First Woman Valedictorian Lieutenant of Turkish Military Academy Expelled from Turkish Armed Forces for Chanting Secular Slogan

03-02-2025

Idil Igdir

Women’s Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence. 

On August 30th, 2024, a historic moment unfolded during the diploma and flag handover ceremony at the Turkish National Defence University (Milli Savunma Üniversitesi) in Istanbul. For the first time, women ranked first in all three military academies. Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu, the top graduate of the Army Academy, Lieutenant Seyda Yıldırım, the top graduate of the Naval Academy, and Lieutenant İkra Kuyumcu, the top graduate of the Air Force Academy, all made history (1). It was a moment of immense pride for Turkish women.

However, that sense of triumph was short-lived. On Friday, January 31st, 2025, the Turkish Ministry of Defence announced the expulsion of five newly commissioned lieutenants, including valedictorian Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu, along with three commanding officers from the Turkish Armed Forces (2). The decision, taken by the High Disciplinary Board of the army with a vote of 4 to 5, followed an investigation into their organisation of an officer’s oath — removed in 2016— which involved drawing swords at the end of the official ceremony (2). 

Explanation: 

Following the 2016 coup attempt, the longstanding officer’s oath, in place since 1995, was first quietly removed from practice and later officially withdrawn from the Ceremonial Directive of the National Defence University in 2023 (3). As a result, cadets were required to take the official soldier’s oath under Article 37 of the 1961 Internal Service Law (4). But on August 30th, after the formal ceremony had concluded, with the leadership of Lieutenant Eroğlu, 400 lieutenants drew their swords and chanted, “We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk”—a powerful tribute to the founder of the Republic of Türkiye and a symbol of secularism. Then, in a moment charged with pride and determination, first Lieutenant Eroğlu and then her fellow lieutenants recited the traditional officer’s oath (3):

We swear an oath that in the face of any hand reaching for the independence of the secular and democratic Republic of Turkey, the indivisible unity of the country, the honour and dignity of the great Turkish nation, or even an inch of our sacred homeland, they will find us standing against them, and our swords will always be sharp and ready. We are the children of Turkey’s future. We were born with honour, we will live with honour. How happy is the one who says, ‘I am a Turk!’ 

As their voices echoed across the academy grounds, pledging loyalty to secularism, democratic principles, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the government’s reaction was swift and severe. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed the event as “a turmoil caused by a few reckless individuals” on September 5th, 2024 (3). He further addressed the matter at the Imam Hatip Convention on September 7th, stating, 

Who are you drawing your swords against? All necessary investigations are being conducted regarding this. A few reckless individuals there will also be cleared. No matter how many they are, it is not possible for them to remain in our army. (5)

The Ministry of Defence further clarified that only those who organised the officer’s oath would be sent to the High Disciplinary Board of the army (5).

Result: 

Lieutenant Eroğlu was subsequently accused of violating Article 20, Section C of the Turkish Armed Forces Disciplinary Code, which prohibits actions deemed “harmful to the reputation of the state and military” (6). The penalty was immediate expulsion from the Forces she had joined just months earlier as the top-ranking graduate of her class. In her defence, Eroğlu reportedly stated, “No one ever told us we could not recite the officer’s oath after the official ceremony had ended” (7), as the Ministry’s justification for this entire process was based on the claim that “the lieutenants who took the oath were facing disciplinary action due to ‘deliberate, organised, and planned indiscipline,’ despite warnings from their superiors” (5).  

This shameful decision further sparked outrage in the country, highlighting once more the attempt to criminalise and punish the love and support for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. For instance, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu condemned the expulsions, calling them “a decision that will go down in history as a disgrace” (2). He argued that the ruling disrespected the legacy of Turkey’s Independence War veterans and fallen soldiers. “Our army is the army of Atatürk, the founder of this nation. We stand with our lieutenants and will not leave them alone,” (2) Imamoğlu said.

