Turkey : Military officers accused of sexual abuse and insulting Turkish ‘values’ following ‘Game of Thrones’ screening

Nine personell from Turkish army are accused of sexual abuse and insulting Turkish values after screening the popular US-TV series ‘ Game of Thrones ‘ in military class.

İzmir, Turkey – Game of Thrones is rocking Tv-Series charts globally and recently the beautiful show caused controversy among Turkish Army as well!

Game of Thrones, the popular series from HBO which is a massive hit across the world , was shown during a class at a military high school in Turkey as part of foreign language classes. Senior students, who are preparing to enter military academies, completed several assignments after watching the series, including translating and studying the English language material related to the show.

After completing two seasons of the series over the course of more than 2 months, an anonymous letter was sent to the school’s administration which complained about the use of the TV series as an educational tool. The letter allegedly written by the parents of a student, claimed the series involved ‘ corrupted and perverted ‘ sex scenes and depicted Turks as ‘ a barbarian tribe with perverted religious rituals.’

The ignorant parents might have overlooked that Game of Thrones is set in a fantasy world,  created by American author George R. R. Martin in his books of ‘ A Song of Ice and Fire ‘. But the following official report released by a committee of instructors is more pathetic:

Official report from Turkish military committee : Game of Thrones is perverted and pornographic

A team of instructors were  tasked with studying the show to determine whether the claims were true. The final report issued by the military committee of instructors said the series contained indeed ‘ pornographic elements ‘ and ‘ perverted and violent ways of sexual intercourse.’ The official report also mentioned Game of Thrones encouraged the consumption of alcohol.

‘ The show in question may damage the evolving individual in ways extremely difficult to amend in the future,’ the military report states.

Here comes the weirdest part of the report

Game of Thrones was also found to be insulting to Turkish values and Turkishness by the military committee, who claimed that  ‘ even though it is not directly mentioned, it is easily understood by the audience.’

‘ Our nation is shown as barbarians with perverted religious beliefs and customs,’ the ridiculous report reads. ‘ The screening of this show may discourage students from their occupation, as well as weaken patriotic emotions.’

Dismissal of charges

The charges were dismissed by the military prosecutor, who stated that the show, which is permitted for audience over the age of 13, was screened for students between the ages of 16 and 19. The accused officers, two colonels, one female lieutenant colonel and a captain were placed in different posts around Turkey.

The administration of the military academy in İzmir received a second letter shortly after the initial investigation which claimed the formerly accused army officers, and five additional names, had insulted their superiors. A military investigation was immediately launched.

Game of Thrones controversy in Turkey

The Ministry of Defense issued a surprise decision signed by the minister personally which overruled the previous decision to dismiss charges. The ministry’s ruling put the previous charges against the nine army officers back in motion.

Two separate investigations, [one military and the second civilian] involving nine different army officers are currently underway. The accused officers’ lawyer claimed earlier that the students were pressured into signing testimonies against their instructors, including Mustafa Küçük, a student who was expelled from the military academy in İzmir despite having the highest grade in the military high school.

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