[2] However, the Constitutional Court of Turkey determined that Başbuğ's legal rights were violated and overturned his conviction; he was released on 7 March 2014.

He served as Platoon Leader and Company Commander in various units subordinate to the Turkish Land Forces until 1971.

In this rank, he served as the Chief of Logistics and Infrastructure Department at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Mons-Belgium and as the commander of the 1st Armored Brigade in Istanbul.

In this rank, he served as the Commander of 2nd Corps and as the Deputy of the Secretary General of the National Security Council of the Republic of Turkey, respectively.

He completed his second book The Greatest Leader of the 20th Century: Mustafa Kemal, covering the period between 1881 and 1923, in prison.

[4] His third book, The Greatest Leader of the 20th Century: Atatürk and covering the period between 1923 and 1938, was intended as a continuation of his previous work and was published in November 2012.

[1] 17 months after retiring, on 2 January 2012 an investigation started for Başbuğ in the Internet Memorandum case in which he was expected to appear as a witness.

[9] According to Gareth Jenkins, "For many, the arrest of Başbuğ on terrorist charges will be regarded not so much as demonstrating that the General staff is no longer untouchable but that the Gülen movement has the power to imprison whoever it likes, regardless of the law, due process or the absurdity of the allegations; and further proof that in today's Turkey it is not the military but the Gülen Movement that people need to fear.

"[11] In the European Commission's "Turkey 2012 Progress Report", Başbuğ's detention was mentioned twice and it was reported that "concerns persisted over the rights of the defence, lengthy pre-trial detention and excessively long and catch-all indictments, leading to significantly enhanced public scrutiny of the legitimacy of these trials."

[3] He was released to cheering crowds later that day,[16] with President Abdullah Gül saying that he considered the overturning of Başbuğ's conviction "a very precious decision" and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç echoing his sentiments.