3 yıl önce

Erdogan: July 15 was the day when justice won against oppression in Turkey

No one has the right to downplay the glorious struggle of the nation on the night of the attempted coup by the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says.

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Turkish president addresses relatives of victims, veterans and citizens after laying flowers at the July 15 Monument on Democracy and National Unity Day, marked annually on July 15, 2021 in Ankara, Turkey.

Defeating the 2016 coup in Turkey is “a common source of pride” for the nation, the country’s president has said on the fifth anniversary of the defeated coup.

"The epic of July 15 is a common source of pride for all of us. July 15 – it is the victory of the nation, of the national will, of those who set their heart on democracy," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a commemorative ceremony in parliament on Thursday.

The Turkish leader said that no one has the right to downplay the glorious struggle of the nation on the night of the attempted coup by the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO).

“July 15 is the victory of the national will” https://t.co/2U2Pr2GcXX pic.twitter.com/o5oRE98BwA
— Turkish Presidency (@trpresidency) July 15, 2021

July 15, the day of the defeated coup, is now marked in Turkey as Democracy and National Unity Day, with commemorations set to be held across Turkey on Thursday.

Erdogan said July 15 was the day when justice won against oppression and freedom won.

"The martyrs of July 15 are today's representatives of the struggle for right against vanity, oppression and blasphemy," he added.

'Attacks threatened our brotherhood'

Later on the day, President Erdogan addressed the nation via live broadcast.

"They did not succeed yesterday, they did not succeed today, I hope they will not succeed tomorrow, they will not be able to prevent the construction of a great and powerful Turkey," Erdogan said.

"Those who used terrorist organisations to threaten our lands could not understand that they were actually reinforcing our brotherhood with what they did," he added, praising the resistance by Turks against the coup attempt.

Who is FETO?

Before the coup attempt and the ensuing crackdown, FETO and its members were accused of running a parallel shadow government after gaining control of state institutions, including the military and the judiciary.

Gulen, who is the leader of the organisation, is based in the US. His followers claim that his organisation is merely a social welfare network that promotes education and interfaith harmony.

But after evidence to the contrary was found in the post-coup crackdown, Turkey declared FETO a terrorist organisation and its members or those linked to it as terrorists.