site.btaErdogan Describes July 15, 2016 Coup Attempt as One of Turkiye’s Most Critical Moments


Nine years after the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, Turkiye still remembers the night when 251 people died and over 2,200 were injured. Commemorative ceremonies, wreaths and flower offerings, marked the anniversary. The museum dedicated to the events of July 15, 2016, was full of visitors on Tuesday, and simulators as well as models of tanks and planes reminded them of what happened.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in the commemoration ceremony in Parliament, which began with a prayer in memory of the victims and a film chronicling the events. In his address to the MPs, the Turkish President said the date was one of the most critical and great tests for Turkiye. Erdogan described it as one unparalleled in the country's history.
“As our ancestors would say: both the white and the black have come to light. While on one side our people stood heroically before the tanks and planes, on the other some said that what was happening was even too late. While some had donned their military uniforms to prevent the terrorists from advancing, others were calling their holy deed a theatre, a game, a script, a controlled coup attempt. These and many more such examples we have seen together. Together, we witnessed both those who ran to the squares and those who ran to the ATMs. We saw both those who with their bare hands confronted the coup organizers and those who with their hands applauded what was happening,” Erdogan said.
In his speech, the Turkish President also touched on one of the most pressing issues in the country - the fight against terrorism in Turkiye.
“With every step we take in the fight against terrorism, we will have a greater upswing in the economy, defence, security, domestic and foreign policy,” Erdogan stressed.
There will be commemorative services and prayer services on the night of July 15-16 at mosques across the country.
Earlier in the day the news of detainees for involvement with the FETO group, the so-called Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), which Ankara considers responsible for the coup came from Turkiye. In a police raid in Izmir district, 231 people were arrested for financing the organisation. There are 371 suspects. 79 of them were found to be abroad and 61 are still wanted.
According to official figures, prosecutors in Turkiye have detained more than 390,000 people over the past nine years for links to FETO. Of these, 113,837 are permanently in custody.
/RY, MT/
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