The July 15 Regime Built with Criminals:The Case of Cihat Yaycı

The common characteristic of the officials who took an active role in the “July 15 Conspiracy Project” and who filled the vacancies created by the liquidation of the personnel with decree laws is that they were involved in shady affairs, were involved in crimes, and were tried. We present to your attention the example of Cihat Yaycı, one of these people who sold themselves to the regime of oppression in exchange for the exoneration of their crimes or for their ambition to prosper.

Cihat Yaycı was appointed as Rear Admiral in 2012 and simultaneously assigned as Military Attaché in Moscow. However, he became involved in a suspicious scandal, which is rare in diplomatic missions. The details of the scandalous incident are as follows:

At that time, contract personnel fluent in both Turkish and Russian (most likely of Azerbaijani origin) were employed within the Military Attaché’s office. Contrary to the terms of the contract, Yaycı dismissed these employees and replaced them with individuals whose identities and reasons for selection raised questions. Normally, in diplomatic missions, attachés do not dismiss personnel without being involved in criminal activities, bribery, or similar situations. Those who were dismissed felt they were wrongfully and unfairly terminated in violation of the contract terms, and as a result, filed official complaints with the Turkish General Staff.

After the General Staff Prosecutor’s preliminary investigation, a lawsuit was filed against Yaycı for abuse of office. Yaycı was then tried in the General Staff Military Court. Being an ambitious person, Yaycı saw this case as an obstacle to his promotion to Rear Admiral and even attempted to interfere with the proceedings. He applied pressure on the prosecutor and the court by leveraging his political connections or involving high-ranking commanders (such as Yaşar Güler).

The July 15th Conspiracy Project came to Yaycı's rescue, the regime closed the investigation and Yaycı was made a Rear Admiral in 2016. Yaycı was rewarded for his assistance to the conspiracy project, but he also paid his dues by activating the genocide tool called the F.meter (This system targets the Turkish Armed Forces and especially those who are pro-NATO, support EU negotiations, and are seen as opponents by Erdoğan followers. The F.meter criteria have enabled large-scale purges in the Turkish Armed Forces and other state institutions on the grounds of alleged membership in the Hizmet Movement). But it was our country and our people who lost. Because;

• * He was involved in a scandal that disgraced the country in the international arena in terms of diplomatic representation.
• * It is still unclear whether Yaycı gained any benefits from the individuals he hired to replace those he dismissed and what his true objectives were.
• * Had it not been for the events of July 15th, Yaycı would probably have been sentenced in the case he was put on trial, but due to the pressure he exerted and the wind of July 15th, he escaped punishment.
• * Like İsmail Metin Temel, Yaycı played an active role in the July 15 plot by blackmailing crimes and irregularities.

In the final analysis, this is July 15th with the actors involved in the project, their dirty work and unlawfulness! Isn't the source of the social and economic problems we are experiencing these days the surrender of the state to people involved in crime, to the mafia and even the mafiaization of the state?

Dilaver Derviş