The head of the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, Burhanettin Duran, on Monday described the Feb. 28, 1997 process as a “planned, systematic and comprehensive social engineering project,” arguing that it went beyond what has often been labeled a “postmodern coup.”
Speaking at a panel titled “Memory and Truth: Feb. 28 and Disinformation” in Ankara, Duran said the term “postmodern coup” fails to fully capture the nature of the intervention. “Feb. 28 is a coup,” he said, adding that the process targeted the nation’s core values, faith and will to live together.
Duran argued that the media played an active role in legitimizing the process, saying it was used like a weapon to manipulate public opinion through disinformation. “At the time, spreading disinformation via television was more effective than stationing a soldier at every doorstep,” he noted, claiming that some media outlets and social actors acted in voluntary cooperation.
He said young people, particularly women, paid the heaviest price during the period, citing headscarf bans and so-called persuasion rooms at universities.
Students were deprived of their rights to education and employment, he said, and faced psychological pressure.
Duran remarked that the process, once described as lasting “a thousand years,” endured only a few years. He credited political and social changes beginning in 2002 under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with lifting restrictive practices and advancing democratization.
Referring to the “Türkiye Century” vision, Duran called for a new civilian constitution, saying it is not a luxury but a long overdue necessity.
He added that authorities would continue efforts to combat disinformation across media and digital platforms.
Following the opening speech, a panel titled “Feb. 28: Perceptions and Realities” was held, moderated by SETA General Coordinator Nebi Miş, with participation from Justice and Development Party (AK Party) lawmaker Leyla Şahin Usta, Sabah newspaper’s Ankara representative Okan Müderrisoğlu and lawyer Yasin Şamlı.
