Media Coverage of International Media Broadcasters: A Case Study: Coup in Turkey 2016/ Turkish Coup

DW Akademie / Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
International Media Studies (M. A.)
Master Thesis
Media Coverage of International Media Broadcasters

Case Study: Coup in Turkey - 2016
First Supervisor : Dr. Nina Denk

Second Supervisor : Prof. Christoph Schmidt
By : Ziad Almust
Student Number : 9025321
From : 30549 Hannover
An der Bauerwiese 13
i

Abstract
The research investigates the role, international media broadcasters play in a time of
technology growth, and their ability to dye and fabricate reality. The study goes precisely to
analyze media coverage of three giant international media broadcasters, BBC (British
Broadcasting Corporation), RT (Russia Today), and AJE (Aljazeera English) of the Turkish
coup that took place on 15th of July 2016. The role of each international broadcaster will be
analyzed deeply, and their agenda and frames. In other words, the study will show which
aspect of the Turkish coup has salience and which is not. Furthermore, there will be an
investigation to know whether the tested broadcasters apply the standards of conflict sensitive
reporting giving the chance for different voices and offering suggested solutions or not. The
purpose of the study is to know if international media broadcasters broadcast news with
neutrality and impartiality or they take sides.
Results show that RT and AJE prove themselves as a busy actor on the stage in competing
and ending the monopoly of the public funded British channel, BBC or the western media. It
is time when each region has the chance to represent itself. Furthermore, The results
demonstrate that each international broadcaster has its standards to deal with the topic. RT
shows itself as a rival to the western media by the huge fund flowing from the government to
have a wide international reputation, and it is able to make its voice heard while AJE shows
itself as a giant broadcaster in the world of broadcasting with a set agenda and experience in
the region to be prominent between its counterparts.
Keywords
Agenda Setting, Turkish coup, conflict sensitive journalism, framing, international
broadcasters, foreign relations.
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Table of contents
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................... II
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ VI
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... VIII
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................... IX
1.INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 STATE OF RESEARCH ........................................................................................................... 2
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT ....................................................................................................... 3
1.3 OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................................. 4
1.4 THESIS STRUCTURE .............................................................................................................. 5
2. HISTORY OF TURKEY ............................................................................................................. 7

2.1 THE ORIGIN OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE ............................................................................................... 7
2.2 THE GOLDEN AGE ...................................................................................................................................... 7
2.3 THE DECLINE AND FALL OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE (THE BIRTH OF MODERN TURKEY) .............. 8
2.3.1 The Balkan War ................................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.2 The Ottoman Empire in the First World War ........................................................................... 9
2.3.3 The end of the empire (Lausanne Peace Treaty) .................................................................. 10
2.4 KEMALISM ................................................................................................................................................ 10
2.4.1 Mustafa Kemal Attatrk .................................................................................................................. 11
2.5 MULTI-PARTY SYSTEM / DEMOCRAT PARTY .................................................................................. 11
2.5.1 Democrat Party .................................................................................................................................. 11
2.6 HISTORY OF COUPS IN TURKEY .......................................................................................................... 12
2.6.1 Turkish coup in 1960 ....................................................................................................................... 12
2.6.2 Turkish Memorandum in 1971 ..................................................................................................... 13
2.6.3 Turkish coup in 1980 ....................................................................................................................... 14
2.6.4 Turkish coup in 1997 ....................................................................................................................... 14
2.6.5 Turkish coup in 2016 ....................................................................................................................... 15
2.7 TURKEY AS A CASE STUDY ................................................................................................................... 17
2.7.1 Political system .................................................................................................................................. 17
2.7.2 Military system ................................................................................................................................... 22
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2.7.3 Media system ....................................................................................................................................... 23
2.8 ROLE OF MEDIA IN COVERING POLITICAL COUPS AND CRISIS ..................................................... 26
2.9 PREVIOUS STUDIES / MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE TURKISH COUP. ............................................. 27
3. MEDIA THEORIES ENSURING TRANSPARENCY TO MEDIA COVERAGE OF

THE TURKISH COUP ................................................................................................................. 29
3.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 29
3.2 AGENDA-SETTING PRIORITIZING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE TURKISH COUP ......................... 29
3.3 FRAMING THEORY AS A TOOL TO SET UP CERTAIN IMAGES ABOUT THE TURKISH COUP .... 31
3.4 CONFLICT SENSITIVE REPORTING PROMOTING STABILITY AND EXTINGUISHING THE
FLAMES OF THE TURKISH COUP ................................................................................................................. 34
4. ROLES AND STANDARDS OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BROADCASTERS .. 39

4.1 HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BROADCASTING ................................................................. 39
4.2 MEANING OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BROADCASTING ............................................................... 40
4.3 ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BROADCASTING ........................................................................ 40
4.4 CHALLENGES FOR INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTERS VS. SOCIAL MEDIA .............................. 42
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 44

5.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES ....................................................................................... 44
5.2 RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................................................................................. 46
5.3 CATEGORY SYSTEM ............................................................................................................................... 49
5.4 SELECTION CRITERIA ............................................................................................................................. 53
5.4.1 Al-Jazeera English (AJE) ............................................................................................................... 53
5.4.2 Russia Today (RT) ............................................................................................................................. 55
5.4.3 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) ................................................................................ 56
5.4.4 Criteria for selecting the articles ................................................................................................ 58
6. RESULTS AND FINDINGS .................................................................................................... 59

6.1 FORMAL CATEGORIES ............................................................................................................................ 59
6.1.1 Form ....................................................................................................................................................... 59
6.1.2 Others (Interactivity with users) .................................................................................................. 62
6.2 CONTENT CATEGORIES .......................................................................................................................... 63
6.2.1 Political approach ............................................................................................................................ 63
6.2.2 Military or political support ......................................................................................................... 67
6.2.3 Image Description ............................................................................................................................. 70
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6.2.4 Language Use ..................................................................................................................................... 74
6.2.5 Peace approach ................................................................................................................................. 77
6.2.5 Others .................................................................................................................................................... 79
7. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................ 82

7.1 SUMMARY OF KEY RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 82
7.2 INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS ......................................................................................................... 84
7.3 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................ 86
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................... 88
APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 103
MASTER THESIS DECLARATION ..................................................................................... 196
v

List of figures

FIGURE 1: AKP LOGO 18
FIGURE 2: CHP LOGO 19
FIGURE 3 LEVELS OF THE AGENDA 31
FIGURE 4: SCHEUFELES PROCESS MODEL OF FRAMING 33
FIGURE 5: ROLE OF JOURNALISM IN A FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY MODEL 36
FIGURE 6: CLEANSING OF BILKES QUALITY JOURNALISM IN CONFLICT 37
FIGURE 7: QUANTITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS STEPS 48
FIGURE 8: INDUCTIVE RESEARCH 49
FIGURE 9: DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH 50
FIGURE 10: BBC CHANNELS 57
FIGURE 11: COMPARISON OF THE TYPE OF ARTICLES EMPLOYED BY EACH IB 60
FIGURE 12: A COMPARISON OF THE LENGTH OF ARTICLES SUBCATEGORY USED BY THE
61
TESTED IBS
FIGURE 13: A COMPARISON OF THE USE OF MULTIMEDIA BY THE TESTED BROADCASTERS 61

FIGURE 14: A COMPARISON OF USE OF DIFFERENT SOURCES BY THE TESTED IBS 62
FIGURE 15: A COMPARISON OF THE OBJECTIVITY LEVEL OF EACH IB 64
FIGURE 16: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF THE SUBCATEGORY TURKISH RUSSIAN
65
RELATIONS
FIGURE 17: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF TURKISH EUROPEAN OR AMERICAN

66
RELATIONS SUBCATEGORY
FIGURE 18: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF SUPPORT FOR ERDOGAN SUBCATEGORY 67

FIGURE 19: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF SUPPORT FOR COUP PLOTTERS
69
SUBCATEGORY
FIGURE 20: A COMPARISON OF IMAGE OF ERDOGAN SUBCATEGORY RESULTS IN EACH IB 70

FIGURE 21: DEPICTION OF COUP PLOTTERS RESULTS IN EACH IB OVER THE WHOLE
72
STUDIED DURATION
FIGURE 22: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF IMAGE OF CIVILIANS SUBCATEGORY IN

73
EACH IB OVER THE WHOLE STUDIED DURATION
FIGURE 23: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF IMAGE OF DEAD PEOPLE SUBCATEGORY

74
IN EACH IB OVER THE WHOLE STUDIED DURATION
FIGURE 24: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF IMPARTIALITY SUBCATEGORY IN EACH

75
IB OVER THE WHOLE STUDIED DURATION
vi

FIGURE 25: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF USE OF BITTER WORDS TO DESCRIBE
76
ERDOGAN SUBCATEGORY IN EACH IB THE WHOLE DURATION
FIGURE 26: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF USE OF BITTER WORDS TO DESCRIBE COUP
76
PLOTTERS SUBCATEGORY IN EACH IB THE WHOLE DURATION
FIGURE 27: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF SUGGESTIONS FOR RESOLUTIONS

77
SUBCATEGORY IN EACH IB THE WHOLE DURATION
FIGURE 28: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF TITLE OF ARTICLE SUBCATEGORY IN

79
EACH IB THE WHOLE DURATION
FIGURE 29: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF PERSONAL OPINION SUBCATEGORY IN

80
EACH IB THE WHOLE DURATION
FIGURE 30: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

81
SUBCATEGORY IN EACH IB THE WHOLE DURATION
vii

List of Tables
TABLE 1: INTERACTIVITY WITH USER ........................................................................................................... 63

TABLE 2: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'OBJECTIVITY' SUBCATEGORY OF THE TESTED
BROADCASTERS ......................................................................................................................................... 64
TABLE 3: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'SUPPORT FOR ERDOGAN' SUBCATEGORY OF THE

TESTED BROADCASTERS .......................................................................................................................... 68
TABLE 4: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'SUPPORT FOR COUP PLOTTERS' SUBCATEGORY OF

THE TESTED BROADCASTERS ................................................................................................................. 70
TABLE 5: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'IMAGE OF ERDOGAN' SUBCATEGORY ................... 71

TABLE 6: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'IMPARTIALITY' SUBCATEGORY ............................... 75
TABLE 7: KEY RESULTS OF THE MAIN SUBCATEGORIES RELATED TO THE FIRST RESEARCH
QUESTION .................................................................................................................................................... 84
TABLE 8: KEY RESULTS OF THE MAIN SUBCATEGORIES CONTRIBUTING TO ANSWER THE SECOND
RESEARCH QUESTION ............................................................................................................................... 85
viii

List of Abbreviations
FWW First World War

RPP Republic peoples party
US United states
DP Democratic Party
RPP Republican Peoples Party
AKP Justice and Development Party
MHP Nationalist Movement Party
CHP Republican Peoples Party
TGNA Turkish Grand National Assembly
TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Cooperation)
MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Centre)
CSJ Conflict Sensitive reporting
IB International Broadcaster
RT Russia Today
AJE Al-Jazeera English
AJA Al-Jazeera Arabic
BBC British Broadcasting Cooperation
ix

Acknowledgement
For my wife who paved the way for my success in life and offered me all kinds of support for
my wishes to come true, I am so grateful for Annegret Steudner.

For the woman who has always inspired me and pushed me forwards to achieve my
goals and get my master degree through her practical and moral support, special thanks
to Mrs. Rawda Alhajeri.

