Turkish Council of State Overturns Military Exam Ruling Related to FETÖ-Purged Officials
The Turkish Council of State (Danıştay) has overturned a 2010 military examination decision, reinstating three non-commissioned officers as lieutenants following a 14-year legal battle.
The original ruling, which branded them as having failed the exam, was issued by a committee within the Military High Administrative Court (AYİM), the members of which were subsequently dismissed due to alleged links to the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).
This ruling now grants the officers their commissions 16 years after the initial examination. The case originated from the 2010 Gendarmerie Transition from Non-Commissioned Officer to Officer Exam (Jandarma Astsubaylıktan Subaylığa Geçiş Sınavı).
At the time, the three non-commissioned officers were declared to have failed by a committee under the AYİM.
This court was a specialized military tribunal in Turkey but was dissolved in 2017 as part of the extensive reforms to the judicial system following the 2016 coup attempt, during which thousands of civil servants were dismissed for alleged FETÖ affiliations. The Turkish state considers the Fethullah Gülen movement, referred to as FETÖ, to be a terrorist organization and accuses it of infiltrating state institutions and orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt.
In the aftermath of the coup attempt, many officials in the military, the judiciary, and other branches of the state apparatus were purged.
The specific committee within the AYİM that made the decision against the three non-commissioned officers was identified as being part of this purge. The non-commissioned officers refused to accept the 2010 verdict and initiated a protracted legal process that spanned 14 years.
Their struggle concluded when Turkey' s highest administrative court, the Council of State (Danıştay), recently heard the case.
The Danıştay acts as the highest administrative court in Turkey, responsible for reviewing government actions and regulations while serving as the final court of appeal in administrative matters. The Council of State ruled to overturn the original assessment that defined the non-commissioned officers as having failed the exam.
This ruling paved the way for their officer careers.
Following the court' s decision, the three men completed a two-year officer training programme.
Now, 16 years after the initial 2010 exam, they have been formally appointed to new positions with the rank of lieutenant (teğmen). This decision underscores the ongoing process of correcting erroneous rulings believed to have been influenced by members of FETÖ.
Such legal settlements are an important part of Turkey' s effort to restore justice and confidence in state institutions following the events of 2016.
The case also illustrates the long and complex legal battle that victims of allegedly FETÖ-influenced decisions have had to endure.
Source: Star
