2016 Turkish coup attempt

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
Ankara Istanbul Marmaris Malatya Kars 2016 Turkish coup attempt (Turkey)
Date 15–16 July 2016 Location Ankara Istanbul Marmaris Malatya Kars Violence and detainments in other places Status Coup failed Notable incidents: Turkish Parliament bombed Ankara Presidential Palace shelled Clashes between police officers and pro-coup soldiers Fourteen navy ships missing (as of 19 July) Three-month state of emergency announced by President Erdoğan
Belligerents
Peace at Home Council Elements of the Turkish Land Forces Elements of the First Army Factions of the Second Army Elements of the Third Army Elements of the Turkish Air Force Elements of the Turkish Navy Elements of the Gendarmerie General Command	Government of Turkey Loyalists of the Turkish Armed Forces General Directorate of Security National Intelligence Organization Local supporters
Commanders and leaders
Akın Öztürk (alleged) Muharrem Köse (alleged)	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Binali Yıldırım Hulusi Akar Ümit Dündar
Casualties and losses
24–104 putschists killed, 1 UH-60 and 1 AH-1 helicopter shot down 2 helicopters missing	67 pro-government forces killed (62 police officers and 5 soldiers)
179 civilians killed 270–350 killed and 2,185 wounded overall After the end of the coup: 9,300 arrested (6,310 soldiers, 1,481 judiciary members) 48,222 government officials and workers suspended

On 15 July 2016, a coup d'état was attempted in Turkey against the government but ultimately failed. The attempt was performed by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that was organized under a council called the Peace at Home Council. The council attempted to seize control of several key places in Ankara, Istanbul, and elsewhere, but failed to do so after forces loyal to Turkish 65th cabinet defeated them.

The motives behind the attempt remain unclear. The council cited an erosion of secularism, the elimination of democratic rule, a disregard for human rights, and Turkey's loss of credibility in the international arena as reasons for the coup. The government blamed soldiers linked to the Gülen movement—a group designated as a terrorist organization by the incumbent government and led by Fethullah Gülen, an exile. Gülen, however, condemned the coup and denied any involvement. He instead accused the Turkish president of staging the event as a false flag operation in an attempt to legitimise further curbs to civil liberties and purges to the judiciary and military, as well as to increase support for an executive presidency.

The attempt had several consequences domestically. During the coup, over 300 people were killed and more than 2,100 were injured. Many government buildings, including the Turkish Parliament and the Presidential Palace, were damaged. Mass arrests followed, with at least 6,000 detained, including at least 2,839 soldiers and, for reasons that remain unclear, 2,745 judges. Fifteen thousand education staff were also suspended and the licenses of 21,000 teachers working at private institutions were revoked as well after the government alleged they were loyal to Gülen.

Reactions to the event were largely against the coup, both domestically and internationally. The main opposition parties in Turkey condemned the attempt, while several international leaders—such as those from the United States, NATO, and the European Union—called for "respect of the democratic institutions in Turkey and its elected officials." International organizations expressed themselves against the coup as well. The United Nations Security Council, however, did not denounce the coup after Egypt, a non-permanent member of the Council, objected to language used in the proposed draft.

Background

Further information: History of the Republic of Turkey

Kemalism

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey

Since the establishment of multiparty democracy in Turkey in 1946, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), together with the judiciary, have viewed themselves as guardians of Kemalist ideals and the secular Turkish nationalist state established under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk against political parties that have promoted a larger role for Islam in public life. The military and judiciary have regularly intervened in politics to block or ban popular parties representing conservative Muslim Turks who were attempting to relax the restrictions on traditional religious practices, such as women's wearing of headscarves. The military has toppled four elected governments: by coups in 1960 and 1980, and by military decisions in 1971 and 1997. In addition, the military has banned several major political parties. In 1998, Erdoğan, who was the mayor of Istanbul at the time, was banned for life from politics, and jailed, because he had read a certain poem several years before, at a public meeting. In 2007, the military expressed its opposition to the election of Abdullah Gül, of the AKP, as president, by issuing an e-memorandum, but Gül was eventually elected when the AKP won both a referendum on the matter, and also a snap election, and the party returned with a larger majority in the parliament.

Ergenekon trials

In the years leading up to the 2016 coup attempt, the Ergenekon trials took place, which were seen as a bid by Turkey's civilian leaders under President Erdoğan to establish dominance over the military. In these trials in 2013—viewed as "sensational" and "one of the biggest in recent Turkish history"—275 people, including senior military officers, journalists, lawyers and academics, were accused of plotting a coup in 2003 and 2004 as part of a secret network named "Ergenekon" against Erdoğan, who was prime minister at the time. Additionally, some military officers were accused of involvement in a separate alleged plot, Sledgehammer. Simultaneously, Erdoğan promoted lower-ranking officers up the chain of command, ensuring that the military chief of staff was loyal to him, thereby demoralizing the army.