For my family, who have always supported, ushered my way, and stayed the nights
awake to take care of me, the whole words in the dictionary are not enough to describe
you, Thank you.

For the friend who offered me help when needed and oriented my work, special thanks
to Yara Dweik.

For the colleague who supported me morally and helped me a lot, I am grateful for
Nawras Ramdan.

For the instructors who did a lot to enrich my knowledge and widen my horizons to be a
consistent and highly knowledgeable person in addition to their step-by-step support
during my research work, I am thankful for both, Prof. Christoph Schmidt, and Dr. Nina
Denk.

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Chapter 1
1.Introduction
The First World War, and the independence call of some territories in the Middle East and
Europe led to diminish the Ottoman Empire. As a result, the new Turks have strived to keep
the entity of the Turkish territory and gain independence to end the reign of Sultanate and
establish the Republic of Turkey upon their worries to lose the whole nation. In 1923, under
the leadership of Kemal Attatrk, The Republic of Turkey was born with a new system and
parliament.1
The second half of the twentieth century has witnessed many military coups to depose the
civil government. The year 1960 marks the first military coup to end the government led by
president Celal Bayer for betraying their people switching to the military rule led by General
Gursel.2
The next coup took place in 1971 ousting the Turkish government. However, it was followed
by a civilian government supervised by the military. The post-coup time was characterized by
violence and havoc that led to another coup in 1980. The most recent coup before 2016 took
place in 1997 to end the service of the government of Erbakan. The military acted smartly
through the cooperation of bodies in the government compelling the president to leave his
position.3 Erbakans government was the first religious one after the birth of new Turkey. The
reason for that coup was to revive secularism and Kemalism, the standards of the founder of
new Turkey, and the end of the religious government.
The most recent Turkish coup took place in July 2016 in an attempt to oust Erdogan, the
president of Turkey through the Justice and Development party whose orientation is a more
Islamic Turkey and ending the secularism time.

1 Pajer. The Decline of the Ottoman Empire & The Birth of Modern Turkey. In: History
teacher. http://www.historyteacher.net/GlobalStudies/Readings/Reading-
TheOttomanEmpireAndModernTurkey.pdf, retrieved on 25. Jan 2017.
2 Burke, Michael (2016): Turkey has a history of Turkish. In: USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/07/15/turkey-military-coup-
history/87153106/, retrieved on 25. Jan 2017.
3 Ibid.
1

In the middle of the night, military tanks moved across main bridges of Turkey to block them
and announce a military coup, and they attacked TRT channel to declare the end of the civil
government. However, Erdogan could reach and mobilize the people to stop the coup through
a live Facetime call on CNN Turk. The coup lasted only few hours but results in the death of
many.4
The destiny of Turkey matters for many of countries due to its attractive location and its fast
growing power. As a result, different international media broadcasters belonging to different
originating countries have different agendas based the political situation, for example Russia
is trying to gain Turkey as an ally in the light of the restrictions of the Western countries, and
Qatar has a good relation with Russia. As a result, their perspectives might be highly oriented
towards Turkey.
The Turkish coup is a crisis of a growing powerful country that is why it is attractive for
international broadcasters to have full continuous coverage of the situation. However, each IB
covers the news based on their agenda that might be based on journalism standards or the
political orientation.
1.1 State of research

It has been observed through decades how media played a major role in shaping thoughts and
mentality. The way media broadcasted and individually customized can change reality from
brining peace to a situation to flaming revolutions. The Turkish coup in July 2016 was a great
example of the effective aspect of media. As represented in many recent articles, this incident
showed a new form of war between the nations. Every channel speaks its countrys attitude
formulating the news according to their own interests, and blocking facts that might lead to
results against their own expectations.
There have been no formal researches about media coverage of the latest coup in Turkey due
to its proximity. However, some articles have been written about it showing how some media
broadcasters faked incidents and facts in order to achieve their representatives goals.

4 Tuysuz, Gul / Mclaughlin, Eliot C. (2016): Failed coup in Turkey: What you need to
know. In: CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/18/middleeast/turkey-failed-coup-

explainer/, retrieved on 25. Jan 2017.

2

According to Enes Bayrakli, the Turkish coup was misrepresented by western media showing
the acts of Erdogan, president of Turkey, as a tyrant limiting the freedom of his people,
torturing his countrys soldiers, and limiting the capacity of journalists. Western media has
concentrated on politicians reaction ignoring the coup itself as an incident. Emergency state
declaration was described as gaining extra power for Erdogan, restriction to the freedom of
the Turkish people, and blocking the coverage of media.5 Aljazeera has shed the light on what
is posted in the Egyptian media describing it as a big failure. They have announced the
success of the military coup although it has failed. Skimming the Egyptian media shows the
attitude of Egyptian government that wishes the end of Erdogan presidency. Stories of the
successful coup and the fall of Erdogan were at the headlines of each Egyptian newspaper.
Aljazeera has also stated that the coup has failed everywhere except in Egypt.6
The Russian media was characterized by disinformation. There was much focus on the coup
itself and its plotters accusing Erdogan of setting the coup himself to show his power on one
hand, and on the other hand, Russian media claimed, the coup was organized by Kemalists
who are opposing Islamism campaign by Erdogan. Russian media seemed to have multi
masks with no clear position.7
This study analyzes media coverage of the coup in Turkey in July 2016, going deep to shed
the light on the intention behind the way news broadcasted. As a result, we have either
neutrality or partiality. It shows in black and white how new media can change the destiny of
nations.
1.2 Problem statement

Although there are a lot of articles about the coverage of media of the coup in Turkey, there is
still a big gap because what has been done is not a formal research, but articles representing
the opinion of journalists or their media outlet. In addition, the information about that coup is
poor due to its proximity. On the other hand, the coup did not take a long duration. It was

5 Bayrakli, Enes. (2016): Orientlism Reloaded: How Western Media Covered the Coup in
Turkey. http://setav.org/en/orientalism-reloaded-how-western-media-covered-the-
coup-attempt-in-turkey/perspective/42771, retrieved on 27.Septemeber.2016.
6 The Turkish coup, a new failure to the Egyptian media, Aljazeera (2016):
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2016/7/16/---
--, retrieved on 28.Sepetmber.2016.
7 Bjornson,Gunnar: Russia debates Turkey. In: Defend Democracy Press.
http://www.defenddemocracy.press/russia-debates-turkey/, retrieved on 25. October

2016.
3

settled in few hours unlike the other incidents like the war in Syria that has been lasting for
about 6 years now. Moreover, there is a poor tendency to research the news of broadcasters to
disclose the real image and attitude of these broadcasters towards a given incident.
This research will show how media plays a major role in shaping mentality and tailored
thoughts in order to bring about certain ideology. It will shed the light on the representation of
media of the coup in Turkey in July 2016 and the post-coup period. It might be neutral, or it
may be superficial media driven by politics. 3 well-known broadcasters online articles will
be analyzed to present facts in black and white whether these broadcasters are neutral
applying media ethics and standards, partial stuffed with political intentions aiming to flame
the coup, or settling the coup supporting the government of Erdogan and his post-coup
actions. In addition, since the coup is considered as a crisis, the researcher will analyze the
articles to know if they apply conflict sensitive reporting standards to settle the situation and
overwhelm the country with peace or not.
The research will ascertain the role of both western and Arabic media in shaping public
opinion and changing the destiny of nations concentrating on the coup in Turkey. Moreover, it
declares the positive and negative aspects of media. There will be accurate evaluation of the
characteristics of each international broadcasters and deep digging to find out the objectives
behind the news of each one of them through the coverage of the Turkish coup. This research
will help scatter the dust over the truth to discover whether media coverage of a set of
international broadcasters has managed to present neutral media and give the last judgment to
the readers or has formulated it to match their own goals and strategic political plan.
1.3 Objectives
Despite of the expansion of technology and the development, and the variety of broadcasters,
neutrality is still a problematic aspect due to the concentration of media sector or the source of
finance. All media broadcasters should apply professionalism standards and stick to the
criteria of journalism in order to be honest with the readers and the viewers. Specifically
speaking most IBs are funded by the government either directly like Russia today and
Aljazeera, or indirectly like BBC through the fees which makes it difficult to see the light of
neutrality through their broadcasting.
4

The researcher will analyze the articles of three different international media broadcasters
belonging to three different regions, and draw a comparison between them based on three
media theories, agenda setting, framing, conflict sensitive journalism to know the differences
and matches between those broadcasters in covering the Turkish coup 2016.
The criteria of comparison encompasses many categories like the political and military
approach to know the media agenda of each IBs and measure the level of neutrality in
addition to the depictions of different parties and the languages used to measure the
impartiality, and peace aspects to find out if IBs apply the standards of conflict sensitive
reporting by giving the chance to different voices of the opposing parties and offering
suggested resolution to overwhelm the situation with peace.
International media broadcasters have many ways to reach audience like TV, radio, and the
most flourishing method now, online. However, IBs can reach millions of readers much faster
on social media than TV satellite which gives them the ability to mobilize people and change
fact on the real world in the virtual world, that is why, the researcher will be analyzing online
articles of AJE, RT, and BBC because it is now the most influential way to inform audience.
As a result, the study will show the structure and agenda of each website built by the
originating country of each IB.
The research will analyze 30 articles from each IB covering the Turkish coup and post coup
July 2016. The articles are chosen randomly but within three spans of time to know if there is
a change in IBs attitudes.
15 July till 20 July.
21 July till 30 July.
31 July till 16 August.
1.4 Thesis structure

The research consists of seven chapters. Chapter one presents a research background, problem
statement, goal and state of the research. The second chapter offers a historical background,
political, military and media system in Turkey, and history of coups in Turkey in addition to
the role of media in covering crisis and previous studies on the research. Chapter 3 provides a
look into three media theories, agenda setting, framing, and conflict sensitive reporting which
5

act as a theoretical background for the research. Chapter 4 illustrates the history, meaning,
role, and the challenges of international media broadcasters. Chapter 5 gives details about the
instrument of research and its methodology. Chapter 6 demonstrates the results of the
gathered data. Chapter 7 provides key results and its interpretation for answering the research
questions, and a conclusion to the study. In addition, the researcher will offer an appendix
containing the further results, the category system, and lists of the tested articles.
6

Chapter 2
2. History of Turkey
In this chapter, background information about the establishment of new Turkey, its
political, military and media system, and history of coups in Turkey will be provided in
addition to the role of media in crisis and previous studies about the research.
2.1 The origin of the Ottoman Empire
The birth of the Ottoman Empire is traced back to the thirteenth century in an area called Asia
Minor (Anatolian peninsula) that belongs at that time to the Byzantine Empire. Two major
events led to the establishment of this Empire, Turkish nomadic invasion that aimed at the
heart of the Byzantine Empire in Asia, and the occupation of the Middle East by Mongol.
These invasions pushed the population to the borders. The ambition of Seljuk to get the
Constantinople throne gave the Ottomans the chance to have a base in Europe, so they
guarantee their support when Seljuk gave a piece of land to them as a return Ottoman would
fight beside them.8
2.2 The golden age

