the President also wanted a study on the restructuring of barracks, we prepared it. But since I couldn't present it to the Chief of General Staff due to the intensity of the day, I went home, telling them to let me know when he was available. I was in a hurry because I was going to go to my hometown for a wedding after the presentation... The prosecutor claims that I left because I thought the coup would take place at 03:00. The button was pressed at 19:00-19:30. Was there anything left to think about? If I were a coup plotter, I would have known it was moved forward... The project we prepared contained the defense concepts and investments that Turkey is talking about today... Here, I want to express my thanks, respects, and gratitude to one of our commanders, and I kiss his hands. This commander is our former Chief of General Staff, Necdet Özel. From the first day until the last week he left office, he lived and breathed this project. I think one of the reasons for July 15 was the elimination of this department. Indeed, this department was closed after July 15. A very effective blow was dealt to our projects. Because all those who made this project are currently in prison."

Mehmet Dişli will continue his defense tomorrow.