After the break between the Gülenist factions and Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) party, Erdoğan decided it would be advantageous to rehabilitate the army. The "Ergenekon" convictions were overturned in April 2016 by Turkey's highest appeals court, which ruled that the existence of the network was unproven. The November 2015 election was re-held amidst controversy of a crackdown on the media, as well ongoing hostilities with the PKK, amidst the Syrian Civil War, and relations with the country's Kurds.

Role of alleged corruption

In 2013, law enforcement efforts to fight corruption that led to the 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey were faulted by Erdoğan. The anti-corruption efforts were noted as a source of tension between the Gülenists, Erdoğan, and the AKP. In political analysis in the months prior to the coup attempt, the incidence of corruption was reportedly noted to be "rife" in Erdoğan's Turkey. Following the coup attempt, it was further noted that some coup leaders cited corruption as a reason for their actions.

Immunity bill

On 13 July, less than two days before the coup was launched, Erdoğan signed a bill giving Turkish soldiers immunity from prosecution while taking part in domestic security operations, requiring cases against commanders to be approved by the prime minister, while cases against lower-ranking soldiers may be signed off on by district governors. The immunity bill was seen as part of the détente between the government and the Armed Forces, while the latter have increasingly been taking over the military operations in the Kurdish-inhabited areas from police and paramilitary units.

Events

Attempted takeover

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News report showing tanks approaching Istanbul's Atatürk Airport

On 15 July 2016, as reported just before 11:00 p.m. EEST (UTC+3), military jets were witnessed flying over Ankara, and both the Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul in the direction of Anatolia to Europe were closed.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said military action was being "taken outside the chain of command" and it was an "illegal attempt" to seize power by "part of the military". He further said that those involved "will pay the highest price." Local media also reported tanks in Istanbul's Atatürk Airport. It was reported that Internet users within Turkey were blocked from accessing Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Twitter later claimed that they "have no reason to think we've been fully blocked". Some hostages were taken at military headquarters, including the Turkish Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar. At around 21:00, the coupists had invited Salih Zeki Çolak, the commander of the Turkish Land Forces to the military headquarters. When he arrived, he was immediately apprehended. Abidin Ünal, head of the Turkish Air Force, who had been attending a wedding in Istanbul, was abducted from there by soldiers who descended from a helicopter. The coupists then tried to force Akar to sign the coup declaration, almost strangling him using a belt in the process. He refused and was then taken to the Akıncı Air Base along with other commanders at the headquarters. The military also entered the Justice and Development Party's offices in Istanbul and asked people to leave.

Early reports said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was safe in Marmaris, south-west Turkey, where he had been on holiday.

At around 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., helicopters bombed the police special forces headquarters and police air force headquarters in Gölbaşı, just outside of Ankara. The attacks left 42 dead and 43 injured. Türksat headquarters in Gölbaşı was also attacked, killing two security personnel.

At around 11:50 p.m., soldiers occupied Taksim Square in central Istanbul.

At 12:02 a.m., it was reported by Reuters that Turkish soldiers were inside the buildings of the Turkish state broadcaster, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), in Ankara. During the coup attempt, soldiers forced anchor Tijen Karaş to read out a statement saying that "the democratic and secular rule of law has been eroded by current government" and that Turkey was now led by Peace at Home Council who would "ensure safety of the population." The statement read in part, "Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and general security that was damaged. […] All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue." The plotters said they had "done so to preserve democratic order, and that the rule of law must remain a priority". The statement also ordered temporary martial rule, and claimed a new constitution would be prepared "as soon as possible". TRT was then taken off air.

The "peace council" was reportedly chaired by Muharrem Köse.

Government response and conflict

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım

The Turkish Presidential office said President Erdoğan was on holiday outside Turkey and safe, and condemned the coup attempt as an attack on democracy. A presidential source also said Erdoğan and his government are still in power. The first messages from Erdoğan were transmitted at around 12:23 a.m. At about 1:00 a.m., Erdoğan did a FaceTime interview with CNN Türk, in which he called upon his supporters to take to the streets in defiance of the military-imposed curfew, saying "There is no power higher than the power of the people. Let them do what they will at public squares and airports." Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş appeared on live television, saying Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is still in charge of the government. The mayor of Ankara, Melih Gökçek of the AKP, encouraged people to go out to the city's streets in defiance, despite a curfew imposed by the military. Erdoğan's plane took off from Dalaman Airport near Marmaris at 11:47 p.m., but had to wait in the air south of Atatürk for the airport to be secured. His plane could only land at 2:50 a.m.

The First Army General Command in Istanbul claimed that the TSK did not support the coup and the perpetrators represented a very small faction that were on the verge of being brought under control. Istanbul Atatürk Airport was closed; all flights from the airport were cancelled. There was an explosion in the TRT broadcasting headquarters and gunfire was reported in Ankara. Soon after, it was stormed by a crowd of civilians and police, with four soldiers inside reportedly being "neutralised". The channel went back on air and Karaş, who had previously announced the coup, said live that she had been held hostage and forced to read the declaration of the coup at gunpoint.