During the dawn of the Ottoman Empire, they could achieve wide expansions towards
Anatolia and Balkans. Bursa was their first capital after seizing it from Byzantine Empire;
later on they moved their capital to Edirne, which had a very important position to crawl
towards Balkan Region. The duration between 1300-1683 is considered the era of victories.
All sultans during this time achieved victories, but some were eye-catching like the expansion
during the reign of Sultan Mehmet II (1451-1481) who could control Constantinople in
addition to the remaining part of the Byzantine Empire, and Sultan Sleyman the Magnificent
(1520-1566) who was able to invade Belgrade and Hungary forcing them to be his ally.
Furthermore, he could control the black sea routes loosening the domination of the Portuguese
on the water-routes. In black and white, Sleyman had a fest grip over the trade routes and
economy that helped him to force other states to submit to his Empire. Many factors helped
the Ottomans to expand, falling of the great Hungarian and Serbian kingdoms, collapse of the
Byzantine Empire, wars between their enemies, spread of the black death, and their own

8 Quataert, Donald (2005): The Ottoman Empire 1700-1922, pp. 2-20.
7

strategies of war. They have always united with their neighboring countries, later forcing
them to accept vassal. Another trick is bridging relations with other states by marriage as
many of Ottoman Sultans did.9 The reign of the Ottomans lasted from 1324 till 1916 and each
sultan had a successor.
2.3 The decline and fall of Ottoman Empire (The birth of modern Turkey)
Starting from the 18th century, the Ottoman Empire began to decline and fall due the different
formation of power in the whole world at that time. Sultans of the empire suffered from
internal riot and disobey despite of their several attempts to settle the empire down.10
Many factors played a major role in the decline of the Ottoman Empire like the Balkan war,
and the decline of the economy due to corruption and loose control of financial resources. In
addition to the aspiration of the western world to breach the empire to weaken it, then control
it. One prominent European effect is the German over the Middle East. It was a remarkable
element in the drop of the empire.11
2.3.1 The Balkan War

The Balkan countries (Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro) have requested a reform to the
region. The Ottomans have acknowledged that. However, the empire has refused any
questioning about its leadership there. As a result, The Balkan countries have declared war
against Ottomans in 1912 aiming to take over all the European region from the authority of
the Ottoman Empire due the instability and fragility witnessed in the Ottoman army during
their war against Italy.12
Having warred against each other, the Ottomans have to retreat to the frontiers of Istanbul and
sign on a truce acknowledging the establishment of Albania with pressure from Austria and

9 Ibid., pp. 20-27.
10 See Fanani, Ahmad Fuad (2011): The Ottoman Empire: Its Rise, Decline, and Collapse.
In: Academia Edu.

https://www.academia.edu/4983151/The_Ottoman_Empire_Its_Rise_Decline_and_Colla
pse, retrieved on 10. Nov 2016.
11 See ibid., pp, 104-106.
12 Zrcher, Eric J. (2004): Turkey: A Modern History, (3 Ed.). New York: I.B.Tauris, pp.
106-107.
8

Edrine to be given up to the Bulgarian. It was a big shock for the Ottomans since Edirne is a
very rich city and it was the old capital for the Ottoman Empire.13
The Second Balkan war was flamed between the Balkan countries themselves giving the
chance to the Ottomans to re-conquest Edrine. This war resulted in fleeing Many Muslim
citizens from the Balkan away to Istanbul as the cholera flared up between them causing
many troubles there, but this war caused a big loss to the great empire. It was about the whole
European region of the empire, which was a very advanced area.14
Russia has guided the presence of independent Bulgarian state as a result of its war against the
Ottoman Empire in 1877. The greed of Russia in Balkan states was clear through its
endeavors to constitute the Slavic Block that acts as a base to confront its enemy, Austria,
Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, Russia has encouraged The Balkan countries to
sign on agreements to ally together and launch a war against the Ottoman Empire, and it has
succeeded since the Balkan countries considered Russia as an unbeatable power.15
2.3.2 The Ottoman Empire in the First World War

After the Balkan war, the Ottoman Empire has concluded that it was time to make association
with any great power. Otherwise, the empire would fall. They have tried to bridge an alliance
with any power without any allegiance to any one of them. The first attempt was with France,
but it was countered with refusal.16
Later, the Ottoman Empire and Germany have signed a treaty together. The first believed it
was brilliant to be united with a great power like Germany which they thought they would
win the war, and the latter knew that the Ottomans are weak and were not ready to war, but
they though about the geographical control of the Ottoman Empire that could lead the Russian
navy to dead-end by closing the straits in addition to the impact of the Ottoman Empire on
Muslims staying in Balkan states and the colonies of Germanys enemies.17

13 Ibid., pp. 107-108.
14 Ibid., pp. 108-109.
15
Progonati, Erjada (2014): The Chronicle Of The First World War And Its Impact On The
Balkans. In: DergiPark. http://ulakbim.dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/73833, retrieved
on 11. Nov 2016.
16 Zrcher (2004), pp. 110-112.
17 Ibid., pp. 111-112.
9

The Ottomans have ordered two battleships from Britain before FWW. Instead of using them
by themselves, they had to leave theses ships under the Germans control because they signed
an alliance treaty with Germany. The Ottomans have officially joined the war after offering
protections to the German navy when the Russian chased them. As a result, war was declared
by the allies (France, Britain, Russia) against the Ottoman Empire. They have incited Arabs to
revolt against the empire to weaken it promising them independence from the empire.
Germany had lost the war; the Ottoman Empire shrank to have sovereignty only over
Turkey.18
2.3.3 The end of the empire (Lausanne Peace Treaty)

In 1920s, Ankara was controlled by the Nationalists, and the Ottomans ruled over Istanbul. A
call for negotiation by the victorious allies has been made, As a result, both Istanbul and
Ankara agreed to send one delegation together to discuss the situation with the allies.19
All parties have agreed that Turkey will have definite power and control over new Turkey
while the allies would get the lands they have occupied like France would keep Syria.
Lausanne treaty in 1922 marks the end of Sultanate era in the way to have republic of Turkey.
The Ottoman politicians were all deposed, and Sultan Abdlmecit has ascended the throne as
a Caliph only, In other words, He had no power.20
2.4 Kemalism
After signing the treaty of Lausanne by Mustafa Kamal (a member in the national assembly
that had a supreme power at that time) and ending the rule of Sultans by giving them Caliph
title only, the rule in Turkey was chaotic. Although the power of Sultans has been terminated,
many people still saw him as the definite ruler. As a result, Mustafa Kemal has called the
assembly to negotiate the possibility of creating the republic of Turkey. Suggestion has been
approved and Mustafa Kemal was appointed as a president making Ankara the new capital of
Turkey.21

18 Formal Breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the End of World War I. In: The Saylor
Foundation. http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/HIST232-1.1.1-
Formal-Breakup-of-the-Ottoman-Empire-FINAL.pdf, retrieved on 13. Nov 2016.
19 Zrcher (2004), pp. 160-163.
20 Ibid., pp. 160-163.
21 Zrcher (2004), pp. 166-167.
10

2.4.1 Mustafa Kemal Attatrk
Kemal was born in 1881 to an Albanian father and a Macedonian mother. He established the
Republican peoples party and was appointed as the head of that party. Through this party, he
contributed to the independence and establishment of new Turkey. He has modernized the
Ottoman Empire turning it into a republic of Turkey when the empire has fallen after the First
World War. He played a major in protecting the sovereignty of the current republic of Turkey
and refused any waiver from the victorious allies in the internal affairs. He started as a
military officer (Pasha) in the Ottoman Empire, and fought for his land in the first and second
Balkan war in addition to the First World War and ended up as the first president to the
republic of Turkey.22
2.5 Multi-party system / Democrat Party

After the death of Mustafa Kemal, Ismet Inn, his prime minister, succeeded him. He ruled
Turkey from 1938 till 1950 through the RPP, the only party in Turkey. Ismet thought about a
political change to the Turkish atmosphere to adapt to the international democratic countries,
so Instead of waiting for a revolution to change the system like what happened in my
countries, he formally announced that Turkey now has a multi-party system giving the chance
for the opposition to create their own parties and join the election. That step has altered the
history of modern Turkey.23
It has been thought that democracy could develop the economic system and widen its horizon
in both the private and public sector. Later, the year of 1950 marked the transformation of the
country from authoritarian system to a democratic one when the Democratic Party, opposition
to the RPP, has won the election.24
2.5.1 Democrat Party

This party was initiated by a group of opponents like the businessman Cell Bayer and Adnan
Menderes. Although people expected a radical change to the current authoritarian party, the
Democrat Party, whose vision to give the citizens the opportunity to share in the decision

22 Mustafa Kemal Atatrk. In: Sylor. http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-
content/uploads/2011/08/HIST351-9.1.5-Mustafa-Kemal-Ataturk.pdf, retrieved on 14.

Nov 2016.
23 Sayari, Sabri (2005): The politics of Turkish Democracy: Ismet Inn and the
Formation of Multi Party System, 1983-1950. In: Core.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11738557.pdf, retrieved on 16. Nov 2016.
24 Ibid.
11

about the fate of the state, has embraced Kemalisms standards, but they have justified that by
announcing that theses standards would be modernized to fit the current situation.25
The Democrat Party did not practice what they preached. They have adapted policy far away
from democracy. It can be also called as Anti-democratic. Their main concern was to
modernize Turkey economically and materially. In addition, they have not allowed any
freedom and their whole practice was authoritarian, and their promises have scattered in the
air. They have seized private properties of the opponents and suppressed press and media.
Despite their practices, they have won the election one more time in 1954. Opponents started
to appear within the party itself by resigning or working with other parties. As their practices
have maximized, many students have marched in several demonstration followed by a coup
ending the rule of the Democrat Party in 1960.26
2.6 History of coups in Turkey

New Turkeys history has witnessed many coups attempts on the part of the military to
revive secularism or even to end the rule of corrupted governments.
2.6.1 Turkish coup in 1960

Due to the practices of the governmental authority that led to economic crisis in addition to
political disorder, a group of officers guided by General Cemal Grsel have announced a coup
against the government. No death or casualties have been reported during the coup as it has
succeeded to take control over all the authorities announcing that that movement has been
taken to overwhelm the state with true democracy.27
It has been thought that General Grsel has been incited to act by the US since he was trained
with some officers in 1946, but the cause of the coup is still mysterious.28
Another reason for the coup is the DPs escalated tension with the opposition for allowing
more religious freedom contradicting the principles of the RRP. The coup has resulted in

25 Ahmad, Feroz (1993): The Making of Modern Turkey. London & NY: Routledge, pp.
103-105.
26 Ibid., pp. 106-114.
27 Ercan, Olgun (2016): A History of Turkish Coups, (1st Ed.). USA: CreateSpace
Independent Publishing Platform, p. 18.

