Private Umut Tuna just finished basic training. The 20-year-old soldier was beginning his 12-month compulsory service in the Turkish Military.
On July 15th, a command came down to prepare for a drill, says Umut’s sister Emel Koken. That drill turned out to be a coup attempt. Now his fate and that of over 1,600 conscripts hangs in the balance.
“He called me from a police station,” she says. “He wasn’t aware of the coup. He was told he was going out for a drill. He is very scared.”
Many of the conscripts are being held in Silivri prison located on a windswept plain an hour outside of Istanbul.
In front of the main gate, dozens of families wait at a makeshift coffee shop with plastic chairs hoping to hear news regarding their loved ones.
Yasariye Tuckuran carries her two young children. Her husband’s income sustained the family. She worries that he could not only lose his job but also his freedom.
“He was in his bed when they woke him for a night mission. He ran out the door in his slippers,” says Tuckuran.
“My husband is completely innocent. My children cry out for their father. I need my husband back. He is our sole breadwinner.”
Family members crowd around. Each one has a story declaring the innocence of their son, brother or father who is behind bars.
Loved ones camp outside prison
In Turkey, able-bodied men have to join the military for up to a year of service. Many in the country see it as a rite of passage. After basic training, they are posted to various assignments for the rest of their year.
These families insist their loved ones are victims of the coup too. They say the soldiers’ only crime is following the orders of their superior officers, something drilled into them at basic training.
Sukru Esoglu drove across the country to camp outside the prison with his wife. They borrowed their neighbor’s car, stuffed it with pillows and blankets. Two chairs and a carpet mark their campsite.
“This is my home now until my son is released,” says Esoglu.
On the night of the coup, President Reccip Tayyip Erdogan appeared on CNN Turk via FaceTime and urged his supporters to take to the street to fight for democracy.
Esoglu answered the president’s call not knowing his son was on the other side.
“We didn’t hear from our son when the coup began. We went to the square to perform our democratic duty. The next day, we were told our son had been arrested.”
Crackdown criticized
Chaos gripped Turkey on the night of the coup. Elements within the military mobilized soldiers and tanks onto the streets. The ensuing clashes between the army and anti-coup protesters lead to the deaths of at least 246 people.
The attempt quickly failed. Soldiers laid down their guns and surrendered to the police and the anti-coup mob. Some soldiers appeared on TV covered in blood, bruised and scared. Over 9,000 soldiers have been taken into custody.
Pictures of detainees flooded social media showing them in their underwear and corralled in stables. Human rights groups condemned the treatment of the prisoners.
Amnesty International reports to have “gathered credible evidence that detainees in Turkey are being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, in official and unofficial detention centers in the country.”
It alleges the worst treatment is reserved for high-ranking military officers.
The Turkish government shot back denying any wrongdoing. In a statement the they called the allegations “unsubstantial and unfounded” adding that the accusation “detainees are subject to rape are completely fictional claims and only amount to aspersion.” The Justice Ministry insists anybody found guilty of torture will be held accountable.
The families at the prison don’t believe their sons will be tortured as they were pawns in a political game. But, they worry about their futures. Will they now be branded as traitors for just doing their jobs?
“We are not traitors. We went to the squares with our flags,” says Emel Koken. “I’m addressing the president. Please don’t let these kids to be stigmatized as traitors.”