By 1:00 a.m., it was reported that the military had pulled its forces from the Atatürk airport and people were coming inside, but by 1:13 a.m., it was reported that tanks were inside the airport and gunfire was heard.

Tanks opened fire near the Turkish Parliament Building. The parliamentary building was also hit from the air. Injuries were reported among protesters on Bosphorus Bridge following gunfire on the bridge.

A helicopter belonging to the pro-coup forces was shot down by a Turkish military F-16 fighter jet. There were also reports of pro-government jets flying over Ankara to "neutralize" helicopters used by those behind the coup.

At 3:08 a.m., a military helicopter opened fire on the Turkish parliament. At 3:10 a.m., Turkish Armed Forces claimed on their website that they had complete control over the country. However, at 3:12 a.m., Yıldırım made a statement saying that the situation was under control and that a no-fly zone was declared over Ankara and that military planes that still flew would be shot down.

It was reported that the Turkish parliament had been bombed again at 3:23 and 3:33 a.m. A helicopter belonging to the pro-coup forces was also seen flying by it. Half an hour following the report of 12 deaths and 2 injuries in the parliament, soldiers entered CNN Türk's headquarters and forced the studio to go off air. After an hour of interruption by the pro-coup soldiers, CNN Türk resumed its broadcast. Later, İsmail Kahraman said a bomb exploded at a corner of the public relations building inside the parliament, with no deaths but several injuries among police officers.

At around 4:00 a.m., after Erdoğan left his hotel at Marmaris, two or three helicopters attacked the hotel he had left. According to eyewitness accounts, ten to fifteen heavily armed men landed and started firing. In the ensuing conflict, two policemen were killed and 8 were injured.

The Doğan News Agency reported that in Istanbul several individuals were injured after soldiers fired on a group of people that was attempting to cross the Bosphorus Bridge in protest of the attempted coup.

The Presidency of Religious Affairs stated that it would not be providing religious funeral services to the dead coupists, except for "privates and low-ranking officers compelled by force and threats who found themselves in the midst of the conflict without full knowledge of anything".

Shift in control of theatre of operations

Soldiers' escape to Greece with one helicopter

On Saturday 16 July 2016, at 12:42 a.m. EEST (UTC+3), a Turkish Black Hawk helicopter sent a distress signal and requested permission from Greek authorities for an emergency landing, and landed 8 minutes later (12:50) at the Dimokritos airport in Alexandroupoli, in Greece, while two Greek F-16s observed the procedure and escorted it to the airport. The first reports said that the passengers were seven military personnel and a civilian. Later, it turned out that all were military personnel. They had removed the badges and insignia from their uniforms, making it impossible to know their rank. All were arrested after landing for illegal entry into the country. They were transferred to the local police station, while the helicopter was guarded at the airport by the Greek authorities. The eight passengers all requested political asylum in Greece.

After the president's arrival in Istanbul

After Erdoğan flew in to Istanbul, he made a televised speech at first inside the airport at around 4:00 a.m., whilst thousands gathered outside. He addressed a crowd of supporters in the airport, at about 6:30 a.m. He said, "In Turkey, armed forces are not governing the state or leading the state. They cannot." He blamed "those in Pennsylvania" (a reference to Fethullah Gülen, who lives in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, and his Hizmet Movement) for the coup attempt. Erdoğan also said he had plans to "clean up" the army, saying that "This uprising is a gift from God to us." State-run Anadolu Agency named former Colonel Muharrem Köse, who in March 2016 was dishonorably discharged for alleged association with Gülen, as the suspected leader of the coup. However, the Alliance for Shared Values, a non-profit organization associated with Gülen, released a statement reiterating that it condemns any military intervention in domestic politics, and saying Erdoğan's allegations against the movement were "highly irresponsible". Gülen himself said in a brief statement just before midnight: "As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations."

Reuters reported that in early hours of 16 July, the coup appeared to have "crumbled" as crowds defied pro-coup military orders and gathered in major squares of Istanbul and Ankara to oppose the coup. Reuters also reported pro-coup soldiers surrendering to the police in Taksim Square, Istanbul. It was reported that by 5:18 a.m., Atatürk airport had completely been recaptured by the government whilst the police had surrounded the coupists inside the Turkish army headquarters, calling for them to surrender. Between 6:00–8:00 a.m. a skirmish took place there. In Akar's absence, Ümit Dündar, head of the First Army, was appointed Acting Chief of Staff.

In the early hours of the morning of 16 July, soldiers blocking the Bosphorus Bridge surrendered to the police. According to the government-run Anadolu Agency, this consisted of a group of 50 soldiers. Some of these soldiers were lynched by the public despite efforts of police forces which fired into the air in order to protect the soldiers from civilians. The throat of one soldier was reportedly slit whilst a video emerged in which one person claimed that four soldiers had been killed. Meanwhile, in the headquarters of the Turkish Army, 700 unarmed soldiers surrendered as the police conducted an operation into the building while 150 armed soldiers were kept inside by the police. The coupists in the TRT building in Istanbul surrendered in the early morning as well. Chief of Staff Akar, held hostage at the Akıncı Air Base in Ankara, was also rescued by pro-government forces.