28 Ibid., p. 18.
12

many arrests to politicians like the president Celal Bayer and his Prime Minister Adnan
Menderes who has been hanged along with other ministers after the trial.29
The coup was crowned with supreme mix of both powers, military led by General Cemal, and
the RRP. The RPP has been revived again upon the military request from the law academics
to formulate a new agenda and rule to the newborn Turkey.30
2.6.2 Turkish Memorandum in 1971

The late 1960s years were totally chaotic characterized by a disorder full with brutality and
burglary in addition to demonstration and assassination of political figures on the side of the
left, labors and students, and the right, Islamists who were totally upset about the application
of the principles of Kemalism. As a result, a memorandum has been handed from the army to
the prime minister asking the government to take actions as soon as possible to implement full
democracy and bring stability to the chaotic situation. Otherwise, military would take over the
authority.31
It was a complicated era as it was a new form of government that came with no election.
Professor Nihat Erim has been appointed by military generals to lead the government who
designated civilians in the cabinet to restore rest to the situation.32
The military officers showed strict tendency to Kemalism to opposing parties and
communities showing discontent with Kemalism. Resignation to the whole government of
Demirel was compelled. Military forces did not want to involve directly in ruling Turkey,
instead, they took care of implementing democracy in cooperation with the political parties in
addition to bringing the stability in Turkey.33

29 Aljazeera (2016): Timeline: A History of English Coups.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/04/20124472814687973.html,
retrieved on 18. Nov 2016.
30 The GW Post (2012): The 1960 Coup in Turkey: An Attempt to analyze politics from a
Gramscian Perspective. https://thegwpost.com/2012/09/04/the-1960-coup-in-turkey-

an-attempt-to-anaylize-politics-from-a-gramscian-perspective/, retrieved on 18. Nov
2016.
31 Ercan (2016), p. 20.
32 Ibid., p. 21.
33 Allabouturkey (2016): Military Intervention in Turkey.
http://www.allaboutturkey.com/darbe.htm, retrieved on 18. Nov 2016.

13

Late 1970s, Turkey has witnessed unlimited violence, political instability, riot, and
assassination from both, the left and right wing. Furthermore, a reformation of the Turkish
law has been required by Islamists to be harmonious with the law of Islam. Generals thought
it was time to launch the coup forcing the government of Suleyman Demirel to resign.34
General Evren who has been considered as the savior and the guardian of Turkey led the
coup. Had he not intervened to bring stability, Turkey would have civil war, but people never
forgot his brutality and torture. He closed up the parliament, authorities, and banned the
political parties. He arrested and brought about 1000000 into trial. They have been abused and
tormented. As a result, 300 could not survive.35
Martial law has been announced at the first day of the coup in 12 September giving total
freedom to the military to act, as they wanted for 90 days. Turkey was from 1980 till 1982
under the control of NSC, members in the military along with Law professors. They banned
any demonstration and media was selectively prohibited. The military had definite power till
1982 when a new government has been elected.36 A new rule and constitution has been
suggested to avoid any hardships and chaos like what happened before the coup took place.
As a result, the junta chose 160 people to form a new one. In 1982, the junta has decided to
grant Evren, the leader of the coup, the position of the president of Turkey.37

The army under the leadership of General Bir has recognized that the country is tending to be
more Islamic rather than secular when the Prime Minister Erbakan has enhanced the role of

34 Global Security. 1980 Evren Coup.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/tu-military-coup-1980.htm,
35 Independent (2015): Kenan Evren: General who led the 1980 military coup in Turkey
that ended years of conflict but resulted in brutal suppression.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/kenan-evren-general-who-led-the-
1980-military-coup-in-turkey-that-ended-years-of-conflict-but-10242615.html,
36 Karacan, Elifcan (2014): Remembering the 1980 Turkish Military Coup dtat:
Memory, Violence, and Trauma. Germany: Springer VS, pp. 81-84.

37 Ercan (2016), p. 25.
14

religious people in the government and encouraged the teachings of Islam in schools. As a
result, the army has closed up his party and prohibited him to have any political practice.38
Not only on Erbakan, but also on his colleagues in the Islamic Welfare Party, Recep Tayyip
Erdoan, mayor of Istanbul and the current president of Turkey who was arrested for reciting
a speech about freedom of practicing Islam in Turkey and imprisoned for 10 years. 39
Western man has freedom of belief, Erdoan said. In Europe there is respect for worship,
for the headscarf. Why not in Turkey?40
Later in 2013, all military officers in addition to General Ismail Hakki Karadayi, who were
involved in the coup trying to end Islamists rule in Turkey and revive secularism and
Kemalism, were brought to trial. Some got life sentence and some 10 years. Not only were
they responsible for the coup in 1997, but also they have tried to scheme a coup against the
current president Erdoan through making a mosque explosion and condemn him for planning
the explosion.41

The reason behind this coup goes to two main factors. The military officers who were not
satisfied with Erdogans procedures and guidelines promoting Islam against their secular and
Kemalism philosophy, and the provoking of the Islamic preacher Fathullah Gulen whose has
come with new shape of Islam that is not harmonious with the ideas of the president of
Turkey, Erdogan.42
The coup started on 15 July midnight when helicopters flying over the city and shooting the
parliament, police headquarters, and CNN Turk TV station in the capital .in addition to the

38 Barker, Anne (2016): Turkey Coup Attempt Reveals Division over Desire for Secular
or Islamist Rule. In: ABC News. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-18/turkey-coup-

attempt-shows-division-over-wish-for-islamist-rule/7639292, retrieved on 19. Nov
2016.
39 Akyol, Mustafa (2016): Recalling Turkeys Post-Modern Coup. In: Hurriyet Daily
News. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/recalling-turkeys-post-modern-coup-
.aspx?pageID=449&nID=14884&NewsCatID=411, retrieved on 20. Nov 2016.
40 Akyol (2016).
41 BBC (2013): Turkey opens trial over 1997 'post-modern' coup.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23925035, retrieved on 20. Nov 2016.

42 Stonehem, Bill (2016): Turkish Coup: The Failed Attempt, (1 ED.). USA: CreateSpace
Independent Publishing Platform.

15

tanks situating on the main two bridges. Furthermore, they have blocked the use of social
media, and forced a TV channel to read their declaration. Simultaneously an assassination
attempt to Erdogan in the hotel has been planned when a group of soldiers jumping from a
helicopter opened fire on the whole hotel. However, he managed to escape and arrange a
broadcasted video call to the Turkish people to march in the streets to fail the coup.43
The coup ended up with 294 deaths, 6000 taken into custody, about 2839 soldiers confined in
jail, and 2745 judges brought into trial.44 1500 wounded and the permit of 15000 were
abolished in addition to the destruction of the parliament. A state of emergency for 3 months
has been announced by Erdogan.45
The Turkish government has called the US, where Fethullah Glen lives, the main suspected
conspirer of the coup, to deport Glen back with respect to their diplomatic relation.
Furthermore, there was a direct warning to any authority or a state backing Glen. US has
asked for any proof of Glens conspiracy over the Turkish government and plotting the coup
to approve their petition.46
As the coup failed, 8 Turkish military personnel have flown away with a helicopter to Greece
Alexandroupolis seeking asylum. The Greek government has condemned their action
accusing them of entry without permission and brought them into custody. On the other hand,
the Turkish government has called for immediate deportation back to Turkey. Otherwise, it
would ruin the diplomatic relation between the two countries.47
The Greek authority has responded, We will follow the procedures of international
law. However, we give very serious consideration to the fact that they are accused in
their country of violating the constitutional order and trying to overthrow democracy.
(Erkan, p.7)48

43 Ibid.
44 Telegraph (2016): Turkey Coup Attempt: World Leaders Warn President Erdogan not
to Use Uprising as Excuse for Crackdown as more than 6,000 Arrested.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/17/turkey-coup-plot-president-erdogan-
rounds-up-thousands-of-soldie/, retrieved on 21. Nov 2016.
45 Ercan (2016), pp. 1-9.
46 Ibid., p. 6.
47 Reuters (2016): Turkish Military Defector Makes Case for Asylum in Greece.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-greece-military-idUSKCN10U16V,
48 Ercan (2016), p. 7.
16

The soldiers declared that they have worried about themselves and their families lives and
they were not informed about the coup, and their job was to relocate wounded people,
instructed by high rank military personnel.49
The coup has failed due to miscommunication between the army itself, and their failure to
manage media and restrain it to broadcast only their massage. Only some officers have
planned that coup not the whole army and many soldiers were not aware they were launching
a coup. As a result, they have given up the moment they have recognized the truth. Finally,
people were summoned through mosques to stop the coup.50
2.6.5.1 FaceTime as a tool to end the coup

The president Erdogan has exploited a new tool of media to overcome the restrictions of many
media outlets and the difficulty to reach any available TV station. Erdogan could reach the
whole crowds through FaceTime, a video chat application in cooperation with CNN Turk
when the moderator projected the video chat live on the screen giving Erdogan the chance to
speak to his people who elected him as president and mobilize them to stop the coup
plotters.51
2.7 Turkey as a case study

This subchapter sheds the light on the political, military, and media systems in Turkey.
2.7.1 Political system

This part will provide comprehensive information about the ruling parties and the
election system in Turkey.
2.7.1.1 Political parties represented in the Grand Assembly in Turkey

In this part, the researcher will explore the main parties involved in the general
assembly in Turkey.

49 Reuters (2016): Turkish Military Defector Makes Case for Asylum in Greece.
50 Stonehem (2016).
51 Aljazeera (2016): Erdogan resorts to iPhone's FaceTime after coup attempt.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/erdogan-resorts-iphone-facetime-coup-
attempt-160715233749172.html, retrieved on 27. Jan 2017.
17

2.7.1.1.1 Justice and Development Party (AKP) / Right-Wing
All right-wing parties are Islamic. The idea started when
Necmettin Erbakan initiated the National Salvation Party calling
for social fairness and self-support economy. The party did not
show an Islamic agenda directly and superficially since it was the
first Islamic party. Later Erbakan became as a prime minister
through the Welfare Party in 1995 as the first time in the history
of modern Turkey to have such a position through an Islamic
Party.52
Figure 1: AKP Logo53
The AKP has sprung from the Virtue Party, which was later blocked to have any political
practice or to be elected to have any place in the parliament.54 AKP was created in 2001 by
Abdullah Gl and Erdogan with no Islamic agenda.55
In 2002 election, AKP could gain about 39% of the votes. As a result, the new government
has been founded and organized by the founder Gl. The party had its widespread fast and it
was the first party to gain power through 3 successive elections with majority of votes. The
party has called for a more democratic society. In other words, it is a conversion from
bureaucracy to democracy. In 2007 the leader of the AKP became president of Turkey along
with Erdogan as a prime minister in 2008. Later in 2014, Erdogan has won the election to be
the president of Turkey till the current time. AKP has developed education and contributed in
the development of all fields and they started negotiation to join the European Union to
enhance Turkeys democracy and economy. On the path of AKP to ensure economic stability
and development, AKP has eliminated the 000000 of the Turkish notes, that was a very
successful step on the part of AKP to rescue the Lira through paying back all its credit.56

52 Finkel, Andrew (2012): Turkey: What Everyone Needs to Know. NY: Oxford University
Press, pp. 119-120.

53 Ruling AK Party of Turkey starts election process (2011). In: Trend News Agency.
http://en.trend.az/world/turkey/1833967.html, retrieved on 22. Nov 2016.

54 Dagi, Ihsan D. The Justice and Development Party: Identity, Politics, and Discourse of
Human Rights in the Search for Security and Legitimacy. In: International Policy
Fellowships. http://www.policy.hu/dagi/leftmenu/files/AKPyavuz2005.pdf, retrieved
on 23. Nov 2016, p. 2.
55 Allabouturkey (2016): Politcal parties in Turkey.

