New Revealed Information Refutes AKP's "15 July and 250 Martyrs" Discourse

When it is said that "July 15 is a scenario, it is a conspiracy", the memorized reaction of the supporters of the regime is "is 250 martyrs also a scenario?" Of course, 250 deaths is not a scenario, but the correct question must be "Who are the killers of these 250 people?" Because the information and similar files we will give now make it necessary to ask this question.

According to the official figures, 251 civilians who were called to the streets by President Erdogan during the July 15 (so-called) coup attempt died and 2,734 were injured. Autopsy reports, which may prove by whom and how the deaths were carried out, were not prepared in detail. Moreover, the Decree Law No. 696 have closed the way of investigation against the persons who acted within the scope of suppressing the 15 July coup attempt and terrorist acts and the actions that follow them, regardless of whether they hold an official title or fulfill an official duty.

The said regulation caused controversy and the opinion that the relevant regulation was incompatible with the basic principles of law emerged. The reason why such an illegal arrangement was made raises questions:

• Is it desired to protect various individuals or groups with the said regulation?
• What actions did the individuals or groups who want to be exempted from criminal responsibility take?
• Were there any civilians killed during these actions?
• If there were civilians who died, who are they?

To date, no research has been deemed necessary regarding these questions, and no concrete evidence has been presented by the prosecution offices regarding the deaths in question. The concept of joint agency was exploited against the military persons arrested on and after July 15, and a criminal charge was made with the logic of "you were there that day, so you are the perpetrator".

The deaths in question were reported by the pro-government media and Perinçek media, who slandered innocent people and damaged their reputation with their fake news and perception operations, and innocent soldiers, who were accused without any evidence, were turned into targets in the eyes of the public. However, it was revealed by the defenses of the defendants in the courts that the news in question were false. The news of the media about Rear Admiral Sinan Sürer that he "shot at civilians who entered the headquarters" is just one of these fake news.

In the defense made by Rear Admiral Sinan Sürer at the hearings of the 17th High Criminal Court of Ankara on 21 - 22 March 2019, it was revealed that:

1. According to the expert report examining the footage of the incident, Rear Admiral Sinan Sürer did not shoot,
2. It is stated in the statements of the accused and witnesses that Rear Admiral Sinan Sürer did not shoot,
3. The ballistic report confirmed the statement of Rear Admiral Sinan Sürer,
4. Not the slightest concrete evidence could be presented to the court by the prosecutor's office regarding the shooting of Rear Admiral Sinan Sürer.

Rear Admiral Sinan Sürer was sentenced to an aggravated prison sentence 141 times, even though he was proven not guilty in the expert and ballistic reports and the prosecutor's office could not put forward the slightest evidence against him.

The above-mentioned violations of law in the July 15 cases and the Decree-Law No. 696 issued during the state of emergency bring one question to mind: Were civilians killed on July 15 by individuals or groups alleged to be operating against the so-called coup attempt? Were these deaths slandered by the judiciary on innocent soldiers?

Fatih Ayhan Acar