Aftermath

Arrests and purges

Main article: 2016 Turkish purges

File:Gaziosmanpaşa meydanı protesto.jpg

Citizens protesting the coup attempt in Tokat

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Pop-up banners during a protest

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A view of the street demonstration against the coup

An extensive purge of the Turkish civil service began in the wake of the coup attempt, with President Erdoğan warning his opponents that "they will pay a heavy price for this." The New York Times along with some other Western media such as The Economist, described the purges as a "counter-coup", with the Times expecting the president to "become more vengeful and obsessed with control than ever, exploiting the crisis not just to punish mutinous soldiers but to further quash whatever dissent is left in Turkey,". As of 20 July 2016, the purge has seen over 45,000 military officials, police officers, judges, governors and civil servants arrested or suspended, including 2,700 judges, 15,000 teachers, and every university dean in the country.

On 18 July 2016, U.S. State Secretary John Kerry urged Turkish authorities to halt the increasing crackdown on its citizens, indicating that the crackdown was meant to "suppress dissent". French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault voiced concern, warning against a "political system which turns away from democracy" in response to the purges.

Allegations against Fethullah Gülen

Political figure Fethullah Gülen, condemned the coup attempt and denied any role in it, but was partially blamed by Turkish authorities.

Fethullah Gülen, whom President Erdoğan had accused as being one of the principal conspirators, vehemently condemned the coup attempt and denied any role in it. "I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey," he said in an emailed statement reported by The New York Times. "Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force. I pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens and for all those currently in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly. As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations."

President Erdoğan asked the United States to extradite Gülen: "I call on you again, after there was a coup attempt. Extradite this man in Pennsylvania to Turkey! If we are strategic partners or model partners, do what is necessary." Prime Minister Yildirim has threatened war against any country that would support Gülen. Turkish Labor Minister Süleyman Soylu claimed that "America is behind the coup."

Regarding the AKP's allegations against exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen, who lives in Pennsylvania, Secretary of State Kerry invited the Turkish government "to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny," before they would accept an extradition request.

Outside of Turkey, in Beringen, Belgium, aggressive supporters of Erdoğan tried to attack a building of the pro-Gülen movement "Vuslat". The police brought in a water cannon to keep the attackers at bay. In news articles it was stated that the police also protected the houses of the Gülen supporters. People advocated on social media to go to Beringen once more, and there was unrest in Heusden-Zolder, elsewhere in Belgium.

Incirlik Air Base

The US consulate in Turkey issued an advisory to U.S citizens to avoid the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, which houses about 50 nuclear bombs, until "normal operations have been restored". They stated that local authorities were denying access to the air base and that power supplying the air base was shut off. The U.S. Air Force was operating in the Incirlik air base for the American-led intervention in Syria. Nearly 1,500 American personnel are housed in the base.

Twenty-four hours after initial reports that the air base was shut down, U.S. defense department officials confirmed that the base and its airspace had re-opened to military aircraft and that operations by American aircraft will resume.

Social unrest

On 16 July, anti-coup protesters chanted against locals in areas of Istanbul with high concentration of Alevis, including Okmeydanı and Gazi. Such incidents also occurred in a quarter of Antakya with a high Alevi population, where a motorcyclist claiming to be a sharia advocate was lynched. In a neighbourhood of Ankara, shops belonging to Syrians were attacked by a mob. In Malatya, Sunni Islamists harassed residents of an Alevi neighbourhood, particularly the women, and attempted to enter the neighbourhood en masse. Police intervened and blocked all roads leading there. In Kadıköy, people drinking alcohol in public were attacked by a group of religious fundamentalists.

Calls to reintroduce the death penalty

See also: Capital punishment in Turkey

Following the arrests, thousands of anti-coup protesters demanded instituting the death penalty against detainees connected with the coup, chanting "we want the death penalty". President Erdoğan has been open to reinstituting the death penalty, noting that "in a democracy, whatever the people want they will get." Turkish authorities have not executed anyone since 1984, but legally abolished capital punishment only in 2004 as a pre-condition to join the European Union.

European Union officials have been vocal about their opposition to purges by Turkish authorities in connection to the coup. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault noted that Turkey must work within the framework of the law to uphold Europe's democratic principles. Furthermore, on 18 July 2016, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of Foreign Affairs of the European Union, announced that no country will be admitted into the European Union "if it introduces the death penalty". Moreover, German press secretary, Steffen Seibert, stated that reinstituting the death penalty will end Turkey's accession talks with the European Union.

Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe, and ratified the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as part of its terms of membership. The ECHR is an international treaty that includes the abolition of the death penalty among its terms. As such, Turkey is legally bound not to reintroduce the death penalty.

