The traumatic legacy of the July 15 2016, the so-called coup attempt

Last three years have left deep wounds in the psyche of the Turkish society 
15 July 2106 was one of the most significant and traumatic days of modern Turkish history. On a summer Friday evening, when millions of Istanbul residents were out on the streets welcoming the weekend, a group of soldiers appeared near the bridge that connects two sides of Istanbul across the Bosphorus. 
Most people were puzzled and thought it was either some kind of a military exercise or the Army was responding to some sort of a terror threat. But later on soldiers were saying that it was actually a “coup”. 
Turkish army has done coups before to overthrow governments but they never started like a weekend party on a Friday night during peak hour in a city with over 15 million people. 
If this was a military coup, which is supposed to be against elected government, why didn’t the soldiers rather go after government figures like the President, PM, ministers, members of the parliament instead of scaring the ordinary people whose support would be needed in the aftermath of the coup?  
It started this way and the rest was a million unresolved questions. Judging from the way events unfolded and developments afterwards, I am not convinced that this was really a coup attempt in the first place. Yet, it was best described by the President: A gift from God. It sure looks like a gift but I am not sure from whom. There is one thing certain is that what happened from 16 July 2016 onwards has been a humanitarian tragedy. 
Guilt by association has become the order of the day. Billions of Dollars of wealth have been seized, hundreds of thousands have been investigated for terrorism charges, tens of thousands of people including thousands of women and hundreds of babies are still in jail. Many lives are lost as a result of torture, ill treatment or trauma related illnesses. Innumerable families are broken; children are growing without fathers and/or mothers. 
No legal, moral, religious, traditional norm or system can justify jailing thousands of women with hundreds of babies. 26 people have been kidnapped by people claiming they are police and have been missing for months. There is strong suspicion that they are being tortured and some might have even died. 
Social fabric of the Turkish society has been damaged very badly. There will have to be process of reconciliation but how that can happen is beyond imagination. The scars caused by the government’s irresponsible demonization and persecution are still very fresh and people don’t seem to be ready to sit and talk. The work has not even begun yet… 

Comments

  1. Unknown14 July 2019 at 08:52

    Thank you for your dedication and courage in bringing this to our attention Aydin. It is indeed a situation that is beyond understanding and beyond words. Is there a way for ordinary people to support you and the Turkish people to help restore balance and healing?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Salih Davids14 July 2019 at 09:35

    Eyvallah. Thank you for this assessment and understanding regarding the happenings. May progressive forces be strengthened in Turkey in order to bring lasting prosperity

    ReplyDelete

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