Turkey's New Party Questions Army Suicides

Greens and the Left Party of the future released a statement this afternoon that pushed the AKP government to account for 934 suicides in the Turkish Army saying that the PM has for long kept quite on the issue.

"Army Officer Nazlıgül Daştanoğlu committed suite after being expelled from the Turkish Military Forces. This issue seems much more intricate than it looks," the statement said.

"PM remains silent"

The party claimed that many army staff lost their lives in tragedies such as military trainings, friendly fire, suicides and not well-planned missions.

"These casualties even exceeded the number of military staff killed in action. The army doesn't account for this, while no government agency is actually interrogating army's actions. We never heard PM Erdogan speak about this," the statement said.

The party statement said that millions of young people went through military drafting in non-transparent circumstances, saying that the army system was unable to meet the needs of a well-established democracy.

"It is obvious that urgent s reforms are needed in Turkish Army's educational program as well as its budget mechanisms. It is obvious that the army's current status is far behind the democratic standards of today.

"Compulsory drafting kills"

The party urged the government to make a thorough reform on the Turkish Army.

"It is well known how the army crushes human personality and establishes a mentality that doesn't allow to be questioned. Its internal discipline and pressure systems is begins from the first day of military high school and staff trainings," the statement said. "Is it treason to say that suicides might be related to this oppressive system?"

The party said everybody should see how the compulsory drafting killed people, asking the government for revisions to allow the right of conscientious objection and a commission to investigate the suicides. (EKN/BM)