Turkish soldiers' request for political asylum in Greece

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey has requested extradition of eight military personnel who had escaped to Greece; and the return of the Turkish helicopter that transported the soldiers into Greece. The Greek authorities answered that the Turkish military helicopter would be returned as soon as possible. Regarding the passengers, they said, "we will follow the procedures of international law. However, we give very serious considerations to the fact that they are accused, in their country, of violating the constitutional order and trying to overthrow democracy." The Turkish Foreign Minister made a statement, posted on Twitter, that the soldiers who landed in Greece, claiming asylum, would be extradited. A Greek government source denied this, saying the asylum process would be processed swiftly but international law and human rights would be fully respected. At night, after 11:00 p.m. (EEST), a second Turkish Black Hawk helicopter with extra crew members arrived at the Greek airport from Turkey in order to retrieve the first helicopter, after the crew checked the helicopter, both helicopters returned to Turkey early on the morning of 17 July.

The lawyer assigned to four of the Turkish military officers said they were all medical crew in Istanbul and they didn’t know about the coup and that they all have families and children in Turkey. She also added that the officers received orders on the evening of 15 July to transfer some injured people with their helicopters. They followed orders without knowing that a coup was under way. At some point, police opened fire against their helicopters. By that point they were aware a coup was under way and feared they would be executed as participants if they stayed in Turkey, so they decided to board a helicopter not damaged by police fire and fly to Greece to request asylum. The lawyer also added that they were "in a bad mental state" because they were afraid for both their own and their families’ lives. In addition, they don't believe that they will be given a fair trial in Turkey.

The eight Turkish soldiers appeared before a Greek prosecutor at Alexandroupoli on the morning of 17 July and were charged with illegal entry into the country, jeopardizing Greece's frelationship with Turkey and for illegal flight. Seven were charged with instigating the illegal flight, while the eighth, who was piloting the helicopter, was accused of executing the illegal flight. Later, the charges regarding jeopardizing Greece's relationship with Turkey removed. Due to the fact that they had removed the badges and insignia from their uniforms, the initial reports were contradictory regarding their ranks, later it turned out they were officers and non-commissioned officers, Turkish army cadres, and specifically serving in a helicopter unit of the Turkish land army.

On 18 July, they appeared before a judge in Alexandroupoli. They were in civilian clothes when they were brought to the courthouse and their faces were covered. The court has postponed the trial to 21 July 2016. The atmosphere in court was tense, Turkish officials who sat directly behind the Turkish soldiers in the courtroom threatened them until a Greek lawyer asked them to be moved away. Their lawyer said that: "My clients told me that in the court were people from Turkey, and they said bad words against them. Someone who speaks Turkish told me they called them 'dogs, traitors, we will kill you'. Something like that."

Greek Deputy Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas has noted that the group's asylum applications were being processed and a decision would be made by the Greek courts. Although the applications would be examined under both "Greek and international law", the argument for extradition is "very strong".

The Turkish ambassador to Greece, has told that if the soldiers are not returned to Turkey, this would not help bilateral relations between the two countries. He, also, added that "Greece should not given landing permission to Turkish helicopter, it should not have even allowed it to enter Greek FIR."

A Greek lawyer said that the situation is very "complicated" under Greek and international law. "I suspect that the Greek authorities want a clean and immediate extradition procedure. However, there are strong legal arguments to oppose such a thing. "We have to consider the safety of their lives. That is the first argument when granting asylum. They can't be extradited if there is the suspicion of a political or a military prosecution against them – and harsh penalties."

On the night of July 19, the officers have been transferred from Alexandroupoli to Kavala for their own safety.

On 21, July, the Greek court sentenced the 8 officers to two months in prison for illegally entering Greece and they were acquitted of violating flight regulations. They were found not guilty of illegally flying over Greece because according to the Greek law the accusation of illegal flight over Greece doesn't concern military planes and helicopters since they are not obligated to submit flight plan. The court recognized the mitigating circumstances that the men faced, having acted while under great threat. The sentences were suspended for three years, but they remained in police custody pending resolution of their asylum applications. A Greek policeman who testified said that the helicopter and all eight were unarmed, they were also cooperative after landing, offered no resistance to arrest, surrendered immediately and asked for political asylum. During the trial there were 6 Turkish lawyers, one of them threatened the 8 officers resulting the immediate intervention of the Greek police who told him to leave the court.

In answer to a series of questions directed from the sole judge presiding over the case, the eight – pilots and flight engineers – claimed they were ordered by phone to report to their Istanbul-area unit on Friday (July 15) evening in order to pick up injured, without however, being informed on how the soldiers were injured. They also claimed that only one of the three helicopters they commanded was able to fully execute the order, given that the violence already taking place on the metropolis’ streets prevented the other two aircraft from evacuating any injured party. In fact, they said the other two helicopters came under fire. In the end, the crews of all three helicopters, which they emphasized are used exclusively as flying ambulances and transports, piled into one of the three aircraft and eventually made for the nearest airport on the Greek side of the border after several hours. Before deciding to flee Turkey, they said they first landed at a base that includes a military hospital near Istanbul, remaining until before dawn and again taking off after shots were fired. The last stop before Alexadroupolis was a brief stopover in a wooded area near the city, where they found out about the coup through the Internet. All eight said they were concerned about the safety after watching officers and servicemen being roughed up by mobs on the streets of Istanbul, regardless of whether they were involved or not in the coup attempt.

