Retired Military Judge Üçok reveals the reason for the lieutenants' dismissal: 'It is not a crime in any directive or regulation'

Retired Military Judge Dr. Ahmet Zeki Üçok, who served as a military intern and military judge in the Turkish Armed Forces for nearly 30 years, stated in his remarks on the '12'den with Tuncay Mollaveisoğlu' program that the lieutenants on trial did not use any expressions that constitute a criminal element, adding that the military has been civilianized, and he described the process of change.

Stating that the oath in question has been taken since 1995 and was first added at the end of the speech by the top graduate of the Military Academy in 1995, Üçok noted that after it was well-received, the oath was taken at the graduation ceremonies of all military academies until 2023. Ahmet Zeki Üçok, who said that the oath text was removed in 2023 for an unknown reason, spoke as follows:

"The 'We are the soldiers of Atatürk' oath was first recited in 1995 when the top graduate of the class added this text to the end of his speech. It was very well-received in 1995, and it became an oath that was read at the end of every military academy graduation ceremony and had never been an issue until 2023, when for unknown reasons, it was declared that this oath would no longer be taken.

It was removed from the directive, even though it had been read at every graduation ceremony in front of Tayyip Erdoğan for 12 years. In fact, Air Force Academy students recited it in front of an aircraft, and Erdoğan watched this along with the official protocol and smiled.

WHO WAS DISTURBED BY THE OATH?

Let me tell you who was disturbed; those who were disturbed by this oath are all remnants of FETÖ and journalists who act in the same vein...

They created a public perception as if these children had committed an act of indiscipline; this matter will be decided on November 25...

Having served as a prosecutor and judge for nearly 30 years, as someone who has been within the military judiciary, I can say that saying 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal' has never been defined as a crime in any of our directives or regulations!

Whether this is indiscipline or a crime, it has absolutely nothing to do with military punishment; this is entirely a political operation! It is an operation initiated by anti-Atatürk segments, and this is the peak point of it...