Turkey | 5 years after the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016

Defence Redefined

15/07/2021

Today marks five years since the failed coup attempt in Turkey, which hurt the country, led to extensive purges and pushed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to try to expand his power. Here are some of the most important events that took place in the country after the night of July 15, 2016.

The bloody coup attempt

On the night of July 15 and 16, 2016, a part of the army rebels, occupying fighter jets and helicopters and generating panic in Ankara and Istanbul.

F-16 bombs target the Turkish National Assembly building, the streets around the presidential palace and the special forces and police headquarters in the capital.

Erdogan, who is on holiday in Marmaris in southwestern Turkey, is urging Turks to resist a “coup attempt” by taking to the streets. Hours later he returns to Istanbul.

The Turkish president denounces a “betrayal” of military coup plotters whom he accuses of being linked to Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in exile in the United States since 1997. Erdogan’s former ally, who has become his worst enemy, denies any involvement in the coup attempt.

At noon, the interim army leader announces the failure of the coup attempt. In Istanbul, supporters of the president are celebrating in the streets. Erdogan demands Gulen’s extradition.

The failed coup attempt has an official death toll of 251, except for the coup plotters, and more than 2,000 wounded.

Purges

On July 16th and 17th, hundreds of generals, judges and prosecutors are arrested for allegedly supporting the coup attempt. The purges then extend to the police, the education sector and the media. On July 20, the emergency measure is adopted.

The purges target alleged supporters of Fethullah Gulen and later affect pro-Kurdish leaders and members of the media as well as government-critical media and non-governmental organizations, causing concern in Europe.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested to date, more than 140,000 have been fired or suspended from their jobs and dozens of media outlets have been shut down.

Erdogan claims to strengthen his powers

On June 24, 2018, Erdogan wins the presidential election from the first round.

These elections mark the transition from a parliamentary system to a presidential one, in which the head of state concentrates executive power, following the 2017 constitutional review.

In July, the state of emergency is lifted. The EU speaks of “a step in the right direction”, but points to restrictions on freedoms.

AKP loses municipal elections in Ankara and Istanbul

On March 31, 2019, Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) is first in the national elections in the country, but loses the elections in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city.

The elections are being canceled in Istanbul following appeals by the AKP, which speaks of alleged “mass irregularities”. The opposition denounces a “coup against the ballot box”.

On June 23, the candidate of the opposition Republican Party for mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglou, wins the municipal elections which had been canceled, resulting in Erdogan’s worst electoral defeat since the rise of the AKP to power in 2002.

Controversial law

In June 2020, the Parliament passes a bill giving broader powers to a neighborhood night guard force to patrol the streets of Turkish cities, a measure denounced by opponents as a “militia” plan.

In July, the Parliament passes a bill to reform lawyer associations, which has been criticized by lawyers as an attempt to reduce their independence. The Parliament then passes another law that extends control over social media.

Pressure on civil society

In late December, the Constitutional Court ruled that the prolonged detention of businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, a key member of civil society, on charges of involvement in a coup attempt and espionage was legal. He has been imprisoned since 2017.

Kavala, who denies the allegations, along with former leader of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas, has been imprisoned since 2016, one of the symbols of repression by Turkish authorities.

On March 19, 2021, Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention against Violence against Women, infuriating women’s rights organizations and provoking criticism from the European Union.

Life sentences

On April 7, 32 ex-militaries are sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of leading a failed coup.

According to official figures, the courts have so far convicted nearly 4,500 people, imposing life sentences on nearly 3,000 of them.

Also read: Turkey | Life imprisonment to four retired officers for the 2016 military coup attempt