Erdoğan threatens opposition leader: “Watch your step”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a stark warning to main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, after Özel criticized military commanders over the controversial dismissal of five army cadets.

“As Commander-in-Chief, I am telling you: Watch your step. If you don’t, we know how to make you,” Erdogan said on February 26 during a meeting with provincial heads of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The heated exchange came after the controversial decision by Ministry of National Defense to discharge five military cadets from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

The cadets had recited their officer’s oath during their August 30, 2024 graduation ceremony, adding the phrase “We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal [Atatürk]” – referring to the founder of modern Türkiye.

The Defense Ministry stated that the discharges were necessary to maintain military discipline, emphasizing that “there should not be the slightest doubt that no disciplinary violation will be tolerated in the Turkish Armed Forces.”

The cadets – Ebru Eroğlu, Batuhan Gazi Kılıç, Deniz Demirtaş, Talip İzzet Akarsu, and Serhat Gündar – had defended themselves in January, claiming they had never received any orders forbidding them from reciting the traditional oath.

Opposition leader’s accusations

CHP leader Özel on Feb. 25 made serious allegations against high-ranking military officials in connection with the cadets’ dismissal.

He claimed that Lieutenant General Tevfik Algan, the Head of the High Disciplinary Board and Chief of Staff of the Land Forces Command, had objected to the discharges but was pressured to resign.

Özel directly accused Land Forces Commander General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu and Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, stating: “I know what you did. You have earned the curses, not the blessings, of your colleagues.”

He further alleged that the commanders had engaged in “psychological warfare” to force the cadets out, adding: “I know how the Naval Forces Commander wants to replace someone, how he undermined them, and how he instigated the discharge of the cadets through what could be called irregular warfare. I know how the Land Forces Commander applied mobbing.”

Erdogan: “Watch your step”

President Erdogan responded with uncharacteristic anger during his party meeting:

“Mr. Özel’s path is not the right path, nor is his tone appropriate! His disrespectful, irresponsible, and aggressive statements about our heroic army’s command echelon are the latest example. As Commander-in-Chief, I am telling you: Watch your step. You do not have the authority to criticize the army’s command echelon – know your place.”

Erdogan announced that he would gather the military command and encourage them to file lawsuits against Özel:

“I will gather our command personnel and we will file lawsuits against them on every point, including moral damages. I will ask all of the command echelon, including the Minister of National Defense, to file lawsuits.”