Turkey’s defense ministry denied claims that five lieutenants and their commanding officers were expelled from the military for taking a discontinued secularist oath, saying their dismissal was due to premeditated indiscipline and not the content of their oath, Turkish media reported.
In a statement released Friday, defense ministry sources said the disciplinary action had “nothing to do with the content of the oath” but was instead a response to what it described as an organized act of disobedience. “These young officers were not punished for what they said, but for engaging in a pre-planned, collective act of indiscipline that disrupted absolute obedience and damaged the reputation of the Turkish Armed Forces,” the statement read.
The lieutenants, led by valedictorian Ebru Eroğlu, had recited the military oath, discontinued in 2022, that included a pledge to defend Turkey’s secular and democratic principles. Videos of the ceremony, which featured graduates raising their swords while chanting in unison, spread widely on social media and sparked a political firestorm, with critics accusing the government of targeting officers loyal to the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
The defense ministry dismissed these accusations, saying claims of persecution based on the officers’ secularist stance were “the greatest slander and insult that could be directed at the Turkish Armed Forces.” It urged the public to avoid misinterpretations that could undermine military cohesion.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had previously condemned the event, calling it an act of disorder. “The military is no place for undisciplined behavior. We will ensure that those responsible face the consequences,” Erdoğan said in September.
The expulsions have been met with widespread criticism from opposition leaders. Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel called the ruling “a disgraceful decision” and accused the government of politicizing the military. İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu argued that the dismissals were an insult to Turkey’s military history, while former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said the decision targeted “millions who believe in the republic.”