On July 15, in Turkey, an armed faction, belonging to the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) within the Turkish armed forces attempted a violent coup to overthrow the elected president and the government of Turkey and bring down the Constitutional order. The ruthless coup attempt was foiled by the Turkish people who resisted and repelled the coup plotters, on the call of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. True vast majority of the army did not join the coup.
Turkey has seen several coup attempts in its modern history. On May 27, 1960, coup plotters, although some how fractured later on, were able to hold on to power, and hanged elected Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and two other ministers. Although this painful episode of Turkish history was carved in the common conscience of the people who never forgot and forgave this crime.
The people of Turkey in fact during the Gezi Park disturbances back in 2013, made it known that it would not let President Erdogan to be taken down like Prime Minister Menderes.
The Gulenists underestimated the power of people and democracy, against the tanks, jet fighters, helicopters and machine guns. The one thing that made this coup attempt starkly different from the previous coups and coup attempts was that the plotters, as a result of their indoctrination did not hesitate to open fire on the people, the national parliament, the Presidential Complex, the Special Police Forces Headquarters, killing and wounding civilians, police officers, their commanders.
As many as 240 people lost their lives and around 2,200 got injured as a result of violent attacks of the coup plotters. Such kind of brutality, ruthlessness and atrocity has no precedence in the modern history. Hence, we call it a terrorist coup attempt, perpetrated by the sleeper cells of the Gulenist Movement.
The coup plotters organized a special armed squad in full combat gear to capture or kill the president. They raided the hotel in Marmaris where the president was staying but by the grace of God, he had already left for Istanbul. The coup plotters also kidnapped the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar. When the coup plotters kidnapped Gen. Akar, they tried to get in touch with their leader Gulen.
We have all evidence, admissions and confessions that Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization (FETO), is directly responsible for the failed but deadly coup attempt.
We have testimony by suspected members of the coup that they took orders from this person. It is beyond doubt the mastermind behind the coup attempt is Fethullah Gulen.
This terror network has become adroit in disguise and deceit. Under a systematic and long term-plan, in the last 40 years they have infiltrated the military schools and Turkish armed forces and rose in the ranks, by disguising themselves as loyal, patriot and Republican soldiers and contrary to what they profess — to achieve their self- proclaimed ultimate goal — did everything un-Islamic.
The coup plotters also hatched conspiracies and forged documents that led to wide-scale purges of high-ranking military staff through the courts whose judges are now apprehended or arrested on charges of belonging to the FETO, thereby ensuring their own members to fill the same positions.
Indeed the FETO members have also organized themselves, to have complete control of the state, not only in military but also in the most critical institutions of the state, including judiciary, police, gendarmerie and the education sector. They did all this to take over the state and establish a totalitarian regime in Turkey and in all Muslim countries with Fethullah Gulen as their leader.
The extraordinary meeting of the Turkey’s Religious Council on Aug. 3-4 adopted a resolution stating that: “The definition of a religious structure is not compatible with Fethullah Terror Organization (FETO/PDY) which deemed everything permissible to reach their secret and dark goals, which exploited religion and religious sentiments, which stole our people’s zakat and fitr… which took away our people’s sons and daughters, which distorted and destroyed the basic values and concepts of our religion, which recruited people and created opportunities with un-Islamic and immoral acts and behaviors, with mischief, sedition, lies, and tricks; which infiltrated all bodies of the state and tried to endanger the nation’s future, and which was caught in the act by the nation in its recent coup attempt. The head of this organization cannot be accepted as a religious scholar.”
FETO is not a religious or social movement. Contrary to some perceptions, they have no following among the common people as demonstrated by the fact that all political parties from left to right, all major media outlets from liberal to conservative, and an overwhelming majority of people rejected, resisted and prevented their nefarious criminal attempt to take control of the state.
Following the botched coup, the government declared a 90-day state of emergency to take necessary measures. Under the State of Emergency law, more than 3,073 military personnel have been discharged from the armed forces. More than 18,000 coup plotters and their collaborators have been apprehended. They will be put on trials in compliance with the law.
In order to ensure that such coup attempts never recur again and the historic victory of Turkish people for defending the democracy is consolidated for the security, stability and prosperity of the country, the government recently took revolutionary steps to bring the armed forces, security forces and paramilitary troops under democratic political control. These measures had been under the review of successive government since the May 27, 1960 coup.
Surely the Turkish military will continue to serve its homeland with honor, discipline and efficiency under the direct command and control of elected their leader and government. Turkey’s democracy, security, stability and unity is now stronger than ever before, as the people themselves defended and protected their elected and beloved leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his government, the parliament and the constitutional order.
