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10 Years After July 15
Turkey marked the 10th anniversary of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt with nationwide ceremonies, memorial events, and public gatherings honoring those killed while resisting the putsch, with commemorations unfolding under the theme “Our Will, Our Victory.”
Hürriyet Daily News said the anniversary was observed across the country’s 81 provinces, while museums in 54 provinces hosted exhibitions, remembrance events, and panel discussions focusing on the legacy of the failed coup.
Turkish authorities blame the coup attempt on the FETÖ network led by Fethullah Gülen, and Hürriyet Daily News cited official figures of 253 people killed and more than 2,700 injured.
At a commemoration ceremony in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the Turkish nation’s resistance and said, “Thanks to our nation’s courageous resistance, the treacherous July 15 coup attempt was foiled, and the imperialist project was cast aside.”
Erdogan, Aliyev, and Others
Erdogan warned that even after 10 years, those who failed on July 15 were “still waiting for a chance to pursue their sinister aims,” and he said the plotters continued to use media and social media to slander Türkiye and lobby against it.
Anadolu Ajansı quoted Erdogan accusing members of FETO of conducting coordinated influence campaigns on digital platforms, saying, “They are intensifying their perception-management operations day by day.”
In a separate message marking Türkiye’s Democracy and National Unity Day, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev praised Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership and the Turkish people’s unity as decisive in defeating the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt.
Aliyev said in his message, “Your determined and farsighted leadership, together with the unity of your people around you and their immediate response to your calls, became one of the main factors that saved your country from a great disaster on that critical night.”
Commemorations and What’s at Risk
Commemorations included public gatherings and memorials across Türkiye, with Hürriyet Daily News describing road closures around the July 15 Martyrs Bridge and a memorial march across the bridge where 34 civilians were killed.
“President Erdogan lauds nation’s 'courageous resistance' to foil 'treacherous July 15 coup attempt' 'Even after 10 years, those who failed on July 15 are still waiting for a chance to pursue their sinister aims,' says Recep Tayyip Erdogan Esra Tekin 15 July 2026•Update: 15 July 2026 ISTANBUL President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday praised the Turkish nation’s resistance to the July 15 coup attempt, saying the plot was defeated through the people’s courage and determination”
Hürriyet Daily News also said the Interior Ministry coordinated around 100 commemorative events involving the gendarmerie, coast guard, police, disaster agency AFAD, and migration authorities, and it reported that 36 ports were opened to visitors.
In Washington, the Turkish Embassy hosted a commemoration ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the defeated 2016 coup attempt, where Turkish Ambassador to the US Sedat Onal said, “Almost 10 years ago today, the treacherous terrorist organisation, FETO, tried to topple the elected government.”
Türkiye Today said Erdogan told citizens that “As long as FETO exists, the fight against FETO will also continue,” framing the anniversary as a reminder that the threat has not disappeared even as he described declining morale within the group after the death of its leader.
