The episode, titled “Who is the real victim?” was the fourth installment of Nesin’s “Statements of the exiled colonel” series. According to the program description, Nesin and Demirtaş discussed mysterious militants in the streets, alleged traps set for military cadets, remarks made to students by former Air Force Commander Abidin Ünal and why some soldiers tried in coup-related cases were acquitted.
Nesin presented the interview as part of a broader effort to revisit July 15 from angles he said were excluded from Turkey’s government-controlled media narrative.
Ankara blames the coup attempt on the Gülen movement, a transnational civic initiative inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, and designates the movement as a terrorist organization. The movement denies involvement.
Focus on mysterious street actors
The program description asked who the “mysterious militants” in the streets were on the night of July 15.
That question placed the episode within a broader line of criticism that has challenged the official account of the night, including claims about armed civilians, unidentified groups and street-level actors whose roles were not fully examined in court proceedings or mainstream reporting.
Without the full transcript, the specific individuals or incidents discussed in the program cannot be independently summarized from the supplied material alone. But the description makes clear that Nesin and Demirtaş treated the street mobilization as one of the unresolved parts of July 15.
Alleged traps for military cadets
The episode also focused on alleged traps set for cadets from Turkish military schools.
Military students were among the most controversial groups prosecuted after the coup attempt. Many were young cadets or conscripts who said they followed orders without knowing a coup attempt was underway, while government narratives often portrayed them as participants in the putsch.
The program description suggested that Demirtaş discussed whether some cadets were deliberately placed in situations that later allowed them to be accused of involvement in the coup attempt.
Abidin Ünal’s remarks to students
The program also asked what former Air Force Commander Abidin Ünal told students.
Ünal, who was among the senior commanders whose actions on July 15 remain disputed in critical accounts of the coup attempt, has appeared in several narratives concerning Akıncı Air Base, command decisions and post-coup military proceedings.
The supplied description does not provide the substance of the remarks attributed to Ünal, so the article does not state what he allegedly said. The episode’s framing indicates that Nesin and Demirtaş viewed those remarks as relevant to understanding how military students were treated before or after the events.
Why some soldiers were acquitted
Another question raised in the description was how and why some soldiers tried in July 15 cases were acquitted.
The program appeared to examine whether those acquittals exposed contradictions in the broader prosecution narrative, particularly in cases where the same official framework treated similar conduct differently depending on rank, location or later testimony.
Nesin’s series has repeatedly questioned whether courts pursued the truth of July 15 or reinforced a predetermined account shaped by political and media pressure.
Controlled media narrative challenged
The video description urged viewers to listen carefully, saying Demirtaş’s statements would show the events from an angle they had not seen before.
It said viewers would understand how much remained unknown and how controlled media had directed and shaped public opinion.
Nesin framed the episode as part of an ongoing effort to challenge the official July 15 narrative and to document accounts that he said were ignored or distorted in Turkey’s dominant media environment.
Series promises continued scrutiny
The program was part of Nesin’s continuing interview series with Demirtaş on developments before and after the coup attempt.
Nesin described the remarks as likely to generate debate and said he would continue writing and speaking about July 15 until all facts about the coup attempt were revealed.
The video below presents Ahmet Nesin’s interview with Col. Hüseyin Demirtaş on alleged street militants, traps set for military cadets, Abidin Ünal’s remarks to students and acquittals in July 15 trials.
