July 15, 2016 – the date the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) attempted a coup in Turkey – has been a turning point in the country’s history, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Friday, indicating that the will of the people rejected the intervention of terrorists.
"On Democracy and Freedoms Island, which was known as Yaslıada in the past, and where the traces of the putschists have been completely erased, the putschists will once again give an account in the conscience of our nation, with the ‘Yaslıada Trial’ program in which our president will participate," Altun said on Twitter.
"Emphasizing that the putschist mentality, which sees interference in the will of the nation as legitimate, is condemned in conscience," Altun added.
He said that May 27, 1960 coup was a source of inspiration for other coups, including the military coup of March 12, 1971, the coup of Sept. 12, 1980, the post-modern coup of Feb. 28, 1997 and the failed coup attempt of FETÖ on July 15. Altun underlined that on July 15, the Turkish people overturned this fate.
"Therefore, July 15 is a turning point. On that day, our people cried out to the putschist terrorists and the whole world that they would not allow any kind of intervention and tyranny that disregards their dignity, and the spirit of resistance on that day will remain alive in our nation's hearts forever, just like May 19," Altun said, referring to the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.
The Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and its U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gülen, orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 wounded. Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary. Gülen lives in self-exile in the U.S. near Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, since 1999.
Yassıada, one of the Princes' Islands located in the Sea of Marmara southeast of Istanbul, is associated with one of the darkest eras in the history of the country, as it is notorious for the jails and trials from the 1960 military coup. The island, which saw the culmination of the 1960 coup, was renamed Democracy and Freedom Island following a recent transformation and the construction of new facilities.
Menderes founded the Democrat Party (DP) in 1945, which broke from the Republican People's Party (CHP) that had been governing the country in a single-party system since the founding of the republic and led it in the first multiparty elections in 1946. In the 1950 elections, the DP won a parliamentary majority and ran the country until the May 27, 1960, military coup. Menderes is viewed as the first democratically elected prime minister of Turkey.
His term saw significant changes to counter the strict secularist policies of the preceding CHP era that alienated significant portions of the nation, coupled with economic reforms and major diplomatic realigning, including membership in NATO. The DP is seen by many as the predecessor of the liberal-conservative political movements of the Justice Party (AP) of the 1960s and 1970s, the Motherland Party (ANAP) of the 1980s and the AK Party.
In 1990, the Turkish government said it regretted the execution of Menderes and his grave in Istanbul was turned into a mausoleum. As the last Turkish political leader to be executed after a military coup, many public buildings and spaces are named after Menderes as a sign of respect. The 1960 coup paved the way for future coups and putsch attempts as the military, which viewed itself for a long time as the sole custodian of democracy, overthrew governments they did not like.