56 JUSTICE ANDDEVELOPMENT PARTY AK PARTY. In: AKPARTI.
www.akparti.org.tr/upload/documents/AK_PARTI_INSORT_MATBAA.pdf, retrieved on
23. Nov 2016.
18

Although AKP has stated in 2002 (The first victory in Election) that their party has no Islamic
orientation but democratic society, the Republican Peoples party in addition to the military
still saw AKP as an enemy to secularism and they have hidden desire to end the presence of
Kemalism.57
2.7.1.1.2 Republican Peoples Party (CHP) / Center-Left

Kemal Attatrk, who was the leader of War of Independence, established this party on the
wreckage of the Ottoman Empire in 1920s. Kemal was the first president of modern Turkey
followed by Ismet. His campaign aimed at modernization of Turkey and dramatic change to
the economic and social structure including political system, and education.58
Turkey had from 1923 to 1946 single-party system where CHP enjoyed supreme power with
no rival over the authority and parliament. The party had social goals and encouraged
secularism. Later the multi-party system has been approved in 1950. As a result, CHP lost the
election to its opponent the DP in 1954. From 1960 CHP has called for social democracy.59
On 1971 a military coup took place abolishing the government of AP party. As a result, due to
CHP condemning the coup calling it restriction and eliminating to democracy, they have
gained control again till 1979, the year that witnessed so much violence due the conflict
between the left wing and the right wing. Since 1980 till
the current time the right wing (Islamists) has the
majority votes and lead the Turkish government. 60 In
2015 election, Out of 56.675.669 voters, CHP could get
24,82 % of the total votes against their major opponent
AKP that got 40,98%.61
Figure 2: CHP Logo62

57 Dagi, Ihsan D. The Justice and Development Party: Identity, Politics, and Discourse of
Fellowships. http://www.policy.hu/dagi/leftmenu/files/AKPyavuz2005.pdf, retrieved
on 23. Nov 2016, p. 2.
58
Cingi, Aydin(2011): CHP: A Party on the Road to Social Democracy. In Friedrich Ebert
Stiftung. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id/ipa/08193.pdf, retrieved on 23. Nov 2016, pp.
1-4.
59 Ibid.
60 Ibid.
61 Hurriyet Daily News (2015): Turkish General Election 2015.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/election/default.html, retrieved on 23. Nov 2016.

19

2.7.1.1.3 Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) / Far-Right
MHP has been created in 1969 by Alparslan Turkes with growing popularity to be one of the
strongest parties in the current time. Starting from 1973, their presence was prominent in the
parliament only 4 years after the foundation of the party. Their votes have been increased by
time to have some ministers in the government in their party. The party is in favor of both
Islam and nationalism asking the followers to consider the Holy Quran as their guide.63 The
current leader Dr. Devlet Baheli gives priority for enhancing democracy principles, securing
human rights, and ensuring to have a position in the row of the most powerful countries when
coming to power alone.64 MHP got 16.5% of the votes in 2015 election over-scoring peoples
democratic party to be the third most popular party in Turkey after AKP and CHP.65
2.7.1.1.4 Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) / Left-Wing
According to The Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, HDP foundation in
2013 was a way to revive the presence of the PKK with inspiration of its leader Abdullah
calan. It has encompassed all minorities from the left-wing in addition to womens group
and for the first time in the Turkish history gay members.66
The party calls for secularism and more positioning to the left principles. It represents all
communities that stand in opposition of Erdogans government. In other words, they have
totally opposite agenda of the AKPs. Furthermore, the HDP has variety of candidates who

62 Cesran International (2014): What to Expect from Turkeys New Secular Leadership?.
http://cesran.org/what-to-expect-from-turkeys-new-secular-leadership.html, retrieved
on 24. Nov 2016.
63 Interactive TRT World. Nationalist Movement Party.
http://interactive.trtworld.com/elections/assets/cubeportfolio/ajax/mhp.html,
retrieved on 24, Nov 2016.
64
Nationalist Movement Party Program (2009): In: Nationalist Movement Party.
https://www.mhp.org.tr/usr_img/en/the-nationalist-movement-party-program.pdf,
retrieved on 24. Nov 2016, pp. 1-4.
65 The Guardian (2015): Turkey election: ruling party loses majority as pro-Kurdish HDP
gains seats. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/07/turkey-election-

preliminary-results-erdogan-akp-party, retrieved on 24. Nov 2016.
66
UK Home Office (2016): Country Information and Guidance: Turkey: HDP (Peoples
Democratic Party).
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511314/CIG_-
_TURKEY_-_HDP.pdf, retrieved on 24. Nov 2016, p. 9.
20

are normally against the policy of AKP like Alevi, Armenian, and Syriacs.67 HDP could get
13.1% with 6 million votes in 2015 election in Turkey situating its self in the Grand
Assembly parliament with 80 seats to be the fourth most popular party in Turkey.68
2.7.1.2 Election and Constitution
Election takes place every 4 years under the supervision of Scrutiny of the judiciary. The
process of voting is equal, free, and confidential and it must be executed in one day all over
the country. The number of seats in the parliaments to be granted based on the election is
550.69 The problem of the electoral system in Turkey lies in the fact that only when a party
gains more than 10% of the votes, allocation of seats will be granted. Otherwise, members
have to be nominated independently or under the name of other party.70
The Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey is responsible for allocating the sum of seats to be
granted to each county, and the rest of the seats will divided according to the total number of
citizens by the rest of the seats. Election is possible during the duration of 90 days before the
vote. The Turkish Grand National Assembly runs the election as it has full authority to delay
the election for one year in case of war. TGNA along with the president can start an early
election even before the end of 4 years period. As a result, an interim cabinet from the TGNA,
political parties, and independent members is formed through 5 days by the Prime Minister to
run the country till the formation of the new parliament.71
2.7.1.2.1 Eligibility for election for parliament and its procedures
Any person can be nominated as an independent person or through one political party. As for
certain positions in the government like the judges, leaving from their office must be ensured

67 Ibid., p. 10.
68
Rethink Institute (2015): 2015 Turkish Election Report.
http://www.rethinkinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-Turkish-
Election-Report.pdf, retrieved on 24. Nov 2016, p. 2.
69 Directorate General of Press and Information (2015): Parliamentary Election In
Turkey. http://www.byegm.gov.tr/uploads/docs/ingilizce_kitap_Ic.pdf, retrieved on 24.

Nov 2016, p. 9.
70 Finkel (2012), pp. 107-108.
71 Directorate General of Press and Information (2015): Parliamentary Election In
Turkey. http://www.byegm.gov.tr/uploads/docs/ingilizce_kitap_Ic.pdf, retrieved on 24.

Nov 2016, pp. 10-12.

21

one month before the election. There are certain standards for eligibility to the Turkish
election. The elected person must be 25 years old or older and has completed their primary
school with no mental illness or failure to perform the military service. Furthermore, they
must not be convicted for more than one year, or have committed Shameful crimes like
corruption.72
2.7.1.2.2 Eligibility to vote
Any citizen who has completed 18 years old can vote excluding students in the army, and
corporals and private in the Armed forces.73
2.7.1.2.3 Recent experience
Although AKP has achieved majority in the election, but it is was not to enough to constitute
the government due to the constitution of Turkey that states one party must win 276 seats, so
it can form the government. As result, a re-election has been posed on the stage when the
parties failed to constitute a government. The re-election results in the victory of AKP with
49,5% (317 seats) of the votes over-scoring its three rival parties CHP with decline to
25,4%(134 seats), HDP with sharp fall to 12% (41 seats), and MHP also with sharp drop to
10%.74
2.7.2 Military system
The General staff is responsible of the whole armed forces, land, navy, and air forces. Unlike
the European countries, the General Staff receives his command from the Prime Minister not
from the minister of defense. During the war, the General staff is even directing the coast
guard and Gendarmerie (police) although they belong to the ministry of interior.75

72 Ibid., pp. 14-18.
73 Hellenic Resources Network (2016): The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey.
http://www.hri.org/docs/turkey/part_ii_4.html, retrieved on 25. Nov 2016.

74 The Guardian (2015): Turkey election: Erdoan and AKP return to power with
outright majority. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/01/turkish-

election-akp-set-for-majority-with-90-of-vote-counted, retrieved on 25. Nov 2016.
75 Saribrahimolu, Lale (2005): Turkish Armed Forces. In: DCAF.
www.dcaf.ch/content/download/36873/528963/file/chapter5.pdf, retrieved on 25. Nov

2016, p. 69.
22

The president designates the chief of General Staff based on the suggestion of the Ministers
council. The chief of General Staff works according to the law to get the armed forces ready
for war through programs, training, and logistics to lead the army on behalf of the president in
case of war.76
2.7.2.1 Military capacity
Turkish land force includes about 3778 tanks, 7550 armored fighting vehicles, and 1013 self-
propelled guns in addition 697 Towed-Artillery and 811 multiple-launch rocket systems. The
total naval strength is 194 that consist of helicopter carrier vessels, 16 frigates, 8 corvettes,
and 13 submarines along with 29 coastal defense craft and 15-mine warfare. The air power
encompasses about 1007 aircrafts, fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircrafts, fighters, transport
and trainer aircrafts, normal and attack helicopters.77
The Turkish military has the eighth level out of 126 in the whole world with 1.375.000 ready
to join the military every year in addition to 35.010.000 fit for service of the total population
also, the army has 410.500 active frontline personnel and 185.630 reserved ones.78
2.7.3 Media system
According to Comparing Media Systems: Three models of media and politics by Hallin
and Mancini, Turkey shares the same system (The Mediterranean or Polarized Western
Model) with the southern part of Western Europe. Moreover, Turkey is heavily linked with
the government responding to the demands of the political parties, and it is highly involved in
the political conflicts, which is due to slow transformation into democracy.79
Turkish media has high political parallelism. In other words, media outlets represent political
parties or views, and it aims to brainstorm the readers to follow certain political notions. In
addition, some media outlets may form a union with a political party.80 The Turkish channel
TRT is considered the arm or the ambassador of the government. News is broadcasted and

76 Ibid.
77 Global Fire Power (2016): Turkey Military Strength.
http://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-
detail.asp?country_id=turkey, retrieved on 25. Nov 2016.
78 Ibid.
79 Hallin, Daniel C./Mancini, Paolo (2004): Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of
Media and Politics. USA: Cambridge University Press, pp. 32-89.

