Yeni Şafak targeted them by calling it a 'junta': The truth behind the events at the Tuzla Infantry School has emerged

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler spoke about the altercation that broke out on November 10 between students who did not want to wear an Atatürk portrait on their lapels and other students.

HIGH DISCIPLINARY BOARD DECISION AWAITED

Güler stated that everyone involved in the incident has been suspended from duty and said the following:

“The incident at the Tuzla Infantry School is an event that occurred on November 10. One of our student officers did not wear the portrait he was supposed to wear on his lapel and put forward an excuse such as 'I didn't have a safety pin, so I couldn't wear it.' An argument ensued between him and other students who reacted to this. As a result of this incident, all of them were temporarily suspended from duty. We will announce the decisions to be made by the court and the High Disciplinary Board regarding this incident. The supervisors deemed responsible have also been suspended. At this stage, comments that would lead the incident in the wrong direction should be avoided and the conclusion of the judicial process should be awaited.”

“THEY FORMED A ‘HUBB-İ FİLLAH’ GROUP AND GATHERED AT A HOUSE”

According to the report by Ersin Eroğlu from 10Haber, the lieutenants who reacted to the lieutenants who did not wear Atatürk portraits reported this group to the commanders on duty at the Military Academy last year.

They stated that the group of lieutenants was within a religious community structure and that such a structure should not be allowed at the Military Academy after the July 15 FETÖ coup attempt. No action was taken regarding the lieutenants complained about at the Military Academy.

It was learned that the lieutenants who did not wear Atatürk portraits formed a WhatsApp group called 'Hubb-i fillah', which means 'to love for the sake of Allah', that they went to a house on weekends based on the correspondence in this group, received books from an 'older brother' (a mentor), and spoke of a 'cause'.

According to the information obtained, the lieutenants who reacted to the lieutenants who did not wear Atatürk portraits reported this group to the commanders on duty at the Military Academy last year. They stated that the group of lieutenants was within a religious community structure and that such a structure should not be allowed at the Military Academy after the July 15 FETÖ coup attempt. No action was taken regarding the lieutenants complained about at the Military Academy.

EXPULSION OF THE REACTING LIEUTENANTS WAS REQUESTED

The argument between the lieutenants continued in the following days. On November 13, some lieutenants hung an Atatürk poster on the door of dormitory number 405, where the lieutenants who did not wear Atatürk portraits were staying. An altercation occurred between the lieutenants who reacted to the Atatürk poster and the lieutenants who hung it. After the altercation, Infantry Lieutenant A.A., who did not wear an Atatürk poster on his lapel on November 10, went to Tuzla State Hospital to obtain a medical report for assault. When he was given a report stating that no signs of assault were found at the hospital, he went to the Tuzla Police Station and filed a complaint.

Following these developments, the Land Forces Command launched an administrative investigation. With the report prepared by the Disciplinary Investigation Board on December 5, the expulsion of four lieutenants who reacted to those who did not wear Atatürk portraits was requested. The penalty requested by the Disciplinary Investigation Board for the lieutenants staying in dormitory 405 is unknown.

A colonel who was the regiment commander responsible for the lieutenants and a first lieutenant who was the company commander were also suspended from duty after the incident.

NO FINDINGS REGARDING THE 'JUNTA' CLAIM

Yeni Şafak newspaper carried the events at the Tuzla Infantry School to its front page with the headline “Lieutenant Junta”. The news mentioned that “some soldiers at the Tuzla Infantry School were profiled and assaulted for praying,” and it was claimed that a “lieutenant junta” was uncovered in the administrative and judicial investigation that began after the events.

There was no 'junta' finding in the report prepared by the Land Forces Command Disciplinary Investigation Board.

