A court in Turkey’s northwestern Sakarya province ordered an access ban against Mezopotamya Agency’s report on the province’s garrison commander sexually abusing his subordinates.
The original article, published on Tuesday, said Staff Colonel Fahri Can Çağlar had been arrested for the sexual abuse of 15 soldiers under his command, who had been pressured to drop the charges against him.
The abuse scandal came to light when three soldiers spoke with their superior officer on 30 September. Their testimonies led to the discovery of a total of 15 victims coming forward, including one who had gone to the police in March only to be told nothing would come of an investigation because he had no proof.
Two commanding officers from the Aegean Garrison Command who were appointed to investigate the matter reportedly pressured victims and their families so they would pull their complaints.
Çağlar was finally arrested on Friday, 7 October.
In 2015, back when Çağlar was a major, a private under his command had committed suicide. At the time, there were allegations of abuse and a cover up, but it was not pursued.