80 Ibid., p. 98.
23

there is no room for criticism. TRT is not considered public service broadcaster because it is
not an independent media outlet. Moreover, there is no possibility for any one to come on the
stage but governments representatives.81
Media in Turkey represents both of AKP and CHP that are the parties with the highest
popularity. Nationalism inspired by Kemalism is clear through the National name of the
newspapers Trkiye (Turkey), Cumhuriyet (Republic) and Milliyet (Nationality), and the way
they highlight news with red color, the color of the Turkish flag along with the content that
acts always as a reminder to revival to nationalism. On the other hand, some channels like
Kanal 7 and newspapers like Zaman act as the mouthpiece of AKP party. Their belief and
ideology is based on Erdogans principles.82
2.7.3.1 Analysis of Turkish media
There is high level of interference in media and in all sectors on the part of the Turkish
government. Not only do they censor content of media broadcasting, but also the commercial
broadcasters. Moreover, journalistic professionalism has a very poor progress.83
Based on content analysis to the Turkish media, it is dominated by hard news representing the
points of view of the government commonly with sharp pitch, and it has a fair amount of
news about the European union in the Turkish media. Drawing a comparison between TRT
channel and Star TV, it can be seen that Star has less political news (2.6) and hard news (35.8)
than TRT that has (8.9) political news and (62.0) hard news. In addition, European news
coverage in TRT is sharply higher (14.4) when compared with Star (5.0).84
Media in Turkey is heavily concentrated by some groups making unions together controlling
every aspect of media leaving no space for independence of journalism. For decades their
media is characterized by nationalism, limitation of journalistic professionalism, and

81 Ibid.
82
UCE, Volkan/ Swert, Knut De. Turkey and the Polarized Pluralist Model Introducing
Turkey to the Three Media System Models. THE Content OF TV News in Eleven
Countries. http://cim.anadolu.edu.tr/pdf/2008/2008_151-166.pdf, retrieved on 26. Nov
2016, pp. 154-155.
83 Ibid., p. 155.
84 Ibid., pp. 157-163.
24

hegemony due the control of media owners who structure the news to suit their interests in
other sectors and respond to the demand of the political power.85
2.7.3.2 Media landscapes
Media is concentrated in Doan Group, Turkuvaz, Ciner Group, ukurova Group, Dou
Group, and Feza Group. They own most commercial broadcasters in addition to the
newspapers. The most prominent of all is Doan Group that has a fist grip over the best-
circulated newspapers Hrriyat and the Posta in addition to Radical and others. Some
newspapers represent the philosophy of political powers like Takvim and Yeni Asr for AKP,
Zaman for Fethullah Glen, and Cumhuriyet for Kemalism.86
Turkey has a variety of media including 2459 newspapers of which 23 regional, 55 national,
and 2381 local. However, when comparing the number of population by the newspapers, it is
clear that the circulation is poor in Turkey. The most popular newspapers are Zaman with
(800.000) average daily sales, Hrriyat (450.000), Posta (510.000).87 Not only does Turkey
have Turkish language newspaper, but also 9 newspapers in foreign languages: Agos and
Jamanak (Armenian), Apoyevmatini (Greek), Azadiya Welat (Kurdish), alom (Ladino),
Todays Zaman and Hrriyet Daily News (English), and Trkei Kurier (German).88
Turkey has about (1100) radio stations, (950) local, (102) regional and (36) national. Both
radio and TV are concentrated by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Cooperation). It is one
of the private companies that are possessed by the government. TRT encompasses Radyo 1
(General) and Radyo 2,3,4 mainly music stations. Not only does Turkey have national radio
stations, but also independent like Kral FM (Turkish pop music). As for TV, TRT has
exclusively owned the whole TV sector for 20 years with a law banning any other channel,

85 Bar, Ruken. Media Landscapes: Turkey. In: European Journalism Centre.
http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/turkey, retrieved on 28. Nov 2016.

86 Ibid.
87 Ibid.
88 TUN, Asl (2011): Media Ownership in Turkey.
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/taiex/dyn/create_speech.jsp?speechID=22838&key=
c06f5200bfeb3d96ccf63bfcc455b4e9, retrieved on 28. Nov 2016, p. 12.
25

but later more than one hundred commercial broadcasters have opened like STAR that is the
most prominent commercial TV.89
2.8 Role of media in covering political coups and crisis
In the experience of Turkish coup in July 2016, Erdogan could mobilize the nation to stand
against the military rebellions that stirred the army to depose the elected government of
Erdogan. His Facetime live call was posted on social media. As a result, crowds of people
have been mobilized to stop the crawling rebels. In addition, due to the flow of information on
social media, Erdgoan could gain national and global support when both of the foreign
government and the opposing national parties have condemned the coup calling it a fall of
democracy by terminating an elected government which helped both a rapid march of citizens
to stand against the tanks and military, weakening the rebellions, and making them surrender
to government. Social media has enhanced democracy in Turkey helping the government to
fail a coup against a democratically elected government.90
On another scenario, media has sustained the Egyptian revolution and has led it to victory.
Thousands of people have been mobilized through the call of some activists through
Facebook. Egyptians played an active role by posting citizen journalism through a portal on
the website of Aljazeera. As they have uploaded a lot of videos mirroring the reality of the
crisis and revolution, more and more have joined the revolution situated in Al-Tahrir.91
The Egyptian government has made it a difficult experience for the Egyptians through
orienting the entire national media to criticize what they have called Protest, and arresting

89 Bar, Ruken. Media Landscapes: Turkey. In: European Journalism Centre.

90 El-Erian, Mohamed (2016): How Social Media Helped Defeat the Turkish Coup. In:
Bloomberg View. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-07-18/how-social-

media-helped-defeat-the-turkish-coup, retrieved on 29. Nov 2016.
91
Abdallah, Nagwa (2011): The Role of the Media in the Democratic Transition in Egypt:
a Case Study of the January 2011 Revolution. In: Reuters Institute.
http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/The%20Role%20of%20the
%20Media%20in%20the%20Democratic%20Transition%20in%20Egypt%20a%20cas
e%20study%20of%20the%20January%202011%20Revolution.pdf, retrieved on 1. Dec
2016, pp. 55-62.

26

many journalists. Egyptians could make use of social media to visualize the protesters as
heroes and examples to the true Egyptian people in addition to the devoted time of the Al-
Jazeera to cover the news up to date despite the closure of their bureau in Egypt accusing
them of stirring a protest against the government.92
2.9 Previous studies / Media coverage of the Turkish coup.
Upon examining the Western media coverage of the Turkish coup, it would be clear that it
was one-sided concentration on the attitude and response of the political leaders. European
media has stated that Erdogan could impose more control and influence after the coup has
failed. In addition, they have broadcasted that civil liberty has come to an end upon the
curfew and censoring the media coverage.93 Moreover, Glen, the suspected plotter of the
coup, was not mentioned in the western media, but Erdogan, Who was accused of plotting the
coup to secure more power and end the historical nightmare of the armed forces.94
The coup was represented in different form in the American media that stated the coup was
the last chance to turkey to revive secularism and stop Isalmization of the state, and the failure
to gain control gave Erdogan the infinite power to lead the government by his own.95
The Western media coverage of the Turkish coup was characterized by hypocrisy and
misinformation when MSNBC has posted on its tweeter account that Erdogan has escaped to
Germany to seek asylum there while at the same time the New York Post has published an
article titled "Why the coup in Turkey could mean hope?"96 Citizens protesting against the
coup were portrayed as radicals torturing the soldiers while the plotters of the coups were

92 Ibid., pp. 55-62.
93
Bayrakli, Enes (2016): Orientalism Reloaded: How Western Media Covered the Coup
Attempt in Turkey. In: SETA Perspective.
http://file.setav.org/Files/Pdf/20160809170140_orientalism-reloaded-how-western-
media-covered-the-coup-attempt-in-turkey-pdf.pdf, retrieved on 1. Dec 2016, pp. 1-2.
94 Ibid., pp. 3-4.
95 Ibid., p. 3.
96 Efe, Ibrahim/ lker, Osman (2016): Western media coverage of the July 15 failed
Turkish coup attempt. In: Daily Sabah. http://www.dailysabah.com/op-

ed/2016/08/09/western-media-coverage-of-the-july-15-failed-turkish-coup-attempt,
retrieved on 1. Dec 2016.
27

depicted as victims. In addition, Western media has overlooked the coup itself, and
concentrated on the government.97
Tensions between Egypt and Turkey sparked after the overthrow of former Islamist President
Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Since then, the Turkish President, who was a supporter of the
Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi, has been harshly condemning Egypts military government.
He was even seen flashing the four-finger (Rabaa sign) during several public speeches.
Moreover, many of the Muslim Brotherhoods leaders found sanctuary in Turkey
Egyptian media has announced the success of the coup like in the public newspaper Al-Haram
The Turkish army overthrows Erdogan, The armed forces seize power, declare martial law
and Recep Tayyip vanishes." And Akhbar Al-Youm: A military coup in Turkey, while the
subhead said The military announced it has taken over to protect democracy and human
rights, Erdogan calls on supporters to take to the streets to safeguard legitimacy.. Not only in
newspapers but also in TV shows by the famous presenter Ahmed Moussa who refused to call
the event a coup but a revolution and kept condemning and criticizing Erdogan accusing him
of financing terrorism.98
The tension between both of Turkey and Egypt rose due to the military practices to overthrow
Morsi, the fomer president of Egypt, who supported the brotherhood. Erdogan detests and
condemns theses actions. In addition, Turkey is the favorite place for brotherhood to stay.99

97 Ibid.
98 Youssef, Ahmed Magdy (2016): Turkeys coup failed everywhere, except in Egyptian
media. In: Open Democracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-

awakening/ahmed-magdy-youssef/turkey-s-coup-failed-everywhere-except-in-
egyptian-media, retrieved on 1. Dec 2016.
99 Ibid.
28

Chapter 3
3. Media theories ensuring transparency to media coverage of the Turkish coup

3.1 Introduction
It is definitely true that media theories allow analysts to understand the way media projected,
but when adapting analysis of media content, both of agenda setting and its further
development framing theory must be used to ensure objectivity. Furthermore, those theories
ensure to ascertain all dimensions of media content that lead to transparent goals of media
broadcasters and their political intentions crystalizing only certain aspects of the news to
achieve direct and hidden aims. In addition, how they frame news by inserting it in a certain
context to have a different meaning. However, it is practical to embrace conflict sensitive
reporting theory to analyze content related to a crisis or wars to know whether broadcasters
have been pushing the situation to stability or sprinkling fuel on fire.
3.2 Agenda-setting prioritizing certain aspects of the Turkish coup

The origin of agenda-setting theory goes back to 1922 when a journalist called Walter
Lippmann who has suggested that Media shapes our perspective of the world around us, but
this theory has been developed 50 years later by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw who
have crystalized the current form of agenda-setting.100
Agenda setting refers to the mechanism when part of the news is prioritized more than the
others making it more prominent. As a result, it values more importance for the public and it
forms their opinion. In other words, it is a way in which journalists drive peoples minds.101
Agenda setting is a strong interconnectedness between the salience of a certain topic and the
prioritization to certain attributes. It is a process to alter peoples principles to make
judgments. Moreover, agenda setting is based on the fact that people come to a decision in
reference to the most prominent news because they depend on most frequent news in their
memories.102

100 Wahl-Jorgensen, Karin/Hanitzsch, Thomas (2009): The Handbook of Journalism
Studies. New York: Routledge, p. 147.

101 Ibid., pp. 147-148.
102 Scheufele, Dietram A/ Tewksbury, David (2007): Framing, Agenda Setting, and
Priming: The Evolution of Three Media Effects Models. In: Journal of Communication 57
(9-20), p. 11.
29

That theory has two levels. The first level is concerned with more prominence to a piece of
news103, and according to the Handbook of Journalism Studies, it focuses on the amount of
media coverage of an issue or other topic receives.104, while the second level is involved in
the aspects and characteristics of the object. In other words, it discusses how the incidents are
explained. The tone of depiction is one of these features that play important factor to affect
the public opinion. 105 It is also the way moderators focus on certain attributes of the
news.106The two levels can be summarized as the following, the first level is priority coverage
to one object, and the second level is to show how this particular object has more salience.107
Agenda setting has a more effective dimension which is called compelling arguments. It
refers to a multi-layer explanation of the second level of the agenda when some attributes of
the object are more likely have more attention apart of their frequency.108 According to
Mccombs, compelling arguments are certain ways of organizing and structuring the picture
of an object that enjoy high success among the public.109
The agenda can be concluded in three main levels. The first level refers to the fact that any
prominence to the object in the media agenda will reflect salience in the public agenda, and
the same story applies to the second level with the objects attributes. As for the last level,
compelling arguments that link both the attribute salience in the media agenda to the object
salience in the public agenda. The exclusive prominence of one attribute in the media agenda
may lead to more salience of the object in the public agenda.110
Concerning the political sphere, Agenda has different levels. It starts with the most
comprehensive level, agenda universe that encompasses all attained issues in a society, while
the next level is agenda systemic that encloses all the issues that are worth the attention in a

103 Weaver, David H. (2007): Thoughts on Agenda Setting, Framing, and Priming. In:
Journal of Communication, 57 (1), p. 142.

