On July 15, 2016, Turkish males, girls and youngsters from all walks of life bravely stood in opposition to a coup try that aimed to crush a resurgent nation. Defying tanks, weapons and bombs led by a treacherous group inside the military, the brave folks of Türkiye fought to guard their nation’s democratic and people-centric future. Woodrow Wilson as soon as stated: “I imagine in democracy as a result of it releases the energies of each human being.” That vitality, braveness and heroism are what led on a regular basis Turks to cherish their freedom, rise in opposition to oppression and battle to guard their nation.
The coup try was a stark reminder of the numerous threats Türkiye continues to confront whereas realising its imaginative and prescient entitled the “Century of Türkiye”. These threats – each home and worldwide – opposed the democratic course of and sought to disrupt the nation’s stability. On this regard, this 12 months’s particular commemoration of these traumatic occasions is devoted to the “Heroes of the Century of Türkiye” – those that sacrificed their lives in order that others could dwell in a free, democratic and pluralistic nation. They don’t seem to be simply our heroes however heroes for the world, as they stood for freedom, equality and the rule of regulation and gave the final word sacrifice to uphold the sovereignty of the folks and the targets of the “Century of Türkiye”.
It’s plain that this was a life-or-death battle between the forces of democracy, led by the elected president of the Republic, on one facet and treacherous parts inside state establishments, such because the police, navy and judiciary, guided by a foreign-sponsored terrorist organisation on the opposite. Of their vicious try and disrupt democracy, 251 harmless residents had been murdered, 2,196 males, girls and youngsters had been severely injured, and a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars}’ value of infrastructure was destroyed. For the primary time within the nation’s historical past, the Parliament – a logo of the need of the nation – was bombed. Behind all this, was the felony, terrorist and intelligence organisation dubbed FETÖ.
To offer some background, FETÖ was established within the late Nineteen Sixties as a “spiritual motion” with vital international funders. Below the guise of selling schooling and inter-religious dialogue, FETÖ members infiltrated the military, regulation enforcement, the judiciary and quite a few authorities establishments with the intention of illicitly taking management of the Turkish state. It’s a clandestine terrorist organisation, that has had world outreach and is led by a megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur, Fetullah Gülen, who has lived in an infinite property in the US for greater than 20 years.
At present, seven years after these darkish days, the battle in opposition to the terrorist FETÖ community inside and out of doors of Türkiye stays one of many nation’s most important priorities. Türkiye is set to not solely eradicate FETÖ however all extremist organisations and their collaborators. Türkiye will hunt them down, wherever they could be, and produce all these concerned to justice. FETÖ is concerned in unlawful actions in additional than 160 international locations around the globe, by way of colleges, NGOs, lobbyists, media retailers and corporations. Since 2016, a lot of its colleges and academic centres, which operated in 45 international locations, have been both shut down or seized by the respective host international locations. As of now, 20 colleges have been transferred to the Turkish Maarif Basis. This has damaged the again of the felony parts who wished to weaponise the goodwill of the Turkish nation for nefarious functions. Türkiye stays resolute in firmly standing for a rules-based worldwide order.
Because the failed coup, Türkiye has survived many challenges, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and, lately, a disastrous earthquake that hit the south of the nation claiming the lives of round 60,000 folks. Greater than 100,000 buildings collapsed, and lots of extra had been severely broken. Three weeks after the catastrophic earthquake, the federal government began a speedy reconstruction plan that included constructing 650,000 new properties, 507,000 residences, and 143,000 village homes. It was a monumental enterprise that the Turkish folks deeply appreciated. For that purpose, just a few months after the catastrophic earthquake, Türkiye held truthful, clear and peaceable presidential and parliamentary elections. Contemplating the synergy between a mature, engaged democracy and the extent of residents’ political dedication, excessive turnout within the elections proves that the Turkish persons are unwavering in exercising their political will as masters of their nation. Due to this deep relationship of belief between the management and the folks, Türkiye continues to rise from energy to energy.
Lastly, on this seventh anniversary of the treacherous coup try, we applaud the noble sacrifice of all those that sacrificed their lives for his or her nation. For that reason, we’ll all the time bear in mind those that sacrificed not solely because the “Heroes of the Century of Türkiye”, but in addition the “Heroes of stability, unity, peace and democracy”. Equally, Türkiye will all the time be deeply grateful to our brother nation Qatar, and His Highness the Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for standing in solidarity with the Turkish folks throughout that tough ordeal and being the primary among the many world’s leaders to sentence the tried coup.
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
