Ebru Eroğlu, one of five lieutenants expelled from the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on the grounds of insubordination for raising their swords in the air and chanting the slogan “We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers” during the Military Academy’s swearing-in ceremony on August 30, 2024, lost the lawsuit to return to the military she filed against the Defense Ministry.
Eroğlu, who was the top of her class, and her classmates İzzet Talip Akarsu, Serhat Gündar, Deniz Demirtaş, and Batuhan Gazi Kılıç, had been dismissed from the military in January 2025 by a decision of the Ministry’s High Disciplinary Board, and had filed a lawsuit seeking to have the decision overturned.
The court that ruled to reinstate Demirtaş three months ago rejected Eroğlu’s appeal on March 23. In its ruling, the court said that Eroğlu had damaged the reputation of the TAF and that her actions had shaken public confidence in the military.
The rulings in the cases filed by the other three lieutenants have not yet been announced.
The rulings may be appealed to a higher court. The Defense Ministry has filed an appeal against the decision to reinstate Demirtaş. Eroğlu, meanwhile, will file an appeal seeking to be reinstated to her position.
