Foreign
TURKEY on Thursday commemorated the fifth anniversary of an abortive coup by a military faction, with events planned across the country.
The events planned would also hold in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.
Parliament planned to stage memorial events, and later in the day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to address guests, including families of the victims at the presidential palace.
During the night, a “democracy vigil” would be held in parliament until a wreath-laying around the moment the building was attacked, the culmination of the day’s commemorations, according to state news agency Anadolu.
On the night of July 15, 2016, putschists and security forces loyal to the government clashed across the country, including in Istanbul and Ankara.
More than 250 were officially reported dead and more than 2,000 were injured.
Ankara blames the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen for orchestrating the abortive putsch and had designated his movement as a terrorist group.
The cleric, an ally-turned-foe of Erdogan, denied the charges.
Tens of thousands had been arrested in Turkey after the coup attempt while more than 100,000 civil servants were fired.
More than 23,000 of those purged were from the armed forces, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Erdogan vowed on Wednesday that his government would pursue Gulen loyalists “inside and outside Turkey, until the last member was neutralised,’’ in an address in parliament.
After the attempted coup, the government imposed a state of emergency that lasted until July 2018.
During that time, Erdogan was able to bypass parliament with decrees.
The opposition parties accused Erdogan of using the post-coup attempt period to consolidate authoritarian rule.
Erdogan clinched his authority with a switch to an executive presidency in 2017. (dpa/NAN)
– July 15, 2021 @ 11:25 GMT
Tags: 5 years on Turkey remembers coup attempt by faction in military