On the morning of July, 22, the officers transferred for safety reason to Athens. Their lawyers said they were not informed by anyone about the transfer and the police director of Kavala informed them at noon.

State of emergency

On 20 July 2016, President Erdogan announced a three-month state of emergency in response to the attempted coup, invoking Article 120 of the Constitution of Turkey ("Declaration of state of emergency because of widespread acts of violence and serious deterioration of public order"). Under the state of emergency, under Article 121, "the Council of Ministers, meeting under the chairpersonship of the President of the Republic, may issue decrees having the force of law on matters necessitated by the state of emergency..." with decrees subject to subsequent parliamentary approval. The state of emergency was endorsed by the Parliament on 21 July by 346 votes to 115.

As part of the state of emergency, deputy prime minister Kurtulmus announced that Turkey was temporarily suspending part of the European Convention on Human Rights following the attempted coup, invoking Article 15 of the Convention ("war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation"). The suspensions must be notified to the Council of Europe and may not affect the right to a fair trial or the prohibition on torture.

Greek patrols for coup fugitives

On July, 20, there were reports that a group of Turkish military commandos coup fugitives would try to cross from Turkey to the island of Symi, in the southeastern Aegean, at Greece. These reports put the Greek armed forces on alert. Also, the Greek Coast Guard was on alert and increased the patrols in the area, especially after a group of inflatable dinghies and other vessels were seen departing from Datca, on the Turkish coast, in the direction of Symi, they monitored the movements of the Turkish vessels, which remained in Turkish waters. Furthermore, a contingent of the Greek Police was dispatched to Symi to conduct checks there. Athens had been anticipating a possible attempt by participants in the failed coup to come to Greece and so took the reports seriously. In addition, Turkish F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to check reports that missing Turkish coast guard vessels had appeared in Greek waters in the Aegean. Later on the day, the Turkish interior ministry denied claims that rebel soldiers might have "hijacked" a vessel to flee to Greece.

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks released Turkish emails and documents as a response to the Turkish government's purges that followed the coup attempt. In turn, the Turkish Telecommunications Communications Board blocked access to the WikiLeaks website. On 17 July 2016 Wikileaks had announced on Twitter, the leak of approximately 300,000 emails and over 500,000 documents, including those to and from AKP party.

WikiLeaks claimed that it was attacked shortly after the 17 July announcement of the planned publication and hypothesised that Turkish authorities were responsible. WikiLeaks stated in a tweet, "our infrastructure is under sustained attack." Tweets from WikiLeaks include "We are unsure of the true origin of the attack. The timing suggests a Turkish state power faction or its allies. We will prevail & publish." and: "Turks will likely be censored to prevent them reading our pending release of 100k+ docs on politics leading up to the coup.", "We ask that Turks are ready with censorship bypassing systems such as TorBrowser and uTorrent"; "And that everyone else is ready to help them bypass censorship and push our links through the censorship to come."

Third-party reactions

Domestic

Among the Turkish opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) issued a statement expressing their public opposition to the coup, and the Hürriyet Daily News reported that Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli telephoned Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım to express his opposition to the coup. The co-chairs of the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) issued a statement saying that the party was "under all circumstances and as a matter of principle against all kinds of coup..." Amongst the minor parties, left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party's Doğu Perinçek seemed to back the AKP government, when he held Gülen and the Americans responsible. Kurdish militant separatist organization PKK, which Turkey and its allies label as a terrorist organization, urged their supporters to stay away from the coup and rather defend their people, while the Communist Party called upon the people to overthrow the AKP government which they called an "enemy of humanity".

International

Main article: International reactions to the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt

The majority of countries either expressed their support for the Erdoğan government or called for restraint. On 16 July 2016, however, a proposed United Nations Security Council statement denouncing the coup was not accepted by Egypt, a non-permanent member of the Council at the time, due to textual disagreements. Egyptian diplomats argued that the Council is "in no position to qualify, or label [the Turkish] government – or any other government for that matter – as democratically elected or not". The leader of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky supported the coup attempt.

Mustafa Akıncı, President of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Turkey, welcomed the fact that "no community in Turkey … applauded the coup as they have done in the past."

European Commissioner dealing with Turkey's EU membership bid, Johannes Hahn, said it appears Turkey's government prepared arrest lists of political opponents before the coup attempt and had been waiting for the right time to act.

Flemish Prime Minister Geert Bourgeois pointed to the practices employed by Nazi Germany, saying "I am aware that at a certain point the Nazi regime dismissed magistrates and professors. ... I'm not saying that Turkey is a Nazi regime but these are practices that do not belong in a democracy."