• The writer is Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OIC.
Turkey has seen several coup attempts in its modern history. On May 27, 1960, coup plotters, although some how fractured later on, were able to hold on to power, and hanged elected Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and two other ministers. Although this painful episode of Turkish history was carved in the common conscience of the people who never forgot and forgave this crime.
The people of Turkey in fact during the Gezi Park disturbances back in 2013, made it known that it would not let President Erdogan to be taken down like Prime Minister Menderes.
The Gulenists underestimated the power of people and democracy, against the tanks, jet fighters, helicopters and machine guns. The one thing that made this coup attempt starkly different from the previous coups and coup attempts was that the plotters, as a result of their indoctrination did not hesitate to open fire on the people, the national parliament, the Presidential Complex, the Special Police Forces Headquarters, killing and wounding civilians, police officers, their commanders.
As many as 240 people lost their lives and around 2,200 got injured as a result of violent attacks of the coup plotters. Such kind of brutality, ruthlessness and atrocity has no precedence in the modern history. Hence, we call it a terrorist coup attempt, perpetrated by the sleeper cells of the Gulenist Movement.
The coup plotters organized a special armed squad in full combat gear to capture or kill the president. They raided the hotel in Marmaris where the president was staying but by the grace of God, he had already left for Istanbul. The coup plotters also kidnapped the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar. When the coup plotters kidnapped Gen. Akar, they tried to get in touch with their leader Gulen.
We have all evidence, admissions and confessions that Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization (FETO), is directly responsible for the failed but deadly coup attempt.
We have testimony by suspected members of the coup that they took orders from this person. It is beyond doubt the mastermind behind the coup attempt is Fethullah Gulen.
This terror network has become adroit in disguise and deceit. Under a systematic and long term-plan, in the last 40 years they have infiltrated the military schools and Turkish armed forces and rose in the ranks, by disguising themselves as loyal, patriot and Republican soldiers and contrary to what they profess — to achieve their self- proclaimed ultimate goal — did everything un-Islamic.
The coup plotters also hatched conspiracies and forged documents that led to wide-scale purges of high-ranking military staff through the courts whose judges are now apprehended or arrested on charges of belonging to the FETO, thereby ensuring their own members to fill the same positions.
Indeed the FETO members have also organized themselves, to have complete control of the state, not only in military but also in the most critical institutions of the state, including judiciary, police, gendarmerie and the education sector. They did all this to take over the state and establish a totalitarian regime in Turkey and in all Muslim countries with Fethullah Gulen as their leader.
The extraordinary meeting of the Turkey’s Religious Council on Aug. 3-4 adopted a resolution stating that: “The definition of a religious structure is not compatible with Fethullah Terror Organization (FETO/PDY) which deemed everything permissible to reach their secret and dark goals, which exploited religion and religious sentiments, which stole our people’s zakat and fitr… which took away our people’s sons and daughters, which distorted and destroyed the basic values and concepts of our religion, which recruited people and created opportunities with un-Islamic and immoral acts and behaviors, with mischief, sedition, lies, and tricks; which infiltrated all bodies of the state and tried to endanger the nation’s future, and which was caught in the act by the nation in its recent coup attempt. The head of this organization cannot be accepted as a religious scholar.”
FETO is not a religious or social movement. Contrary to some perceptions, they have no following among the common people as demonstrated by the fact that all political parties from left to right, all major media outlets from liberal to conservative, and an overwhelming majority of people rejected, resisted and prevented their nefarious criminal attempt to take control of the state.
Following the botched coup, the government declared a 90-day state of emergency to take necessary measures. Under the State of Emergency law, more than 3,073 military personnel have been discharged from the armed forces. More than 18,000 coup plotters and their collaborators have been apprehended. They will be put on trials in compliance with the law.
In order to ensure that such coup attempts never recur again and the historic victory of Turkish people for defending the democracy is consolidated for the security, stability and prosperity of the country, the government recently took revolutionary steps to bring the armed forces, security forces and paramilitary troops under democratic political control. These measures had been under the review of successive government since the May 27, 1960 coup.
Surely the Turkish military will continue to serve its homeland with honor, discipline and efficiency under the direct command and control of elected their leader and government. Turkey’s democracy, security, stability and unity is now stronger than ever before, as the people themselves defended and protected their elected and beloved leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his government, the parliament and the constitutional order.
• The writer is Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OIC.
