Retired Admiral Türker Ertürk Arrested in Turkey Over 2023 Statements

Retired Admiral Türker Ertürk has been arrested in Turkey following an investigation into statements he made during a television appearance in March 2023. Ertürk was detained and subsequently brought before the Bakırköy Criminal Judgeship of Peace, which ordered his pretrial detention.

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Look, the government will change now. Painfully or painlessly, the government will change. Therefore, everyone must come to their senses. You, me... everyone, of course... Therefore, we expect the Supreme Election Council to make decisions according to conscience and law. Otherwise, I think we will experience difficulties as a country in the future.

The charges against Ertürk are related to "openly threatening life, health, and bodily integrity with the aim of creating public anxiety, fear, and panic." The investigation was reportedly initiated ex officio by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office based on video content of his statements shared on social media.

In the statements that led to the investigation, Ertürk had discussed the potential for a change in government, suggesting it could happen "painfully or painlessly." He also urged everyone to "come to their senses" and expressed hope that the Supreme Election Council would act according to conscience and law, otherwise warning of future national difficulties.

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My client Türker Ertürk has been arrested today (August 17, 2026) by the Bakırköy 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace on charges of 'openly threatening life, health, and bodily integrity with the aim of creating public anxiety, fear, and panic' due to statements he made on a television program on March 20, 2023. The arrest order is clearly devoid of legal basis. We believe that even law school students would find it difficult to extract a criminal element from the statements in question.

Ertürk's lawyer, Ayhan Yıldızel, strongly condemned the arrest, asserting that the legal grounds for the detention are nonexistent. Yıldızel pointed out the unusual speed of the investigation, noting that a social media post recirculating Ertürk's 3.5-year-old comments shortly after midnight on August 17th led to his arrest approximately eight hours later. The lawyer argued that even law students would struggle to identify a criminal element in Ertürk's remarks.

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However, the process is quite thought-provoking: A user on X account re-shared this conversation, which took place 3.5 years ago, shortly after midnight on August 17th (at 00:18), stating, 'I am sure the Bakırköy or Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office will deal with this damned... (Türker Ertürk), Ankara is dealing with Kuriş, Bakırköy is more suitable.' Approximately 8 hours after this post, an arrest warrant was issued for Türker Ertürk by the Bakır...