On 19 July 2016, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing that President Barack Obama has held a phone conversation with President Erdogan: "The President used the phone call to reiterate once again the strong commitment of the United States to the democratically elected civilian government of Turkey. The President pledged any needed assistance to the Turkish government as they conduct and investigation to determine exactly what happened."

On 20 July 2016, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "Turkey has a large armed force, professional armed forces and ... I am certain they will continue as a committed and strong NATO ally."

Analysis

Reuters reported on 15 July that an EU source described the coup as "well orchestrated," and predicted that "given the scale of the operation, it is difficult to imagine they will stop short of prevailing." Another EU diplomat, said that the Turkish ambassador in his capital was shocked and "taking it very seriously".

Causes

According to Michael Rubin, an American analyst on the Middle East, Erdoğan had himself to blame for the coup. Following an increasingly Islamist agenda, Erdoğan had supposedly "dropped any pretense of governing for all Turks." After "fanning the flames" at the 2013 Gezi Park protests, he transformed the predominantly Kurdish-inhabited areas of southeastern Turkey "into a war zone reminiscent of the worst days of the 1980s." The biggest problem, according to Rubin, might have been Erdoğan's foreign policy, which managed to turn the initial "no problems with neighbors" doctrine into a situation where the country has problems with almost every neighbor and has even alienated some of its allies and friends.

British Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk warned that "too late did Erdoğan realise the cost of the role he had chosen for his country. It's one thing to say sorry to Putin and patch up relations with Netanyahu; but when you can no longer trust your army, there are more serious matters to concentrate upon." Even if this coup may have failed, Fisk expects another to follow in the months or years to come.

Turkish professor Akın Ünver described the coup d'état attempt as "more of a mutiny".

Peace at Home Council

The name of the "Peace at Home Council" – Yurtta Sulh Konseyi – "is derived from Atatürk's famous saying 'Peace at Home, Peace in the World' ", according to a BBC article by Turkish journalist and scholar Ezgi Başaran. She also noted that "the statement of the junta, that was [...] read on the [...] government TV [channel] as the coup got under way, bore a strong resemblance to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's famous address to the Turkish Youth. [...] On the other hand, given that these references are too obvious, they may have been intentionally included to insinuate a Kemalist junta rather than a Gülenist one."

Timing

German Islamic studies scholar de claimed the putschists tried to forestall a large-scale purge of judiciary and military, the implementation of which had already started on Saturday, the day succeeding the coup attempt. According to Turkish investigative journalist Ahmet Şık, a list of officials to be purged had been ready compiled by the attorney-general of Izmir, Okan Bato, and was approved by President Erdoğan. According to this version, the putschists had to quickly bring forward their coup attempt, before they would be disposed and arrested.

Reasons for failure

According to Naunuhal Singh, author of the coup analysis book Seizing Power, the coup attempt failed primarily because the plotters failed to secure control of the media, and shape the narrative. Successful coups require that all methods of mass communication be controlled by the rebels. This allows even small rebel contingents to portray themselves as fully in control, and their victory as inevitable. Consequently, they convince the public, along with neutral and even loyalist soldiers, to defect to them, or at least not to resist. The rebels failed to properly broadcast their messages effectively across the media that they controlled. Worse, they also failed to completely shut down the private television networks, mobile phone networks, and social media.

Equally important to the coup's failure, according to military strategist Edward N. Luttwak, was the inability of the rebels to neutralize Erdoğan and other high ranking government officials, either by killing or detaining them. A unit of special forces was sent via helicopter to kill or capture the president, but missed because he had been evacuated by his security detail just minutes before. Once Erdoğan landed at Atatürk International Airport (which had been recaptured from the rebels by his supporters), the coup was doomed. According to a military source, several coupist F-16s targeted Erdoğan's presidential jet en route to Istanbul, but they did not fire; "Why they didn't fire is a mystery," the source said. A senior Turkish counter-terrorism official later revealed that the jets didn’t fire after the fighter jet pilots were told by President Erdoğan's pilot over the radio that the (flight of the) Gulfstream IV was a Turkish Airlines flight.

Citizens protesting the coup attempt in Istanbul

Pro-government forces sent text messages to every Turkish citizen calling for them to mobilize. Mosques began broadcasting the "sela" funeral call to prayer in the middle of the night, and loudspeakers urged the faithful to engage in jihad against the rebels. Erdoğan's large cadre of supporters took to the streets to defend their president. The crowds that opposed the coup were made almost entirely of males, sporting mustaches (a style that secular Turkish men avoid), and chanting religious rather than patriotic slogans (such as Allah Akbar and the Shahada).

Another major reason the coup failed was because it was executed by disjointed factions rather than the entirety of the military. The highest ranking staff officers opposed the coup, and publicly ordered all personnel to return to their barracks. Acting outside the military chain of command, the rebels lacked the coordination and resources to achieve their goals. The conscripted soldiers that the rebels mobilized were uninformed of the true purpose of their mission, became demoralized, and many surrendered rather than shoot demonstrators. Additionally, according to a military source, the coup plotters' plans had been leaked. This forced them to attempt the coup ahead of schedule. The commander of the First Army in Istanbul, General Umit Dundar, personally called Erdoğan to warn him of the plot, persuading him to evacuate his hotel ahead of the plotters, and helped to secure Istanbul for Erdoğan to land.

