Some of them had been conscripted for five days while others were conscripts for five months. Now they are the victims of the crackdown following the coup bid that shook Turkey on July 15, 2016. The number of conscripts sentenced to life imprisonment on coup charges is much higher than generally assumed, but most of their families are afraid to speak up.
BOLD – When the putsch ensued on July 15, 2016, Ahmet Ozdemir and Mustafa Polat had been conscripted for five days. Emirhan Dogancılı had been a conscript for twenty days. Yasin Akgül and Recep Delice were conscripts for two and a half months and five months respectively. Tunahan Kurt had three months left to be discharged. They were held responsible for the deaths of 249 people (the death toll of the coup attempt) and sentenced to life imprisonment.
They have been waiting for justice in prison for three years, and their parents protest in public places for their rights. Families who trusted the Turkish judiciary for the first two years, keeping quiet about their imprisoned children hoping that the wrongful rulings would be fixed, resorted to protesting in the streets lately. However, families who stay silent and prefer to remain that way still make up the majority.
Ahmet Özdemir: He was taken from Metris Barracks and dropped in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on the night of the coup bid. On that night it had been five days since he had come to Istanbul from Isparta, where he was enlisted in the boot camp. It was his first time in Istanbul. He was held responsible for the deaths of 14 people who were killed that night in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. He got a life sentence. He is currently incarcerated in Silivri Prison in Istanbul.
Mustafa Polat: Mustafa was also taken from Metris Barracks and brought to the main building of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on that night. He was ordered to guard a depot behind the town hall and heard about the coup from a guy shouting out of a window while waiting there, unaware of what was underway. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, despite the fact that he sought refuge in a ventilation pipe out of fear. He is also incarcerated in Silivri Prison.
Emirhan Dogancili: Dogancili, who had lung surgery twice, was a young man who decided to serve in the military despite his condition. He had himself enlisted saying to his mother, “I do not want to hear people claiming that I did not go to the military because I am unfit for service.” That night, he was among the 34 conscripts who were taken from Kartas Barracks to the Acıbadem Telekom area in Istanbul. Although the ballistic examinations did not find any evidence against him, he got seven life sentences. He is also incarcerated in Silivri Prison.
Yasin Akgül: Akgül was among the conscripts who were deployed at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. He had an interesting conversation with his commander that night. His commander ordered Yasin to fire at the people while holding a gun in his own hand. Yasin did not do that and the commander repeated the order and Yasin disobeyed again. The conscript was threatened at gunpoint being told that if he resisted, he would be shot. Yasin was shot in the leg in the end for disobeying the orders. However, despite his bravery, he was also sentenced to life imprisonment. He is incarcerated in Şakran Prison. Her mother, Fadime Akgül, makes the trip from Izmir to Ankara every week on Wednesday and shouts out chants over her son’s innocence in the protests demanding justice.
Tunahan Kurt: Tunahan, who was among the conscripts deployed on the Bosphorus Bridge, is one of the lucky according to his father. 17.5 years imprisonment he got is a short sentence compared to others. Tunahan was taken from the Kartal Maltepe Nurettin Marshal Barracks and deployed on the bridge that night. It was 02.19 AM local time when they arrived at the bridge. After he disembarked from an armored vehicle he got shot, a bullet hit his helmet, and he got on the vehicle again never to leave again until the morning.
Recep Delice: Recep was a shepherd in a village in the central Anatolian city of Sivas. He was drafted on the 4th of February in 2016. He had been a conscript for five months when the coup attempt took place. On that night, he was taken from the Kuleli Military High School to the Bosphorus Bridge. Recep, speaking with a stammer, could not even defend himself properly on the trials and was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. He also is incarcerated in the Silivri Prison.