July 15 Press Statement

July 15, 2016 became one of those rare days serving as a turning point in the history of this noble nation. It was a dark night when the final stroke of a treacherous, insidious plot woven over forty years was attempted to be delivered.

July 15 was a night when an organization infiltrated into all levels of the state—forgetting love for homeland and nation with bloodshot eyes—attempted through a bloody insurrection to enslave a nation at all costs.

July 15 is a day when a nation—confronting most advanced tanks, warplanes, helicopters, and treacherous teams with faith in their hearts as described in master Mehmet Akif's verses "I have a frontier like my chest filled with faith / Let it howl, fear not, how can such faith be choked!" and shielding their chests under the command "Shield your body, let this shameless assault halt!"—wrote a heroic epic in history and routed in a single night a treacherous plot prepared jointly by domestic and foreign enemies for decades.

We witnessed hypocrisy from democracy hypocrites who, whenever they speak about Turkey, preach about freedoms, human rights, pluralism, and civilian rule, yet played the three monkeys that night and thereafter.

Countries claiming to be guardians and homelands of these values, alongside their domestic collaborators, uttered hesitant and timid sentences in the face of the July 15 coup attempt.

Hiding behind these so-called values, they provided notable examples of hypocrisy, embracing members of that treacherous group while forgetting all friendship relations and strategic partnerships with us.

Should not so-called developed nations of the world have stood without hesitation beside this heroic nation that thwarted the coup?

Whereas in a vast geography stretching from Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pak nations, from the Middle East to Africa, our brothers across the Islamic world poured into streets with us that day, offering prayers with tears in their eyes.

For this reason, the July 15 process serves as litmus paper revealing clearly who is a friend and who is an enemy.

The ability of the children of this brave nation to confront tanks and artillery with nothing in their hands but their flag and faith in their chests is a magnificent story of heroism that must never be forgotten or allowed to be forgotten.

This struggle must be conveyed to new generations at every level, carving into young minds the vital importance of this country and its values inherited as a legacy.

The struggle against this treacherous FETÖ terror organization and its domestic-foreign collaborators must continue resolutely within legal frameworks in our country and internationally, and those who targeted our nation's existence must be punished in the severest manner they deserve.

Respectfully announced to the public.