The lieutenants referred to disciplinary action began their defenses with the same sentence: "We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal."

After the graduation ceremony of the Army Academy, the defense of the lieutenants who were referred to the High Disciplinary Board (YDK) with a request for expulsion from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for shouting the slogan "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal" while crossing swords began at 14:00 at the Command of the Land Forces. The meeting where the expulsion of the lieutenants was discussed lasted for 6 hours.

According to the information obtained, the lieutenants began their defenses by saying "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal," and Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu concluded her defense with the words, "You can take the rank from my shoulder, but you cannot take the War Academy badge from my chest."

STATEMENT FROM THE LIEUTENANTS' LAWYER

After the YDK, TBB President Erinç Sağkan, who took on the defense of the lieutenants, stated that the disciplinary hearing lasted for 6 hours. Sağkan mentioned that detailed, separate defenses were taken for each of the five lieutenants, that the lieutenants presented their statements to the board, and that the lawyer team provided legal defense for the lieutenants.

Sağkan emphasized that the YDK board respected the lieutenants' right to defense, showed respect, did not interrupt their words, did not impose a time limit for their defenses, and that the lieutenants expressed themselves within the limits of the law, stating:

"Here, primarily, there were some defenses focused on the general material fact of being in a position to discredit the Turkish Armed Forces regarding the 5 lieutenants. Similarly, it was not a conscious, organized, pre-planned action, but rather an excitement brought by the moment, the presence of families there, and the pride of those lieutenants and their families in sharing that moment with greater enthusiasm by saying 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal'... In fact, when we evaluate it in terms of the Turkish Armed Forces, considering that all individuals are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal, or when we look at the content of the oath of office, which includes 'to protect the independence of the secular, democratic Republic of Turkey,' when we think of these, none of the expressions here tarnish the reputation of the Turkish Armed Forces. On the contrary, we believe that these are the common values of 85 million people in this country, and we made an effort to emphasize this in our defense.

As for how long it will take for the result to be announced, we have not received any information from the board, but I believe we will see the decision made regarding this in about 7-10 days. I hope that a decision will be made that there is no basis for punishment regarding the actions attributed to the 5 lieutenants. If we are a rule of law, if we believe in the supremacy of law, then as a lawyer, it should be so in the decision."

EVERY LIEUTENANT WAS TAKEN TO A SEPARATE ROOM

In response to a question from journalists, Sağkan described the process that took place at the YDK:

"It was a 6-hour process. Each lieutenant was taken to a separate room. They were given complete freedom to explain themselves in the way they wanted. All the lieutenants were there with great confidence, aware that they had not committed any crime. They started by saying, 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.' Including the regulations related to the internal affairs of the Turkish Armed Forces, the War Academy Law, all their regulations already train the members of the Turkish Armed Forces within the framework of Atatürk's Principles and Reforms, and they emphasized that the stance they took was in accordance with the regulations, as well as that the War Academy is Atatürk's home, and when 1283 is mentioned, everyone at the Army Academy stands up and says 'Among us,' highlighting that the Turkish Armed Forces is an institution that cannot be separated from Atatürk and cannot be distanced from him.

"IF A NEGATIVE DECISION IS MADE, WE CANNOT REPAY OUR DEBTS TO THE HOMELAND"

In this sense, they expressed themselves very freely and comfortably, as they did not commit any crime. They emphasized that for 5 years, this nation gave them the chance to study at the war academy, and their only regret would be that if a negative decision is made, they would not be able to repay their debts to the homeland. They stated that they had no demands for themselves and that they wanted to repay the investment made in them over 5 years as honorable members of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, each of them has a successful record. Some have participated in serious sports competitions abroad and achieved rankings. You already know Lieutenant Ebru; she entered first and graduated first. There is great pride in the Turkish Armed Forces. The first among the three War Academies has come from female officers. We must not forget that we owe this to Atatürk. These lieutenants have expressed that they have not forgotten this debt and their loyalty here.

Unfortunately, the discussion about the discrediting of the Turkish Armed Forces is not due to the stance taken by the lieutenants, as I expressed during the day, but rather due to the public discourse following the actions of the lieutenants and the fact that a disciplinary investigation was opened against them after such an action. We, as lawyers, especially today, conveyed our statements to the board that the Turkish Armed Forces are being attempted to be discredited with this investigation, that this is a great mistake, and that this pressure on the lieutenants should be lifted as soon as possible so that they can continue their duties freely.