The inhuman face of the coup plotters was once again revealed in an academic thesis that explains their violent treatment of civilians and medical personnel on the night of July 15, 2016. The first comprehensive academic study on the coup attempt of July 15 was completed with shocking details about the bloodiest night in the country's recent past.
Dr. Celal Almaz, who left his wife and 40-day-old baby at home to fight coup plotters that night, wrote the thesis for the Institute of Health Studies at Gazi University.
On the evening of July 15, 2016, citizens in Istanbul and Ankara realized that something strange was going on after noticing a lot of suspicious activity. Shortly after, social media was flooded with photos and videos from the two cities showing soldiers on the streets. Even so, no one really thought that a coup could take place at this point in Turkish history.
But as the hours passed into the night, it became apparent that the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) was attempting to overthrow Turkey's democratically elected government, teaming up with a faction in the Turkish military, through a military coup d'état. As the night and events unfolded, violence also erupted across the country.
"We drew the picture of the night from the perspective of health personnel for the first time. In my thesis, I investigated health personnel's testimony and the actions of coup plotters. I found striking results that plotters committed crimes without discrimination," said Almaz.
According to his research, 43 percent of health personnel were subjected to violence by coup plotters, 31 percent of them were subjected to physical assaults and 10 percent of them were injured. Twenty-seven percent of health personnel said they were slowed by coup plotters while trying to assist injured civilians. Eighty-two percent stated they were negatively affected psychologically.
Stating that he elucidated the barbarity of the coup plotters from the perspective of health personnel and marked it in the history of academic literature, Almaz said, "I was targeted by coup plotters on the night when I went to the street as a doctor and a patriot. I have still platinum in my leg and shrapnel pieces in my body."
Expressing his long-held desire to conduct an academic study for the country he had dedicated his life to that night and to prove in the academic world how violent the coup plotters were, Almaz added, "In the study, I discovered very striking results, but the cruelest one was that they did not allow doctors to treat the civilians they had injured. Wandering through ambulances, they prevented medical attention."
On the night of July 15, 2016, Turkey witnessed the bloodiest coup attempt in its history. FETÖ orchestrated the defeated attempt, which killed 251 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.
FETÖ, which first introduced itself as a moderate religious group, infiltrated the country's judiciary, military and several other state institutions with a secret agenda to overthrow the government. The mastermind of the coup was Fetullah Gülen, who has been living in Pennsylvania under self-imposed exile and has yet to be extradited by the U.S. despite all the evidence Ankara has provided.