Following the completion of defendants’ statements in the Akıncı Air Base trial, the Ankara 4th High Criminal Court has begun hearing testimony from victims and complainants.
Akıncı Air Base, near Ankara, was described by prosecutors as the command center of Turkey’s July 15, 2016 coup attempt.
As part of that phase, the court invited National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who was chief of General Staff at the time, to testify as a complainant.
In a petition submitted to the court, Akar’s lawyer said his client had already given statements to prosecutors on July 18-19, 2016, during the investigation phase, and later to the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court during the trial phase.
“Since Hulusi Akar provided detailed explanations in his statements before the prosecutor’s office and the court, and since he has nothing further to add on the matter, we request that the decision to hear him as a complainant be waived and that his March 22, 2018 court statement, attached to this petition, be included in your case file,” the petition said.
Akar’s lawyer had previously filed petitions asking to lodge complaints against the defendants and to join the case.
The request is notable because Akar’s role and testimony have been among the most closely watched issues in the Akıncı trial, with defense lawyers repeatedly seeking to question senior officials about the chain of command and decisions made on the night of the coup attempt.
