Striking statement on lieutenants from retired military judge Dr. Ahmet Zeki Üçok: ‘The most important pillar of the counter-revolution’

Following the Military Academy graduation ceremony, it was alleged that Ebru Eroğlu and T. A., among the lieutenants who gathered, chanted 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal', and took an oath by raising their swords, have been referred to the Turkish Armed Forces High Disciplinary Board with a request for 'dismissal from the TSK'. Retired Military Judge Dr. Ahmet Zeki Üçok, who served as a military intern and military judge in the Turkish Armed Forces for approximately 30 years, stated in his explanation to 12punto that the lieutenants on trial did not make any statements that constitute a criminal element, adding that the military has been civilianized, and he described the process of change.

“CULT GROUPS WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT…”

Dr. Üçok began his remarks by explaining the Military Penal Code:

“In our Military Penal Code, or in any of our regulations that impose legal sanctions, there is not a single word, let alone a clause, that makes saying 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal' or 'We are ready to die for the Republic' a crime. Because we, as members of the Turkish Armed Forces, have taken Mustafa Kemal as our leader from the moment we entered these schools, military high schools, and military academies; therefore, we discuss Mustafa Kemal's ideas in our conversations among ourselves and strive to walk in the path of Mustafa Kemal. That is why speaking about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the Turkish Armed Forces is not a crime; on the contrary, it is always appreciated and is what should be. However, through an perception operation created by the current government, groups under the control of extreme cults and sects within the government, and some columnists and press members remaining from the past FETÖ era, it was presented to the public as if making such a speech were a crime. A ritual that has been going on for more than a quarter of a century was presented to the public as if it were being done for the first time. A campaign was launched for the discharge of the lieutenants. This is entirely a joint operation by FETÖ members, sectarians, enemies of Atatürk, and cults, and unfortunately, the party government and MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli have also become tools of this campaign and are on the verge of finalizing the necessary process to expel two of the most valuable children of the Turkish Armed Forces from the Turkish Armed Forces.”

“THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PILLAR OF THE COUNTER-REVOLUTION”

Regarding the scope of the investigation, Dr. Üçok said, “This was not just an operation against the lieutenants. At the same time, they did not renew the contracts of our retired colleagues who are members of the Turkish Armed Forces when they entered classes to provide training at military academies. From now on, our retired colleagues who would pass on their past experiences at military academies will not be in this process. We are facing a government that is dismantling the traditions and customs of the Turkish Armed Forces one by one. The Turkish Armed Forces, which we call the most powerful army in the world, had secured this army with its own internal discipline and structure. However, they are trying to eliminate this with civilianization practices. From now on, which military academy student or officer will be able to say 'I am a soldier of Mustafa Kemal, I am an Atatürkist'? Look at this situation; saying 'I am an Atatürkist, I am a soldier of Mustafa Kemal' has become a crime requiring dismissal from the army. Such a transformation has not been seen in any country in the world. This is exactly the most important pillar of the counter-revolution,” he expressed.

“THE TURBANED ADMIRAL WAS A SUCCESS FOR THE CULTISTS”

About a year ago, an investigation was launched against Rear Admiral Mehmet Sarı after images of him inside a cult, wearing a turban and robe over his military uniform, emerged. Sarı, who was dismissed as soon as the investigation at the Ministry of National Defense High Disciplinary Board began, was later retired by Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) decisions.

Recalling the incident known in the public eye as the 'turbaned admiral', Dr. Üçok said, “The fact that such a comprehensive investigation was completed in a period of 2 months and 10 days reminded us of the 'Turbaned Admiral', that is, Mehmet Sarı. You remember, Mehmet Sarı was a single person, the photos were there. However, the investigation of this single person did not end in a year, and it became time-barred, and he is currently walking among us wearing his turban; despite having committed an act that is truly a crime, he was not dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces. I see this as a success for cults, sects, and enemies of Atatürk. However, we will do everything in our power to not allow this and to change this situation,” he said.

HOW DID THE CHANGE PROCESS IN THE TSK OCCUR?

Stating that the Turkish Armed Forces were civilianized by being attached to the government after the July 15 coup attempt, Dr. Üçok summarized the process as follows:

“After July 15, the government evaluated this coup as an act committed against it by the Turkish Armed Forces and took very radical measures for this. The first thing it did was to close military schools, military academies, hospitals related to the military, and the like. It purged those it believed were not one of its own within the Turkish Armed Forces, especially those at the colonel level, from the Turkish Armed Forces with YAŞ decisions. In one night, 658 colonels were purged with one YAŞ. To replace these people, it filled the void in the Turkish Armed Forces by taking students from the final years of universities and colleges, as military academies were closed at that time, who came with the references of its own provincial-district organizations, party organizations, and various cults and sects, and who it believed were one of its own. Therefore, this caused major changes in the structure of the Turkish Armed Forces up to this day.

The concept of 'comradeship in arms' among soldiers disappeared. Fights broke out among soldiers between members of certain cults and sects, such as 'my cult's imam will lead the Friday prayer, no, yours will not.' Recently, at the 12th Air Base in Kayseri, a separate group known as the 'blue skullcap wearers' left the mosque at the base and performed their prayers behind their own imam. It changed the structure of the Supreme Military Council. It created a structure where ministers were completely effective. It became a Supreme Military Council dominated by civilians. They carried out the promotion, retirement, extension of duty periods, and appointments of all generals through the Supreme Military Council, without considering any military tradition or custom, based on the notion of loyalty to themselves. They also took the assignments and promotions of officers and non-commissioned officers out of the hands of the force commanders and the General Staff and attached them to the Personnel Directorate at the Ministry of National Defense, to a civilian man. In other words, which officer or non-commissioned officer would be assigned to which unit or city, and which officer or non-commissioned officer would go abroad, was left to the hands of people in the General Directorate of Personnel who perhaps had only done short-term 6-month military service. Therefore, just as in the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Education, this led to seeking political support or a member of parliament, and chasing after the AKP provincial-district chairman for the promotion of a soldier. This disrupted military hierarchy and military relations. In many places, we saw that lower-ranking personnel exhibited behaviors unbecoming of military discipline towards their superiors, but these were not reflected in the public eye. In the incidents that were reflected in the public eye, many unlawful acts never before seen in the Turkish Armed Forces, from human smuggling to cigarette smuggling, occurred.”