MÜYESSER YILDIZ HAD EXPLAINED THE DETAILS

12punto columnist and journalist Müyesser Yıldız, in her news article dated December 15 titled “What happened at the school called ‘Lieutenant Junta’?”, wrote the following by saying, “In the report prepared by the Disciplinary Investigation Board, there is no mention of a ‘lieutenant junta’ as Yeni Şafak claimed, but only the following findings regarding what happened on November 10”:

“On November 10, 2023, during the ceremony held for the Atatürk Commemoration Day, it was determined that Infantry Lieutenant A.A., one of the trainees of the 3rd officer basic training company, did not wear the Atatürk portrait on his lapel despite being ordered to do so and being distributed a portrait and a pin, and that he was warned by his friends who reacted to this; despite his friends' warnings to wear the Atatürk portrait, he refrained from wearing it with the excuse that he did not have a pin; after this situation was reported to Company Commander Infantry First Lieutenant Y.K., he wore the Atatürk portrait with a delay upon his renewed order; due to this incident during the ceremony, a group of officer basic trainees went to dormitory number 405, the shift dormitory where Infantry Lieutenants A.A., M.F.Ş., and F.A. were staying, around 10:00 AM after the ceremony to react; a verbal argument and tension occurred between the trainee lieutenants there, this tension continued throughout the day, posts were made about the incident in messaging groups by the officer basic trainees, and subsequently, the tension continued on November 13, 2023, this time a group went to dormitory 405 again at noon and reacted to those staying there, and an argument and altercation occurred between them...”

NO ASSAULT EITHER

In Yeni Şafak's news, it was claimed that three lieutenants were subjected to an attack and assaulted, and that they went to Tuzla State Hospital to get an assault report; the continuation of the Investigation Board's report is as follows:

“After the altercation, Infantry Lieutenant A.A. applied to his superiors to obtain an assault report, was first referred to the Infantry School First Step Examination Center, and subsequently to Tuzla State Hospital; after the examination, it was found that there were no signs of assault or force; after the report, A.A. went to the Tuzla Police Station on his own initiative despite his superiors not giving approval and filed a complaint, and subsequently the incident was transferred to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office...”

Let us also note that the report contains different statements from the WhatsApp correspondence reported by Yeni Şafak, and that the following finding was made showing that the claim that the three lieutenants had their “epaulets and Turkish Flags removed from their uniforms” was not true:

“During the argument in the dormitory, the Turkish Flag on the sleeve of M.F.Ş.'s camouflage uniform was removed, and words were spoken such as, 'You do not deserve to wear this.'”

SUSPENSION FIRST... THEN EXPULSION?

As a result; first of all, 7 trainee lieutenants involved in the incidents were suspended from the school. Three of them are the lieutenants who were stated to have refused to hang Atatürk's picture, and four are the lieutenants who were stated to have objected to this.

As for the request of the Investigation Board; we could not learn what kind of action they proposed to be taken regarding the three individuals, but for the four lieutenants; it was requested that they be given the “penalty of separation from the Armed Forces” in accordance with the TSK Disciplinary Law and the TSK Disciplinary Boards Regulation on the grounds that “by hanging Atatürk portraits on the dormitory door of A.A., M.F.Ş., and F.A. without their consent and by making highly provocative WhatsApp posts, they made those staying in this dormitory a target and in this way caused the military discipline to be severely damaged.”

WHY WASN'T THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE ASKED?

Yesterday, when Yeni Şafak published this news, it was also the weekly press briefing day at the Ministry of National Defense. However; interestingly, such an important allegation was not asked to Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, the Press and Public Relations Advisor who organized the meeting, or to the Ministry of National Defense sources, and the Ministry of National Defense remained silent.

Yeni Şafak's verdict of “Junta lieutenants”... Its demand for an account of “whether security investigations were conducted when they were admitted to the Military Academy, and if so, how they were missed”... And even asking, “Are there high-ranking officers acting in concert with this structure?”...

Beyond the interpretation of “Is this a message of a new purge?”; one cannot help but ask, “Are these preparations for banning Atatürkism in the TSK?!”

We are going through times when religious and separatist groups are glorifying Sheikh Said hand in hand; it could happen!..

News Source: 12punto