İsmail Güneşer

The Bolu 2^nd Commando Tugay Brigadier Commander İsmail Güneşer, who was arrested under the investigation related to the July 15 coup attempt, is listed as the Bolu and Düzce Martial Law Commander on the so-called assignment list prepared by the putschists. Güneşer, who was supported the coup from Hakkari where was at for a temporary mission, called the Bolu Police Commissioner Mustafa Kızılkaya and gave the order "I’m the martial law commander, intervene.”. Güneşer, who had worked as the chief aide-de-camp for the former president Abdullah Gül between the years of 2008 and 2012, was arrested in the Şemdinli district of Hakkari.

In his statement at the Yüksekova Public Prosecution, Güneşer claimed that he was not involved with FETÖ, and that he would not let there be a parallel structure from within the government, let alone join it. It was revealed that Güneşer called the Düzce Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Colonel Bilal Güvenir and asked him to obey his commands.

Arrested for attempting a coup, "violating the constitution" and "and being a member of FETÖ”, Güneşer said the following in his statement at the prosecution:

"I have been voting for the AK Parti since 2010.” Güneşer added that he was not aware of the coup attempt and continued:

“I was about to leave for vacation on July 14-15. But upon receiving intelligence regarding the PKK carrying out an attack on Aktütün road and the places around and a big mine on the road, the 3^rd Infantry Division gave 2 battalions under my command and gave me the order to conduct a quick operation there with a total of 4 battalions. We started the operation on July 11. We returned on July 13. I was living on 10-12 hours of sleep for the last 7 or 8 days, because of other previous operations. I was picked up on the road from the operation field to the 3^rd Division Command for a farewell meeting for the army commander on July 14. My commanders were aware of the date July 21, to which my vacation date had been changed to. I bought my plane ticket to Ankara from Van. I booked a place in the Erdek military camp for 10 days. This is the simplest evidence that I was not aware of the coup attempt.”

Noting that he heard about the coup plan when he was in the office of the Brigaider Commander Ali Salnur working in the 34^th Frontier Brigade Command, Güneşer said: “A soldier whose rank and name I don’t know delivered the declaration by the General Staff to the Brig. Gen. Salnur. Salnur read the declaration, he said: “Sir, this is about martial law.” Salnur also said I was assigned as the Bolu and Düzce Martial Law Commander.”

To the Bolu Police Commissioner "I’m the martial law commander, intervene"

Noting that he called the Provincial Police COmmisisinoer Mustafa Kızılkaya with Bolu Gendermarie Commander Colonel Türker Yılmaz, Güneşer said, “The commissioner told me ‘Sir, don’t let the gendarmerie out. Don’t let them come here. There will be blood. Please.’ and I told him ‘Don’t let that happen. I’m calling and giving orders to Türker.’ I gave an order to both the Bolu Provincial Gendarmerie and Provincial Police Headquarters to prevent the soldiers, the police, and people from fighting.”

As an answer to the question “Did you give the order ‘Calm down the streets. Send people home. I’m ordering you as the martial law commander. I will shoot the brains out of whoever comes to the lodgments’?”, Gülşener said:

"Colonel Türker and Police Commissioner Kızılkaya told me that the security of the command and lodgment in Bolu was ensured by police forces to not let any soldiers out due to state of emergency and to not let any civilians or others into the headquarters, which might cause problems. I thought that was appropriate. I didn’t change it. I didn’t let soldiers out. Mustafa told me 7 or 8 thousand people gathered on the streets. I told him not to let civilians into the headquarters. I said ‘I will shoot their brains’ if they enter the headquarters I’m responsible for. After Mustafa frivolously said ‘I’m dispersing 7 or 8 thousand people slowly.’, I angrily said to Mustafa "I’m the martial law commander, intervene" to make him obey my order. I didn’t give any instructions to Colonel Türker Yılmaz to arrest the governor, mayor, and the commissioner.

A phone call to Düzce: "Follow my orders"

Güneşer, who is listed as the so-called “Bolu and Düzce Martial Law Commander” said that he called the Düzce Provincial Gendarmerie Command on the night of the coup attempt: “When I saw that Düzce Provincial Gendarmerie Command was also under my command according to the plan, I called the Commander and said ‘Don’t let the soldiers and civilians fight. Colonel Türker is in charge of the garrison. Talk to him. Follow my orders.’

Hakkari governor called him but he did not go

Güneşer was also asked the following question “You were called to the crisis table in the Hakkari Governorship. But you didn’t go? Why?” Güneşer’s answer was as follows:

"The 3^rd Infantry Division Commander Major Gen. Halil İbrahim Ergin called me and said, ‘The governor wants to speak with you.’ I asked what the governor wanted to talk about. He said he didn’t know. I asked a helicopter to go to Hakkari. He told me the air space was closed and we had to go with an otokar cobra vehicle. I told him that the road was not safe and it wouldn’t be safe anyway since the vehicle is a military vehicle. I told him that going with a civilian car would be safer. He told me a civilian car would not be safe either. I called the Gendarmerie Commander and asked him how I was going to see the Governor. He told me the governor was with him but he was very busy. I called the governor many times but I couldn’t reach him."

Güneşer said that he called the Major Gen. Avni Angun from the 2^nd Army Command he worked for, “I told him the Governor wanted to see me but the General said I shouldn’t go there. He told me things were bad and it wouldn’t be safe to see the governor. He told me to protect the soldiers in the barracks and not let anyone out. I called the governor around 08.30 in the morning. He told me he was busy and said ‘Let’s talk in 10 minutes.’ But they never called me back”

"I learned about the first aide-de-camp job in an operation"

Noting that he entered the War College exams three times and he was finally admitted on his last attempt, Güneşer said “I was assigned as the aide-de-camp to the president after the president chose one of the 3 personnel chosen by the Chief of Staff. I heard about the assignment when I was on an operation in the Oğul Valley.

Noting that he heard about the coup plan when he was in the office of the Brigaider Commander Ali Salnur working in the 34^th Frontier Brigade Command, Güneşer said: “A soldier whose rank and name I don’t know delivered the declaration by the General Staff to the Brig. Gen. Salnur. Salnur read the declaration, he said: “Sir, this is about martial law.” Salnur also said I was assigned as the Bolu and Düzce Martial Law Commander.”