Israeli analyst Yossi Melman said that the coup plotters should have first captured the Turkish leader. The ironic fact that Erdoğan used social media to call upon his supporters to take to the streets, played a substantial role in defying a coup plot that "initially appeared to be going by the book." Though the US and most NATO members condemned the coup, voicing support for Erdoğan and the elected government, international concern about this key Middle Eastern state's stability would further grow. As Melman expects Erdoğan to further increase his efforts on strengthening his grip on opponents, he sees the country tumbling into a period of uncertainty and disquiet.

False flag conspiracy theories

During and after the events, several politicians and commentators suggested that the government knew about the coup in advance and possibly directed it.

Possible evidence

The fact that the coup attempt began in the early evening rather than at a more inconspicuous time, the events were largely confined to Ankara and İstanbul, no members of the government or MPs were taken hostage, and pro-government media outlets were not obstructed from broadcasting live during the events, all contributed to doubts about the authenticity of the coup attempt. Journalists and opposition politicians branded it a 'tragic comedy' and 'theatre play'. Advocates of such theories pointed to how Erdoğan stood to gain heavily from the coup attempt in terms of increasing his popularity and support for his calls for an executive presidency, while being able to legitimise further crackdowns on civil liberties, judicial independence and the opposition in general. Opponents of Erdoğan's regime claimed that very little stood in the way of his government eroding the founding principles of the Turkish Republic such as secularism, which the AKP has been accused of wanting to abolish, and pursuing a more authoritarian agenda.

Other elements that seemed to support the coup was staged: no list of demands by the coup plotters, the organization and response of the police, the long lists of arrests that seemed to be ready surprisingly quickly (including arrests of 2,745 judges and 2,839 soldiers), and the highly visible nature of the coup actions.

Skepticism over strategy

Fethullah Gülen, whom Erdoğan had accused as being one of the principal conspirators, commented, "I don’t believe that the world believes the accusations made by President Erdoğan. There is a possibility that it could be a staged coup and it could be meant for further accusations [against the Gülenists]." Journalist Cengiz Çandar, a veteran observer of Turkey's coups, said "I have never seen any with this magnitude of such inexplicable sloppiness."

Evidence of pre-planning

Skeptics also pointed to how the Adhan (call to prayer) had been called out early in large numbers of Mosques throughout the country with muezzins calling on people to take to the streets to protest the coup attempt. The organisation and spontaneous synchronisation by large numbers of mosques was perceived to be unachievable unless there had been prior preparation, with journalists also pointing to how the call to prayer could have been strategically used by Erdoğan to invoke religious sentiment in a political situation as a veiled attack on state secularism.

Thousands of arrests and purges were conducted by Turkish authorities between 16–18 July 2016, as noted above. The sheer number of these arrests made at such a speed could only be done so if the "Turkish government had all those lists ready", as suggested by Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, on 18 July 2016. Hahn also claimed that because these lists were already available immediately after the coup, the "event was prepared" and the lists were to be used "at a certain stage".

Possible government motives

A number of social media users have compared the coup attempt to the Reichstag fire in 1933, which Adolf Hitler used as an excuse to suspend civil liberties and order mass arrests of his opponents. Politico correspondent Ryan Heath speculated that the coup was staged to give Erdoğan an opportunity to purge the military of opponents and increase his grip on the country. Heath used Twitter to share comments from his Turkish source, who called the events of Friday night a "fake coup" which would help a "fake democracy warrior" (referring to Erdoğan). The source noted:

Probably we’ll see an early election [in] which he’ll try to guarantee an unbelievable majority of the votes. And this will probably guarantee another 10–15 years of authoritarian, elected dictatorship.

The New York Times reported that some Turkish citizens believed the coup attempt was staged by Erdoğan to improve his public image and popularity, while cracking down on political opponents and expanding his power. Certain theorists found it suspect that reportedly no government officials were arrested or harmed during the attempted coup, which—among other factors—raised the suspicion of a false flag event staged by the Turkish government to crack down on opposition parties.

Politicians and journalists who were skeptical of the authenticity of the coup plot claimed that in reality, a 'civil coup' had effectively been staged against the Armed Forces and Judiciary, both of which were extensively purged of alleged Gülen supporters by the government shortly after the events. Skeptics argued that the coup would be used as an excuse for further erosion of judicial independence and a crackdown on the opposition, essentially giving the AKP greater and unstoppable power over all state institutions and paving the way for a more radical Islamist agenda at odds with the founding principles of the Turkish Republic.

See also

• Deep state
• List of coups d'état and coup attempts since 2010
• List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

External links

• Updates at BBC News
• Updates at The Telegraph
• Updates at CNN
• Updates at Al Jazeera
• Updates at The Wall Street Journal
• Updates at The New York Times