The popular TV show "Game of Thrones" has been included in an indictment by Turkish prosecutors investigating the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which has been blamed for last year's July 15 coup attempt. However, it was not for Machievellian-woven intrigue that FETÖ had sought to expand its clout, but its real-life plot did in fact resemble the power struggles in the epic fantasy series. The indictment, based on eyewitness testimonies, says that by screening the show to young military cadets, the way was paved for FETÖ infiltrators to launch a blacklisting scheme. Thus, they would be able to install their own infiltrators in military schools to train cadets linked to the group.
The indictment against 136 military judges and prosecutors accused of ties to FETÖ sheds light on the plan.
Volkan Yetiştirici, one of the key witnesses in the indictment served as the prosecutor for the Turkish navy that investigated five military teachers at Maltepe Military High School in the western city of İzmir in 2011 over the screening of the hit HBO show.
The teachers had purportedly shown episodes of the show - known for its frequent nudity and gory violence - to help the students improve their English. In the end, this was sufficient for FETÖ, or rather its followers, to pen anonymous letters to authorities to start legal processes.
In a case that became known as the "Game of Thrones Investigation," teachers were charged with "insulting Turkishness" and "sexual exploitation" by screening the series to minors and were later discharged from the army.
In October last year, they were cleared by the Constitutional Court when it ruled that their right to a fair trial had been violated.
Yetiştirici was the original prosecutor assigned to the case, and when he decided to drop the charges over their absurdity, he personally faced a legal complaint.
"The trial of the military teachers started off with an anonymous letter, like in other trials apparently masterminded by [FETÖ infiltrators in the judiciary]. When I dropped the charges, I was subject to a legal complaint, too. I was questioned and unfairly subject to disciplinary action," he said in his testimony.
