‘Jailed generals should be forced to retire,’ says retired military judge

There are sixty-eight active duty generals and admirals under arrest. Forty of them are eligible for promotion to a higher rank at this year’s YAŞ meeting. It is not immediately clear if the prime minister, who will chair the meeting, and military superiors will decide to force those generals and admirals to retire or allow their term of duty to be extended for another year.

Retired military judge Faik Tarımcıoğlu told Today’s Zaman that the jailed generals and admirals should not be promoted nor have their term of duty extended, but should be forced to retire. “This is the legal solution,” Tarımcıoğlu said. According to the retired judge, members of the military staff are promoted only if they achieve success in their fields, and he asked: “Those generals and admirals are serving time in jail for several months. What successes have they achieved in prison to deserve a promotion?”

In the meantime, Defense Minister Yılmaz has announced that the government is planning to increase the salaries of low-ranking officers by 20 percent.

The increase will be included in a bill which is set to be forwarded to Parliament for discussion once the summer recess is over. “Work over the personal rights of the military staff is being carried out. The bill will cover [an increase in] salaries of active duty noncommissioned officers, gendarmerie officers, specialized sergeants and civilian servants of the TSK as well as the pensions of those officers who have already retired,” Yılmaz stated.

The minister also said the bill envisages an additional payment for members of the armed forces who work overtime. In addition, members of the military who serve in cases of natural disasters, including privates, will be paid for their service.