2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
Pivox · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Conflict	2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
Date	15 July 2016
Place	Turkey
Result	Coup attempt failed

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt. The 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt was a failed military coup attempted in Turkey by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces against the Justice and Development Party government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey. The coup attempt was carried out by a group of Turkish Army officers, who were allegedly linked to the Gülen movement, a civil society organization led by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar and imam living in Pennsylvania, United States. The coup attempt was foiled by the Turkish people, who took to the streets in support of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party government, with the help of Turkish police and loyalist Turkish Armed Forces units.

Background

The 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt was preceded by a period of increasing Erdoğan's authoritarianism and polarization in Turkey, which was exacerbated by the Kurdish–Turkish conflict and the Syrian Civil War. The Justice and Development Party government had been in power since 2002, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had been President of Turkey since 2014. The Gülen movement, which was once an ally of the Justice and Development Party, had become a rival of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party government, with Fethullah Gülen and his followers being accused of attempting to overthrow the government through a parallel state. The Turkish Armed Forces had a history of intervening in Turkish politics, with coup d'états in 1960, 1971, 1980, and 1997, and the Ergenekon trials and Sledgehammer trials had weakened the Turkish military's ability to stage a coup.

The Coup Attempt

The coup attempt began on the evening of July 15, 2016, when a group of Turkish Army officers, led by General Akın Öztürk, attempted to seize control of key government buildings and infrastructure in Ankara and Istanbul, including the Turkish Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and Istanbul Atatürk Airport. The coup plotters claimed to have taken control of the country and announced the establishment of a Turkish Peace Council to run the country, but their attempts to seize power were thwarted by the Turkish people, who took to the streets in support of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party government. The Turkish police and loyalist Turkish Armed Forces units also played a key role in foiling the coup attempt, with F-16 jets and AH-1 helicopters being used to attack the coup plotters. The coup attempt was widely condemned by NATO, the European Union, and the United Nations, with Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, and Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, issuing statements in support of the Justice and Development Party government.

Aftermath

The aftermath of the coup attempt saw a significant increase in Erdoğan's authoritarianism and polarization in Turkey, with the Justice and Development Party government launching a widespread purge of the Turkish military, the Turkish judiciary, and the Turkish civil service. The Turkish Parliament approved a state of emergency in Turkey, which gave the Justice and Development Party government sweeping powers to detain and arrest suspected coup plotters and their supporters. The European Union and the Council of Europe expressed concerns about the human rights situation in Turkey, with Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, calling for the Justice and Development Party government to respect the rule of law and human rights. The United States Department of State also expressed concerns about the situation in Turkey, with John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State, calling for the Justice and Development Party government to respect the democratic process and the rule of law.

Reactions

The 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt was widely condemned by the international community, with NATO, the European Union, and the United Nations issuing statements in support of the Justice and Development Party government. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany also issued statements in support of the Justice and Development Party government, with Barack Obama, the President of the United States, David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, calling for the Turkish people to respect the democratic process and the rule of law. The Russian Federation and Iran also issued statements in support of the Justice and Development Party government, with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, and Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, calling for the Turkish people to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Turkey. The Gülen movement was widely condemned for its alleged role in the coup attempt, with Fethullah Gülen being accused of masterminding the coup attempt from his residence in Pennsylvania, United States.

Investigation and Trials

The investigation into the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt was led by the Turkish judiciary, with the Turkish courts trying thousands of suspected coup plotters and their supporters. The Turkish government alleged that the Gülen movement was behind the coup attempt, and that Fethullah Gülen had masterminded the coup attempt from his residence in Pennsylvania, United States. The United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation cooperated with the Turkish government in the investigation, with Loretta Lynch, the United States Attorney General, and James Comey, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meeting with Turkish officials to discuss the investigation. The European Union and the Council of Europe expressed concerns about the fairness and transparency of the trials, with Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, calling for the Turkish judiciary to respect the rule of law and human rights.

Purge and Reorganization

The 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt was followed by a widespread purge of the Turkish military, the Turkish judiciary, and the Turkish civil service, with thousands of people being detained and arrested on suspicion of being involved in the coup attempt. The Turkish government also launched a reorganization of the Turkish military and the Turkish intelligence services, with Hakan Fidan, the Head of the National Intelligence Organization, being appointed as the Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Parliament approved a constitutional referendum in 2017, which amended the Constitution of Turkey to give the President of Turkey sweeping powers and to abolish the office of the Prime Minister of Turkey. The European Union and the Council of Europe expressed concerns about the democratic process and the rule of law in Turkey, with Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, calling for the Turkish government to respect the principles of democracy and the rule of law. The United States Department of State also expressed concerns about the situation in Turkey, with Rex Tillerson, the United States Secretary of State, calling for the Turkish government to respect the democratic process and the rule of law.

Category:Turkish coups