70 percent of Turkish navy vessels used in coup on July 15: Indictment

Mesut Hasan Benli - ANKARA

Some 70 percent of Turkish navy vessels played a role in coup activities on July 15 night as their personnel were previously informed about the attempt by the orchestrators of the failed bid, according to Ankara prosecutors.

In an indictment sent to an Ankara court of serious crimes on Jan. 13, prosecutors who are seeking sentences against 72 naval suspects, said a total of 29 military vessels at the Gölcük, Aksaz, Mersin, Istanbul, Karadeniz Ereğlisi and Foça naval bases were mobilized at 9 p.m., 20 minutes before the first notification about the coup reached the command, to implement “their plans to gather personnel” for the coup activities. 

The indictment said 29 vessels, amounting to 70 percent of the main vessels, particularly those in the Marmara area, were advancing in areas of mobile phone reception and that most of them could have followed the coup activities from visual media such as TV on the vessels. 

Some 71 of the 72 suspects are charged with attempting to change the constitutional order, attempting to abolish the Turkish Parliament and attempting to abolish the Turkish government and face three aggravated life terms each.

According to the indictment, two of the 29 vessels, the TCG Yavuz and TCG Kemalreis, used weapons during the coup attempt, noting that the Kemalreis shot three artillery rounds on the water at 5:51 a.m. on July 16, 2016.

Navy Adm. Bülent Bostanoğlu was included in the indictment as a plaintiff, as he was abducted on the night of the coup. Regarding his abduction, the document said a team was formed under the leadership of his special secretary, Col. Mahmut Arduç, and that the abduction order was given by Commodore İrfan Arabacı.