The catalogue entries designated IM T-2 and T-3 in the Archives of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, relating to the Ankara Courts of Independence, shed light on judicial activities in the Yozgat region. The Karamağara (Saraykent) subdistrict, under the jurisdiction of Akdağmadeni District, was one of the settlements where the court was particularly active. The court records highlight offences such as desertion, participation in banditry, robbery and murder. The penalties imposed by the court included “thirty to fifty lashes, followed by the recovery of state property from the offender and the transfer of the deserter to the military front to which he belonged”. The policy of caning deserters and returning them to the front demonstrates efforts to meet the army’s manpower needs during the mobilisation period. No cases of espionage or collaboration with the enemy were reported in the Karamağara district. The court opted to impose more lenient sentences for desertion offences compared to other Courts of Independence. The death penalty was reserved for exceptional cases or for those who had deserted more than three times. An examination of the nature of the sentences imposed reveals that the Independence Courts prioritised both the establishment of justice in the region and the provision of human support for the National Struggle. This study, conducted using qualitative research methods, contributes to the understanding of the court’s judicial policies shaped by local dynamics and offers valuable contributions to the literature from a microhistorical perspective.
Looting and seizure, Desertion, Karamağara, Participation in rebellion, Yozgat Independence Tribunal