104 Wahl-Jorgensen, Karin/Hanitzsch, Thomas (2009), p. 149.
105 Ibid.
106 Weaver, David H. (2007), p. 142.
107 McCombs, Maxwell/ Valenzuela, Sebastian (2007): The Agenda-Setting Theory. In:
Redalyc. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=97120369004, retrieved on 9. Dec

2016.
108 Mccombs, Maxwell (2004): Setting the Agenda: The Mass media and the Public
Opinion. Cambridge: Polity Press, pp. 91-92.

109 Ibid., p. 92.
110 Ibid., pp. 92-93.
30

political system and are considered legal and acceptable in that certain political system. The
difference between both is represented by the legal restriction by the assumed society or
political system. The expansion and diminishing between the two spheres is bendable.111
At the core of the agenda, there are two levels, institutional agenda and decision agenda. The
first includes the matters that are under progressive review by the government usually limited
ones due to time pressure, and the latter only final decision by the government to be acted.112
Figure 3 Levels of the Agenda113
3.3 Framing theory as a tool to set up certain images about the Turkish coup
According to Mass communication Theories by Davis and Baran, explication of a more
general theoretical structure describing the frames and attributes that are important to the
communication process 114 Framing can be identical to the second level of agenda setting
which has to do with the attributes of the object. It extends the effects of what to think about
to a state of how to think about. This process is true when media identifies which attributes
of the object are more prominent.115
The difference between second level of agenda setting and framing lays in the fact that

111
Birkland, Thomas A. (2011): An Introduction to the Policy Process: Theories,
Concepts, and Models of Public Policy Making, (3. ED). New York: M.E. Sharpe, pp. 170-
172.
112 Ibid., p. 172.
113 Ibid., p. 171.
114 Baran, Stanely J./Davis, Dennis K. (2012): Mass Communication Theory: Foundations,
Ferment, and Future, (6. Ed). USA: Wadsworth Pub, p. 297.

115 Ibid.
31

framing alters the phrasing of the news driving us to a higher level and teaching us how to
think about the object. Unlike agenda setting that is involved in making more prominence to
the object until it sticks in peoples memory to change their attitude and uses it to make a
decision, framing calls upon actions to push readers to reach different understanding or
interpretation of the information.116
Framing theory has both psychological and sociological roots. The first goes back to the test
and analysis of Kahneman and Tversky who proposed that the way information projected
plays a major factor on how people interpret it while the sociological root can be seen through
the work of Goffman who stated people employ primary framework as a mean to get a
meaning of their understanding of the information because it is difficult to deal with new
information.117
Framing has both a macro and micro level. The macro level is media-audience, and it is
heavily used to simplify complex news and makes it easy to understand by the audience
through the adoption of certain types of presentations that match the expected schemes of
people while the micro level is audience-media related to the employment of presentations by
audience to reach a final decision.118
Framing can make audience accountable of political or social problems. Coverage can be
thematic that is involved in a connected issues or a group of matters while episodic
concentrates on one single matter which makes is easy to the audience to link it. As a result,
people feel accountable of the situation. That is why episodic coverage is used in framing.119
Frames are usually observed in neural circuitry. The frequent repetition gives the frames
stabilized position in the brain. Furthermore, frames are usually associated with metaphors or
slogan to ensure creating a standard framework to magnetize peoples minds to think from the
medias point of view. Referent bin is a place in our minds to store information. Frames are
practical because they offer frequent exposure to information. As a result, they are always

116 Ibid.
117 Scheufele, Dietram A/ Tewksbury, David (2007), p. 11.
118 Ibid., p. 12.
119 Communication studies (2016). Framing Theory.
http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/framing-theory,
32

accessible by the audience.120
According to Scheufele, the process of framing can be divided into three main steps, Inputs,
processes, outcome. It is like infinite circle where the input leads to the outcome, and the
outcome contributes to the following inputs. This process can be divided into four parts.121
The first process is Frame building which refers to external and internal impact on media
content and it can be categorized into three types of effects. The first is related to journalists
who try to draw links to make sense of news. As result, they impose their own frame based on
their professional standards. The second influence goes back to the political direction of each
media outlet leading to use specific frames, and the last impact is pressure of political or
interest groups.122
Figure 4: Scheufeles process model of framing123

120 Mishra, Sneha. Framing theory. In: Business Topia.
https://www.businesstopia.net/mass-communication/framing-theory-0, retrieved on
11. Dec 2016.
121 Scheufele, Dietram A. (1999): Framing as a Theory of Media Effects. In: Journal of
Communication, 49(1), p. 114.

122 Scheufele1999, pp. 115-116.
123 Ibid., p. 115.
33

The second process is Frame setting which is identical to the second level of agenda setting
in which the focus lays on the salience of the attributes, but according to Nelson and his
colleagues study, framing does not concentrate on the prominence of the attributes that
change the attitude of people due to the exposure to the salient frames in unconscious way,
but it is totally involved in the perceived importance of frames which is a conscious method
to manipulate information. It rather stresses certain details to reach the desired process. In
others words, the salience of the frames is not responsible of the effect, but frames perceived
importance.124
The third level is Individual-level effects of framing which identifies a connection between
media frames and individuals. It shows how individuals choose their frames or make certain
frames valuable due to the impact of media frames. In other words, individuals act and shape
attitude according to the media frames. The final level is Journalists as audience. It refers to
the comprehensive process of framing which is top-down. Framing influences party groups
and journalists who write the media content and reframe the frames of others media contents
to get new ones.125
3.4 Conflict sensitive reporting promoting stability and extinguishing the flames of the
Turkish coup
Conflict sensitive reporting was first suggested by three scholars, Nadine Bilke (Germany),
Ross Howard (Canada)126, and Antonia Koop (Germany) who works as a film documentarian
and a reporter in crisis area.127
According to Ross Howard Professional journalists do not set out to reduce conflict. They
seek to present accurate and impartial news. But it is often through good reporting that
conflict is reduced.128

124 Scheufele1999, pp. 116-117.
125 Ibid., pp. 117-118.
126 Palileo-Evidente, Shirley/ Manriquez, Ledrolen (2012): The Political-Economic Narratives
of Philippine Media Spaces and the Scientific Discourse of Conflict for Journalism Practice.
In: International Academic Forum. http://iafor.org/archives/offprints/mediasia2012-
offprints/MediAsia2012_0031.pdf, retrieved on 14. Dec 2016, p. 42.
127 DW (2011): Koop, Antonia: Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker.
http://www.dw.com/en/koop-antonia/a-6503832, retrieved on 14. Dec 2016.

128 Howard, Ross (2004): Conflict Sensitive Journalism. Denmark: IMS & IMPACS, p. 2.
34

Journalism during conflicts has a more comprehensive role, and journalists must have
experience in reporting conflicts precisely not only normal reporting. During a conflict,
journalists must play the role of a detector digging deep to find the root of violence, and they
are responsible to ascertain the reasons behind the conflict and what fuels it in black and
white. As a result, Information is communicated to people which helps to clear up the
conflict.129
Conflict can arise from many reasons like conflicting interests of power group, poor
intercommunication, and unacceptable allocation of power. Conflict might be fueled to reach
violence or it might be settled down.130
Conflict sensitive reporting has different practices of traditional reporting. In other words, it is
a process of conflict examination looking for information to reach reconciliation by giving a
chance to new voices that advocates resolution and projecting other successful examples
about conflict resolution in addition to providing pure impartiality in reporting the news.
Conflict sensitive reporting must not only report bare facts. On the contrary, it must be
constructive, searching for sources to reduce the flames of conflict.131
Conflict sensitive reporting must follow common standards like bridging the gap between
opposing parties and finding common points between them, and it must give the public the
chance to say their point of view but not restricting to the elite. In addition, journalists must
use their words carefully and refrain from employing harsh words about one side or both
sides, which kills the negotiations. Not only this but also journalists must try to find possible
resolutions and deliver them to all parties involved in the conflict, and they must know that
what is an opinion stays an opinion and not converting it into a fact.132
Figure 5, according to Antonia Koop, Journalists role is higher of what is expected. Not only
must they report incidents, but also they must visualize accountability to what they are
reporting. Any partiality might flame the conflict. Therefore, journalists must symbolize both

129 Howard (2004), p. 5.
130 Ibid., p. 6.
131 Ibid., p. 15.
132 Ibid., p. 16.
35

conflicting parties evenly. In other words, they must not enhance the role of one agenda and
push it forward.133
Figure 5: Role of journalism in a functional democratic society model134
Journalists must examine the situation and look deep into every single piece of information in
order to provide suggested solutions to the conflict because they are like any ordinary person.
They will be affected by the maximization of the conflict.135
Figure 6, Stimulated by Nadine Bilkes quality journalism guidelines, Koop refined Bilkes
model, which is based on four pillars, truth seeking, relevance, active accuracy, presentation.
The mentioned pillars are backed by unrestricted access to information and press freedom to
ensure the quality of journalism. She stresses the quality of journalism due to its acting part in
the community.136

133 Palileo-Evidente, Shirley/ Manriquez, Ledrolen (2012), p. 40.
134 Ibid., p. 40.
136 Ibid., p. 42.
36

Figure 6: cleansing of Bilkes quality journalism in conflict137
Based on Koops refined model, three things must be ensured to have a perfect CSJ. The first
one is political participation that refers to democracy allowing people to have unprejudiced
news and facts and give them the chance to be public actors on the stage.138
The second one is human rights, which is the primary link of journalism on which journalism
standards are based. This part stresses the fact that people have the right of freedom of
expression and accessibility of information because at this point only, they can have a wise
decision.139
The third one is peace, which is suggested by Johan Galtung who believes that peace is a
condition of freedom of choice and the role of journalism is to supply people with the
necessary facts to make the right decision.140
Media content is analyzed on different media theories like agenda setting which poses effects
on three main levels, the first is to give salience to the object, the second is to grant

137 Ibid., p. 43.
139 Ibid.
140 Ibid.
37

prominence to the attributes of the object, and the compelling argument in which some
attributes are given more salience than the others while Framing theory can be seen similar to
the second level of agenda setting. Unlike agenda setting, which tells us what to think about,
framing drives minds to instruct viewers how to think about the object. To analyze media
content related to a crisis, conflict sensitive journalism theory must be present to ascertain the
intentions fueled deep in the news, and discover whether broadcasters apply its principles to
ensure peace.
38

Chapter 4
4. Roles and standards of international media broadcasters

Despite the huge numbers of channels, international broadcasters play an active role on the
stage due to their prominence by providing the news in different languages. As a result, they
reach a huge number of audiences and are able to mobilize public opinions internationally.
Moreover, they can change the destiny of nations either by peace making, conflict resolution,
or even flaming a revolution fueled by political intentions. International broadcasters like
Deutsche Welle, Aljazeera, and BBC are intended to global audience not for local that is why
they act as a branding agent of the originating country because foreigners can build their
points od view based on the way IBs stream their image.
4.1 History of international media broadcasting

International broadcasting has flourished at the last breaths of the cold war, and SW (short
wave) broadcasting has paved the way for HW broadcasting. Due to degrading situation in
1930s in Europe, SW has proved to be a busy actor on the stage during the Second World War
and the cold war where each country has recognized the rule of media to win the war with
using weapons.141
According to the opinion of the chairman of the US president, international broadcasters sent
out words, not bullets; ideas, not bombs, and they broke down a wall and helped break up an
evil empire. It was unbelievable what happened during the cold war where many people have
expected a bloody nuclear war. International broadcasters like Deutsche Welle, Voice of
America, and BBC, have cooled the situation. Moreover, no steps into a destructive war were
taken.142
The emergence of satellites and television has the paved the revolution of international
broadcasters. Furthermore, the presence of affordable communication technology has

141 Wood, James (2000): History of International Broadcasting (Volume 2). UK: The
Institution of Electrical Engineers, p. 1.

