Making a Traitor Out of a Hero
In this article, we will briefly recount how a heroic non-commissioned officer from one of the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) most elite units, the Special Forces, was trapped and falsely labeled a traitor. The story is about Staff Sergeant Turgay Perişan.
On the night of the treacherous plot that even the then-Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım described as a "project," Staff Sergeant Turgay Perişan, following the orders of his superiors, set out with a colleague to reinforce the security of the General Staff Headquarters. Before even reaching their assigned location, they were subjected to gunfire by a police officer without warning or questioning. Despite both of them being injured in the attack, they did not return fire and immediately proceeded to their post.
Upon arrival at the General Staff Headquarters, they asked the police officers in the area why they had been fired upon. The answer they received was: "Sorry, it was a mistake."
Throughout the night, Turgay Perişan did not use force or violence against anyone. After having his wound treated, he tried to continue performing his duty in coordination with the police. However, the next day, he was taken into custody. During his detention and imprisonment, he was subjected to various forms of torture.
Even the tampered and manipulated security camera footage, which had lost its evidentiary value, failed to prove that he used force or violence. Additionally, ballistic examination reports of his firearms confirmed they had not been used in any violent act. Nevertheless, he became another victim of the regime’s witch hunt and was accused of "participating in the attempted coup to overthrow the constitution by force," being a co-perpetrator, and held responsible for all crimes committed during the attempted coup within the General Staff Headquarters — including the killing of 11 civilians and injury of 42 others.
The two main pieces of evidence presented against him were:
- The ballistic report from the Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division.
- Tampered security camera footage.
The ballistic report showed that both of his weapons were clean — not used in any shooting or killing.
As for the camera footage:
It was documented in court records that the footage was taken without a court order by unauthorized persons and handed over to Oğuz Tozak without proper legal procedure. The footage was viewed by Zekai Aksakallı and Oğuz Tozak — both of whom are considered ringleaders and torturers behind the conspiracy within the Special Forces. The submitted recordings showed clear signs of cuts, deletions, and lacked time synchronization verification. Despite this tampering, there was still no conclusive evidence linking Turgay Perişan to the alleged crimes.
On the other hand, security camera footage of the initial police shooting incident — which the police officer dismissed by saying, "Sorry, it was a mistake" — was also submitted to the court. Even though the officer who shot and injured two TSK personnel was never investigated or prosecuted, Turgay Perişan, a Special Forces hero, was labeled a traitor without even requiring proof.
It must be remembered that had Turgay Perişan truly intended to participate in the alleged coup attempt, having been involved in countless high-risk counter-terrorism operations, he would not have refrained from responding to gunfire. His and his colleague’s calm response actually saved the lives of the police officers who had opened fire on them.
In conclusion, although he was declared guilty by Turkish courts, Staff Sergeant Turgay Perişan did nothing more than carry out an order to reinforce the security of the General Staff Headquarters. He committed no unlawful act on the night in question and even spared the lives of police officers who shot him without provocation. Does someone like this — rather than being labeled a traitor — not truly deserve to be recognized as a hero?
Mehmet Akbulut
