Akın Öztürk: 'Unless 15-20 people, starting with Hulusi Akar, speak up, this matter will not be clarified'

Müyesser Yıldız - 12punto.com.tr

Following the conclusion of the General Staff Main Case, the 6th session of the separate trial held by the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court at the Sincan Prison Complex began with the Presiding Judge announcing that they would continue to await the results of the trials where the primary perpetrators of the injuries are being tried, before taking statements from the defendants and their lawyers.

In the trial involving a total of 23 individuals, former 2nd Main Jet Base Commander Major General Kubilay Selçuk reiterated that his only witness regarding the night of July 15 was Hulusi Akar, stating, "Despite all my calls to date, he has not testified. Unless Hulusi Akar is heard, there is no possibility for you to reach a verdict regarding me. Let him come, let me ask my questions, let him answer, and let the judgment be rendered accordingly."

Former Air Force Commander and Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) member Akın Öztürk, who is identified as the "number 1" of July 15, also argued that the prosecution must prove its claims, yet no evidence has been presented against him so far, noting that the UN has also reached a decision in this direction, and said the following:

"There were people I wanted to come and testify here regarding what happened that night. 15-20 people, starting with Hulusi Akar and Tuğrul Türkeş, the Minister of Defense at the time. If they do not speak, this matter will not be clarified."

REQUEST FOR RETRIAL

One of the defendants, former Staff Colonel Bilal Ayüz, pointed out that the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation had issued both an affirmation and a reversal decision in the 28th Mechanized Brigade case, emphasizing that the reversal decisions highlighted that it was not investigated whether some of the injured had forensic medical reports and whether the individuals in question were injured by firearms, and said, "The same grounds are valid for our file. I am requesting a retrial on these grounds."

When former Staff Colonel Cemil Turhan, who signed the so-called coup declaration, complained about not being able to find what they were looking for due to irregularities in the files sent to them regarding other cases, the Presiding Judge replied, "We are experiencing the same problem, we are struggling. UYAP data is being transferred as is. This will be overcome in time; we are working on it."

AKAR AND OTHERS BECOME “PERSONS OUTSIDE THE CASE”

Lawyer Ayten İzmirli, whose statement was requested after the defendants, listed the witnesses they insist should be heard and said the following:

"Especially Hulusi Akar. At first, he had a bunch of excuses like 'I am busy,' 'There are operations.' But now he is an ordinary AKP Kayseri MP. Besides him, we want Yaşar Güler, Hakan Fidan, Zekai Aksakallı, Metin Gürak, Süleyman Soylu, Sadık Üstün, and Aleksandr Dugin to be heard. If you do not hear them, you cannot solve this case."

Kubilay Selçuk's lawyer, Mehmet Ali Çerkez, stated that first, a causal link must be established between the defendants and the primary perpetrators of the injury incidents, saying, "Who did my client give orders to, and what orders? Did the primary perpetrators receive orders or instructions from Kubilay Selçuk? For this, the primary perpetrators should be heard as witnesses and confronted with these defendants. My client was in Ankara that night. Otherwise, he cannot be held responsible for an incident in Edirne or elsewhere."

After the break, the Presiding Judge announced that it had been decided to continue awaiting the results of the trials where the primary perpetrators are being tried, and to inquire about the status of the writ sent to the Consulate General in New York regarding the death of Fetullah Gülen.

While stating that the requests to hear witnesses were rejected at this stage, the Presiding Judge used the phrase "persons outside the case" for the witnesses in question. However, most of the names requested to be heard are involved in the coup trials as victims and complainants.

The hearing was adjourned to March 9, 2026.

News Source: Müyesser Yıldız