Today, on its 8th anniversary, it is crystal clear that the coup attempt on July 15 was exploited by President Erdogan to establish his long-desired one-man regime. It is now recognized by impartial Turkish and international observers that Erdogan and his regime's narrative of July 15 is neither coherent nor accurate.
Erdogan's government's obstruction of all efforts to shed light on July 15, the concealment of the report of the parliamentary commission, intimidation and arrest of journalists who have searched for the truth outside the borders of official narrative, the inconsistency of the statements made by members of the government, including Erdogan, on July 15, the tangible evidence that Erdogan knew about the coup attempt long before it happened, the fact that key figures such as the chief of general staff and the head of intelligence deliberately avoided testifying, and the fact that Erdogan’s July 15 narrative has not been accepted by democratic countries are all evident.
The truth seems to lie somewhere in between the possibility that Erdogan had planned July 15th as a "false flag" operation with some allies from the very beginning for the transition to his one-man regime, or that Erdogan knew about a possible coup attempt long beforehand, but chose not to prevent it, preferring instead to use it for his own political gain, and for this purpose he called people to the streets and deliberately put people's lives in danger. It is evident today that Erdogan's emphasis on democracy in the immediate aftermath of July 15th was purely cosmetic and intended to conceal his true intentions.
Following July 15th, Erdogan and his government initiated a campaign of purge and persecution unprecedented in Turkey's history. Approximately 2.5 million people were subjected to terror investigations, 150,000 civil servants were dismissed, tens of thousands of people were imprisoned, hundreds were tortured, some died under torture. Private property worth billions of dollars was confiscated, hundreds of schools, universities, and educational institutions were seized, dozens of media outlets were shut down, and nearly 5 million people, along with their families, were stripped of many civil rights and left to face a form of civil death. The fact that one of the 21st century's most comprehensive persecutions took place in a country that has long been a member of democratic Western organizations such as the Council of Europe, NATO, and the OSCE and a candidate for EU membership, shows the gravity of the situation even more clearly.
As former diplomats, we and our colleagues were also affected by these persecutions. Approximately 30% of career diplomats were dismissed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some of us were forced to leave the country and live in exile, dozens of us were imprisoned, and the worst was that in May 2019, some of our colleagues were subjected to severe torture while in custody.
Like all those who want the best for Turkey and its people, instituDE hopes that this dark chapter of the one-man regime will end soon and that democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights will be restored. instituDE remains committed to its modest yet determined efforts in this direction.
.svg.png){kind=small}