Former Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also criticised the move, saying the decision targeted not only the young officers but also “millions who believe in the republic” and “If expressing loyalty to Atatürk is now considered a crime, it means the foundations of the republic are being shaken,” pledging that Atatürk’s followers “can neither be expelled nor silenced” (8). The current leader of the opposition party, Ozgur Ozel, further joined the criticism by describing the ruling as a “disgraceful decision”, emphasising that “calling for ‘we are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’ is not a crime”. 

That being said, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, by contrast, supported the decision, describing it as a “sound and correct decision” (9). 

Meaning… 

Since the failed coup attempt in 2016, Türkiye has been rapidly drifting away from democracy, reshaping its foundations along more conservative lines. This transformation has also extended to the military, particularly as part of the broader restructuring that followed the coup. Thus, on the one hand, this decision serves as a stark reminder of Turkey’s ongoing authoritarianisation process; on the other, it highlights the increasingly acrimonious tensions between the Erdoğan government and secularists since the last elections—tensions that are likely to escalate further.

From a human rights perspective, this ruling once again underscores the precarious state of freedom of expression in Türkiye and how easily this fundamental right can be violated. Indeed, a woman lieutenant who graduated at the top of her class—the first to achieve such a distinction in the history of the Republic—has been stripped of her title and position simply for expressing her commitment to secularism, democratic principles, and, above all, to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. 

Sources and further reading : 

1. Women Studies Centre in Science and Engineering and Technology, (September 2, 2024), ‘Turkish Female Cadets Top Türkiye’s National Defense University Graduation”, Istanbul Teknik Universitesi, <https://kaum.itu.edu.tr/en/news/2024/09/02/women-in-first-place-in-all-three-cadets> accessed on February 2nd, 2025. 
2. Turkish Minute, (January 31, 2025), “Turkish defense ministry expels 8 military officers over secularist chant”, <https://www.turkishminute.com/2025/01/31/turkish-defense-ministry-expels-8-military-officers-over-secularist-chant2/> accessed on February 2nd, 2025. 
3. Uludağ, A., (November 19, 2024), “10 soruda teğmenlerin yemin krizi”, DW, <https://www.dw.com/tr/10-soruda-te%C4%9Fmenlerin-yemin-krizi/a-70819835> accessed on February 2nd, 2025. 
4. Turkish Armed Forces Internal Service Law (Law No 211), 4 January 1961, Official Gazette (9 January 1961) No 10702, 4th series, Vol 1, 1008.
5. Tuncer A. C, (January 31, 2025), “’Mustafa Kemal’in askerleriyiz’ sloganıyla ‘Subay Yemini’ eden 5 teğmen TSK’dan ihraç edildi”, Euronews, <https://tr.euronews.com/2025/01/31/yemin-toreni-sorusturmasi-bes-tegmen-ihrac-edildi> accessed on February 2nd, 2025. 
6. The Turkish Armed Forces Disciplinary Code, Law No 6413, Official Gazette (16 February 2013) ,<https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2013/02/20130216-1.htm> accessed on February 2nd, 2025. 
7. Boran, D. H., (January 16, 2025), “TSK’dan ihraç edilen teğmenlerin savunması: ‘Kimse subay andını okumayacaksınız diye bir emir vermedi”‘, BBC,< https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/c70k8z38r25o> accessed on February 2nd, 2025. 
8. Arti Gerçek, (January 31, 2025), “Kılıçdaroğlu’ndan teğmenlerin ihracına tepki”, <https://artigercek.com/guncel/kilicdaroglundan-tegmenlerin-ihracina-tepki-332504h> accessed on February 2nd, 2025. 
9. Evrensel, (February 1, 2025), “Bahçeli’den teğmenlerin ihracına destek: İsabetli ve doğru bir karar”, <https://www.evrensel.net/haber/541660/bahceliden-tegmenlerin-ihracina-destek-isabetli-ve-dogru-bir-karar> accessed on February 2nd, 2025.
10. Boran, D. H., (January 16, 2025), “TSK’dan ihraç edilen teğmenlerin savunması: ‘Kimse subay andını okumayacaksınız diye bir emir vermedi’”‘, BBC,< https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/c70k8z38r25o> accessed on February 2nd, 2025.