Turkey’s Ministry of Defense announced Friday that five newly commissioned lieutenants and three commanding officers have been dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces following an investigation into their role in organizing an oath ceremony featuring a secularist slogan during the August 30 graduation ceremony at the Turkish Military Academy.
The expelled officers, including valedictorian Ebru Eroğlu, led a group of cadets in raising their swords and chanting, “We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers,” in reference to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey and a symbol of secularism. The ceremony, which was not part of the official graduation program, also included a recitation of an oath pledging loyalty to Turkey’s secular and democratic principles.
The High Disciplinary Board of the army ruled that the actions constituted a violation of military discipline, and the Ministry of Defense said the dismissals were carried out “to maintain established discipline” within the military. “There should be no doubt that any act or incident contrary to discipline will not be tolerated,” the ministry’s statement read.
İktidar bugün bir utanç kararının altına daha imza attı. “Mustafa Kemal’in askerleriyiz” diyen 5 teğmenimiz ve 3 komutanımız Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri’nden ihraç edildi.
Karar, kışlaya siyaset sokan Atatürk düşmanı zihniyetin dile gelmiş halidir. Atatürk’ün kurduğu orduda,…
— Özgür Özel (@eczozgurozel) January 31, 2025
The incident has ignited a political firestorm, with opposition figures condemning the dismissals. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel condemned the expulsions, calling them “a disgraceful decision” and accusing the government of politicizing the military. “Saying ‘We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers’ is not a crime in the army Atatürk founded,” Özel said. He vowed that if the opposition comes to power, the dismissed officers would be reinstated “without any losses” and that those responsible for the decision would be held accountable.
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu also criticized the expulsions, calling them “a decision that will go down in history as a disgrace.” He argued that the ruling disrespected the legacy of Turkey’s Independence War veterans and fallen soldiers. “Our army is the army of Atatürk, the founder of this nation. We stand with our lieutenants and will not leave them alone,” İmamoğlu said.
Former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also denounced the move, saying the decision targeted not only the young officers but also “millions who believe in the republic.”
“If expressing loyalty to Atatürk is now considered a crime, it means the foundations of the republic are being shaken,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, vowing that Atatürk’s followers “can neither be expelled nor silenced.”
Yankı Bağcıoğlu, the CHP’s deputy chairman and a retired military officer, said the decision had “wounded the honor of Turkish soldiers” and accused government-linked media of waging a campaign against the lieutenants. He vowed legal action, stating that the officers would challenge the expulsions in administrative court.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had previously signaled his support for disciplinary measures, saying in September that the military was “no place for those who act without discipline” and that those involved would be “held accountable.”
The expulsions come against the backdrop of long-standing tensions between Erdoğan’s government and Turkey’s secularist traditions. Critics see the move as part of a broader effort to reshape the military along more conservative lines, while government supporters argue that military discipline must be upheld regardless of political symbolism.
The expelled officers are expected to appeal their dismissals, with legal experts predicting a drawn-out court battle over the decision.