19.06.2026 19:10
Lieutenant Colonel Halit Türkoğlu, the Battalion Commander who was dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) after clashing swords and chanting "We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal" during the graduation ceremony of the Turkish Military Academy on August 30, 2024, won the lawsuit he filed. The Administrative Court stayed the dismissal from the TSK on the grounds that the process was not lawful and violated the principle of proportionality.
In the graduation ceremony of the Turkish Military Academy on August 30, 2024, a significant legal development occurred in the case regarding lieutenants who crossed swords and chanted the slogan "We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal."
SUSPENSION OF THE DISMISSAL DECISION FOR THE LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Following the incident, Tabur Commander Staff Lieutenant Colonel Halit Türkoğlu, who was dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), won the lawsuit he filed against the decision.
The Administrative Court ruled that the dismissal decision against Staff Lieutenant Colonel Türkoğlu was not in accordance with the law and violated the "principle of proportionality," thereby suspending the action.
THE LIEUTENANTS' SWORD SWEARING CEREMONY
After the official part of the Turkish Military Academy graduation ceremony on August 30, 2024, a group of newly graduated lieutenants led by the top graduate, Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu, crossed swords and chanted the slogan "We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal." In the debates sparked when the footage was released to the public, the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) deemed it an organized act of indiscipline and a breach of the chain of command, despite warnings from superiors. Consequently, within the scope of the administrative investigation launched by the MSB, a dismissal decision from the Turkish Armed Forces was issued against the 5 lieutenants who led the incident, including the top graduate, on the grounds of "behavior impairing service and indiscipline," independent of the text's content.
Along with the lieutenants, 3 commanders were also dismissed for failing to prevent the sword swearing. Among the commanders, Colonel Alper Topsakal was first reinstated by court decision, followed by Major Murat Ertürk.