The failed coup of July 15 revealed the true face of Fethullah Gülen and his sinister organisation, says Kaan Esener, ambassador of Turkey to South Africa.
In the evening of July 15th Turkey experienced an existential struggle of epic proportions. The coup attempt staged by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces failed thanks to a resolute and courageous public that responded to a call to resistance by President Erdogan.
Turkey has seen a number of coup d’etat in the past. Each time the military ousted the government, we lived through dark days. However, we persevered as a nation and took extensive measures to never again see another military takeover.
What we experienced on July 15th was no ordinary coup d’etat! This was a criminal syndicate attempting to capture the State by all means necessary, including the use of lethal force against the public.
It is important to clarify why this coup attempt was different and why the Turkish nation was locked in an existential struggle. This can be best explained by describing what lies behind this plot to capture the Turkish State.
The organisation that staged the coup attempt is a cult of personality that is organised around Fethullah Gülen, a cleric who resides in Pennsylvania, USA, in self-imposed exile and operates a secretive transnational network. This group aims to amass power and overthrow the democratic regime in Turkey.
To realise this covert aim, they use their students, recruits and followers employed particularly in public services and bureaucracy.
Over the last couple of decades, the movement was able to infiltrate the state institutions to gain control of state mechanisms, first and foremost the military, the police and the judiciary.
This group has widely and repeatedly used information gathered through illegal wiretaps, blackmail and threats. Their victims range from politicians, members of the military and law enforcement to opposition journalists, NGO representatives and businessmen.
The group also has an extensive network of schools around the world. Schools and universities are used to indoctrinate students and recruit members. Business and group’s financial institutions have been involved in financing the group as well as laundering money. Hospitals and non-profit organisations also serve to create a circle of sympathizers. Media tools are used to promote Gülen and glorify the worldwide activities of the group.
At present, this group is running a defamation campaign in order to distort the efforts by the democratically elected Turkish government.
It is ironic that this group that aimed to overthrow a democratically elected government through a bloody coup is now trying to misrepresent Turkey’s efforts to establish law and order as political crackdown or an attempt to suppress political dissent.
The failed coup of July 15th revealed the true face of Fethullah Gülen and his sinister organisation. What happened on that day was an act of terror, killing hundreds of people, wounding thousands.
The coup attempt was staged through a network of military officers of varying ranks recruited by this group. It was also supported by non-military individuals and groups known to be affiliated to Gülen.
Testimonies of those who played key roles point to Gülen’s direction. At this juncture, Turkish judiciary will follow due process in determining the guilty and dispense the appropriate punishment.
Probably the most damning evidence is the testimony given by Lt.Col. Levent Türkkan, who was the aide-de-camp of the Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and his predecessor for many years. He was among the traitors who forcefully apprehended General Akar at the General Headquarters in Ankara. During the initial stages, the traitors tried to convince General Akar to lead the coup and was even offered to talk with Fethullah Gülen over the phone, which he rejected at once.
Lt.Col. Türkkan was apprehended when the coup failed and confessed his affiliation to Gülen and explained in detail how the coup was planned. He confessed how the group recruited him at a young age, helped him succeed in the military entrance exams by providing the answers of the test and assisted him to rise through rank and file until becoming the aide-de-camp to the top military commander, where he started executing order of his handlers, such as wiretapping Chiefs of General Staff.
Lt.Col. Türkkan is unfortunately only one of many such recruits, while acting like an officer, had pledged allegiance to Gülen and was executing instructions from the same person. We were able to identify these individuals during the coup attempt. Until now 3 718 military personnel, including high ranking generals and officers have been arrested.
The coup attempt, initially planned for later, was apparently rushed when the traitors became aware that prosecutors were investigating them. In fact, the officers who were about to be prosecuted were the same individuals who took part in the coup attempt.
Authorities had been investigating a great number of civil servants, members of the judiciary and others. Those found to be plotting against the state and taking part in the coup attempt have been arrested, while other disciples of the cleric were relieved from their duties and positions within state institutions.
Turkey is still engaged in an existential struggle, where resolute and swift action is required. This is why the Turkish Parliament was convened on July 21st, among the rubble left over from the extensive damage caused by missiles shot by fighter jets operated by the traitors and adopted a law to impose a State of Emergency for a period of 3 months as allowed by the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Turkey abides by the principles of the rule of law and is part of the most efficient human rights protection system through the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and continues to honour its commitments within this system.
All those individuals who are relieved of their duties, apprehended or arrested as a result of their affiliation to this terrorist organisation and their role in the coup attempt continue to enjoy the guarantees provided by the Turkish legal system and the European Convention of Human Rights.
We expect all those genuinely interested in the wellbeing of the Turkish Republic and the Turkish nation to be patient and to have faith in Turkey while the judicial process takes its course against these individuals who have committed despicable acts against the nation and the state in Turkey.
* Kaan Esener is the ambassador of Turkey to South Africa.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.