Turkey marks five years since failed coup

President Erdogan lays carnations at a monument in Ankara during a ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of failed coup attempt.

A radically-reshaped Turkey marked yesterday five years since a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On a balmy night on July 15, 2016, a rogue faction in the military tried to take over the country, using warplanes and tanks to attack government buildings. Some 250 people – in addition to at least 24 plotters – died and more than 2,000 were injured in the ensuing chaos as Erdogan rallied his supporters out on the street. “July 15 is the victory of the nation, of the national will and of those who believe in democracy,” the president said during a commemorative ceremony to the victims at the parliament in Ankara. Since then, the fateful night’s impact has been felt in almost every aspect of Turkish life, including education, the judiciary and the leadership. Less than a year after the coup attempt, Erdogan held a referendum to transform Turkey’s parliamentary democracy into an executive presidency, and narrowly won. July 15 is now a public holiday, and Erdogan called on supporters to come out in numbers at commemorative events across Turkey. Turkey claims US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen plotted the coup using members of his network in the military. Washington’s refusal to extradite Gulen has been a constant irritant on relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that Turkey has dismissed 23,364 military personnel in the fight against Gulen’s network. More than 321,000 people have been detained in all since 2016, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. Most have subsequently been released. Nearly 4,000 judges and prosecutors have been sacked, among more than 100,000 public sector workers fired or suspended over alleged Gulen links. The courts have handed down life sentences to 3,000 people, according to state news agency Anadolu, while 4,890 defendants have been convicted over links to the coup bid. On Wednesday, Erdogan showed no sign of slowing down. “We will follow (his movement) until its last member is neutralised,” he said.