Statements by defendants in trials related to Turkey’s July 15, 2016 coup attempt have renewed questions about the conduct of then Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar on the night of the attempted takeover.
The debate also follows Akar’s written responses to the Turkish Parliament’s commission investigating the coup attempt.
Journalist Müyesser Yıldız of the OdaTV news website argued that statements by Kubilay Selçuk, Gökhan Sönmezateş and Mehmet Dişli appeared to signal that they would disclose further information about Akar when the Akıncı Air Base trial began on August 1.
Turkish prosecutors described Akıncı Air Base as the command center of the coup attempt.
In her article, Yıldız examined Akar’s account of his alleged detention at General Staff headquarters and compared it with statements made by defendants.
“In his response to another question, Akar again describes in detail how he was detained in his office,” Yıldız wrote.
She referred to Col. Fırat Alakuş, a member of the Special Forces team that entered General Staff headquarters, who reportedly said, “It is unthinkable for a chief of general staff to be detained.”
Yıldız also cited claims made by Maj. Gen. Mehmet Dişli during the General Staff headquarters trial.
According to Dişli, Akar renewed his ablution and performed Islamic prayers during the night. The testimony of a noncommissioned officer working in Akar’s private office also said Akar removed his uniform and put on sweatpants before praying.
Yıldız questioned how Akar could have been allowed to change his clothes and pray if he was being held under the violent conditions he later described.
She also examined Akar’s departure from Akıncı Air Base with Dişli, who was accused of taking part in the coup attempt.
In his written response to parliament, Akar repeated an earlier statement to prosecutors, saying, “While alone with the Prime Ministry undersecretary, I said it would be appropriate for Dişli to be detained. I later learned that he had been detained.”
Dişli, however, gave a different account during the trial.
He said Akar leaned back in the helicopter as they left Akıncı and told him, “Thank you, son. Have you made preparations? What will we tell them?”
Dişli also said he worked at the crisis center at the Çankaya mansion until 3:30 p.m.
According to Dişli, Gen. Akın Öztürk later called from Akıncı Air Base and said, “I am done here. I want to come there.”
Dişli said he relayed the request to Akar, who was with then Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, and that Akar replied, “Let him come.”
He further claimed that when gunfire prevented Öztürk’s departure, Akar, Yıldırım and government ministers contacted military officials in Eskişehir.
Yıldız then examined statements from the General Staff headquarters trial.
Gökhan Sönmezateş repeated his claim that an order from Akıncı Air Base kept his team waiting for four hours at Çiğli Air Base on the night of the coup attempt.
“The people who made us wait were not civilians. They were soldiers. The mastermind who made us wait is still on duty. The instruction came from the Operations Center, but there was also someone above it. I am waiting for that general to speak,” Sönmezateş said.
Sönmezateş also referred to the film “Braveheart,” recalling a scene in which William Wallace discovers that a masked figure fighting against him is his own king.
When the presiding judge asked, “Who is your king?” Sönmezateş replied, “Let us leave that for the Akıncı Air Base trial.”
Sönmezateş also directed several questions to Dişli, who said he had acted as an intermediary between Akar and the soldiers accused of leading the coup attempt.
“Was Lt. Col. Hüseyin with you that night?” Sönmezateş asked.
“There was absolutely no such person,” Dişli replied.
Sönmezateş also asked how long Dişli was separated from Akar, why Akar repeatedly sent him to communicate with others instead of using a telephone and whether, based on Dişli’s observations, Akar had participated in the coup attempt.
Kubilay Selçuk also said he moved between Akar and the accused coup leaders on the commander’s instructions.
Like Dişli, Selçuk suggested that Akar’s later accusations against him resulted from trauma, according to Yıldız.
Selçuk declined to answer several questions, saying he would address them during the Akıncı Air Base trial.
He was also questioned about a person described as having long hair who allegedly prepared the room where the coup declaration was to be read and handed him the declaration.
Selçuk initially said he could not remember the person.
“This is the subject of the Akıncı Air Base trial,” he said when lawyers pressed him for an answer.
After the judge said the matter also concerned the current trial, Selçuk began to respond, saying, “So you want me to answer.”
The judge then reminded him of his right to remain silent.
“Let us leave it to the Akıncı trial, then,” Selçuk said.
Yıldız concluded that the statements by Sönmezateş, Selçuk and Dişli appeared to place pressure on Akar to speak publicly or take action before the Akıncı Air Base trial began.
“The Akıncı Air Base trial will begin on August 1, and it appears that key defendants are giving Akar until that date to speak or do something,” she wrote.
