On July 15, Turkey marks a crucial day, commemorating a time when people from all walks of life defeated a coup attempt in 2016, permanently changing the country’s coup-ridden history.
“After this point I don’t believe such a thing [another coup] will happen because of what we have been through –– before July 15, after July 15 and now with the latest changes in the constitution –– those who were involved were put on trial,” said Hanefi Avci, a former top Turkish police chief, who extensively reported on the infiltration efforts of FETO members into the state institutions and wrote a popular book about their activities.
“We are facing a coup in a legal framework for the first time in Turkish history. We didn’t have such a chance before,” Tatli told“In previous coups, the coup instigators also oversaw the trials. In this aspect, it is something new for us. It is very important for Turkey that they [the coup instigators] be tried,” Tatli said.
After the 1980 military coup, Turkey had also seen its democratically-elected political leaders tried in special courts, which had been heavily influenced by generals. “These trials are very important because they show people who may be thinking of staging a coup in the future that they too will be tried and penalised,” Tatli commented.
Avni Ozgurel, a prominent Turkish political analyst, thinks that Erdogan’s leadership is the main reason for the nation’s defiance on the fateful night.