142 Ibid.
39

enhanced the expansion and coverage of international broadcasters to be also active in the
field of public diplomacy.143
The development of technology has maximized the effects of international broadcasters and
has swiped its capacities from limitation to unlimited possibilities through the revolution of
multimedia. Moreover, international broadcasters are more accessible and they are available
24 hours a day.144
4.2 Meaning of international media broadcasting

Based on International Broadcasting as a Tool of International Diplomacy, International
broadcasting can be defined as broadcasting across national frontiers to a foreign rather than a
domestic audience. IB can be seen as the face of a given country to the whole globe. In other
words, it is government oriented news and information directed to viewers outside the borders
of that given country in order to spread its ideology and shape public opinion in other
countries.145
Since IB aims at achieving the goals of the originating country and serves its interest, it
should be called propaganda broadcasters. Moreover, the mission of IB is to shadow its
policy internationally. In addition, the strategy of IB is to reach foreign population, but never
to be received by locals. In other words, it is an instrument to globalize the policy of a given
country146
4.3 Role of international media broadcasting

IBs function as a peacemaker in a time of conflict or a crisis by providing impartial and
precise news and a platform for international bargaining and dialogue to reach a solution and

143 OKeeffe, Annmaree/Oliver, Alex (2010): International Broadcasting and its
Contribution to Public Diplomacy. In: Lowy Institute.

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/international-broadcasting-and-its-
contribution-public-diplomacy, retrieved on 16. Dec 2016, p. 9.
144 Ibid., p. 10.
145 Vincent, Edafejirhaye I. (2016): International Broadcasting as a Tool of International
Diplomacy. In: New Media and Mass Communication 46.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:QmCgjrETdVUJ:www.iiste.org
/Journals/index.php/NMMC/article/download/28913/29676+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&
gl=de&client=safari, retrieved on 16. Dec 2016, p. 45.
146 Wood, James (2000), p. 2.
40

resolution by employing programs to deal with the conflict. An example of media active role
is through the terrorist attacks in Paris when IBs shed the light on the situation. As result, it
drew the attention of the international community to cooperate to bring peace in France.147
IBs enhance international relations through projecting and facilitating the understanding of
one nation to another. In addition, they play an active role bridging media gab in under-
developing countries. Moreover, it offers a platform of communication and negotiation and
situates its self as a local broadcaster.148
The horizon of IBs has no limit especially in the international diplomacy through acting as a
marketing agaent representing the polished image of their countries, which paves the way for
a stronger international relation with the other countries of the world. For example, the BBC
charter states bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK which proves the
importance of each IB to represent its originating country image in the best way possible.149
Each country has a different culture due to its location or history. What is taboo in one culture
might not be a taboo in another. Furthermore, each country has its own cultural signs and
style of life. IBs highlight the differences and present the image of its originating state, which
leads to a cultural harmony by giving broader definitions to the cultural aspects.150
IBs keep the ties between a country and its citizen abroad tight by projecting a variety of
programs that encompass the values, habits, and cultural aspects of the originating country of
the IB. Furthermore; IB is the active power to spread the perspectives and angles of the
country of IB. Moreover, BBGs orientation, which controls the American international
broadcasters like Voice of America, is to envisage and present the ideology over incidents,
but not to hail for USA.151

147 Vincent, Edafejirhaye I. (2016), p 48 -50.
148 Ibid., p 48-49.
149 Vincent, Edafejirhaye I. (2016). P. 49.
150 Ibid., p. 50.
151 Ibid.
41

4.4 Challenges for international broadcasters VS. Social media
With the development of means of communication, it becomes difficult to control the flow the
media. Furthermore, social media has attracted lots of audience and it has become the way of
communication in crisis areas like what happened in Ukraine and the protests in Turkey.152
Media is no longer restricted to professional journalists due the widespread of social media
and the affordable prices of media production. Social media represents a serious challenge to
international broadcasters due to the difficulty to authorize the users and to check the facts,
photos, and videos, which are posted on the Internet. It happens often that journalists discover
fake images and have to remove them.153
To ensure credible information, International broadcasters must train their journalists and
reporters to know how to deal with the content of social media in different cultures to have the
skills to identify fake information and have the ability to filter information to control the field
of unfiltered information. Furthermore, media sector employees must be familiar with the
arising software that acts as an instrument to verify resources and ensure credible
information.154
It is important for international broadcasters to enhance their abilities in social media news
like Facebook because it is now to the best way to reach people and provide them with
authentic information especially with the emergence of tools to facilitate this job like live
video service in Facebook which allows live communication between the reporters and the
audience or the channel itself.155
Social media has provided flexibility to users through reaching readers on mobiles whether
they are at home or somewhere else. Social media marks the end of TV streamings

152 Limbourg, Peter (2014): Social Media Chances and Challenges for International
Broadcasting. In: Connect World. http://www.connect-

world.com/index.php/magazines/global-ict/item/25469-social-media-chances-and-
challenges-for-international-broadcasting, retrieved on 18. Dec 2016.
153 Limbourg, Peter (2014).
154 Ibid.
155 Ibid.
42

ownership and the fact that they are the exclusive source of information, but international
broadcasters still has the priority of providing professional and quality journalism.156
The fact that IBs broadcast news in different languages assists them to reach a high number of
audiences and mobilize people to reach certain public opinion. Furthermore, Each IB
represents the agenda of its originating state and its political points of view, and they play a
major role as a peacemaker in a time of crisis. In addition, they mirror internal affairs
internationally to promote their cultural political, and social image. Media is no longer
monopolized by international broadcasters with the emergence of social media that may
present itself as a big challenge to IBs due to its unfiltered content and anonymity of its users.
However, quality journalism stays as the attribute of professional journalism.

156 Yusha, Muhammad Jameel (2016): Social media and the future of international
broadcasting. In: Premium Times. http://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/4990-

social_media_and_the_future_of_international_broadcasting.html, retrieved on 18. Dec
2016.
43

Chapter 5
5. Research methodology
The research questions of this research are formulated to question the standards and the way
different international broadcasters covered the news and formulated news stories and
commentaries on the Turkish coup that took place on the 15th of July. The research will shed
the light on role of international broadcasters and their hidden political intentions stuffed
indirectly in the news. In addition, the researcher will detect and analyze to ascertain if
international media broadcasters follow the measures and standards of critical sensitive
reporting during their coverage of the coup.
To reach the truth, articles of three international media broadcasters, Russia Today, Al-
Jazeera, and BBC are analyzed based on three research questions accompanied by three
hypotheses for each research question. Furthermore, the research questions are formulated in
harmony with the theoretical part and media theories written in this research.
5.1 Research questions and hypotheses

Based on content analysis of several articles of three different international broadcasters, three
research questions will be brought to light by either verifying or falsifying the nine
hypotheses.
1- What kind of role did the international broadcasters play in the coup in Turkey?
For the limitation of the above questions, three hypotheses are suggested based on the agenda
setting and framing theory in order to know from what aspect has each IB covered the news
about the Turkish coup, which frames and what aspects have been prioritized in their
coverage, and what kind of agenda have they set.
Each media outlet has an agenda by spotting the light on certain issues, which makes it
extremely important for the public. In other words, it is a process of darkening of issues not
related to the nations agenda, and shedding the light on issues that are part of the
agenda.157 The following hypotheses are used to answer the above research question:

157
McCombs, Maxwell. The Agenda-Setting Role of the Mass Media in the Shaping of
Public Opinion. http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_pdf/mccombs01.pdf, retrieved on
21. Dec 2016, pp. 1-2.
44

o H1: RT promotes the success of the coup in Turkey and criticizes the post
coup actions of Erdogan.
o H2: BBC is neutral towards the coup and post-coup actions in Turkey and
broadcasts news with transparency.
o H3: Al-Jazeera tries to fail the coup and supports the post-coup actions.
2- Are there any hidden political intentions behind the way the international
broadcasters formulated the news?
To answer this research question, three hypotheses are formulated based on agenda setting
and framing theory to ascertain whether the coverage of the IBs is based on the political
agenda of the broadcasters, and the international relations between Turkey and the originating
countries of the studied international broadcasters, or it is based on journalism standards.
International broadcasters are seen as a propaganda tool with an objective to come up with
media content in harmony with the originating countrys political agenda.158 The following
hypotheses are formulated to answer the research question:
o H1: RT supports the coup plotters and concentrates on the heroes of the
coup in addition to their suspected mastermind Fatehlluah Glen.
o H2: BBC shows a balanced broadcasting of all parties.
o H3: Aljazeera is partial and focuses on Erdogans governments actions to
end the coup and his post-coup actions statements.
3- Did international broadcasters offer any suggested resolutions and give any
chance for other voices to settle coup?
To know the truth, A research question accompanied by three hypotheses are initiated on the
base of conflict sensitive reporting theory since this research is adapting content analysis to
media coverage of a coup which is considered a conflict. By answering the research question,
it will be clear whether IBs apply conflict sensitive reporting standards through their
coverage.

158
Powers, Shawn M./Youmans. William (2012): A New Purpose for International
Broadcasting: Subsidizing Deliberative Technologies in Non- transitioning States. In:
Journal of Public Deliberation (8)13.
http://www.publicdeliberation.net/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1209&context=jpd,
retrieved 22. Dec 2016.
45

When applying conflict sensitive reportings standards, media must provide equal chance for
different voices, leaders, oppositions, people etc., and it must try to find a common points
between the opposing parties to bring peace to the situation.159
o H1: RT prioritizes and patronizes the coup plotters voices, and offered no
solutions.
o H2: BBC provides accurate information and tries to bridge the gap
between the opposing parties by reporting different voices.
o H3: Aljazeera mirrors the voice of Erdogans government, and offers
more solutions.
5.2 Research design

Both of quantitative and qualitative content analyses are widely used in researches. However,
it always depends on what the researcher is looking to find or what are the research questions.
Qualitative content analysis is used as a tool to show the meaning of content, and to adapt
deep analysis of text to reach the essence of the text. Furthermore, there are three ways to use
qualitative content analysis:160
Conventional content analysis: This type of qualitative analysis is employed when only
scarce literature is available and mainly adopted to understand a phenomenon.161
Directed content analysis: It is effective for the continuity of previous theory study to cover
the gab. As a result the researcher will be able to prove the theory. Furthermore, the process
of categorization is usually deductive which gives the researcher the chance to move in more
structured way.162

159 Howard, Ross (2008): Conflict Sensitive Journalism: Where does it Fit in?
http://www3.telus.net/public/a3a41372/md/md-conflict-rosshoward.pdf, retrieved on
22. Dec 2016, p. 4.
160 Hsieh, Hsiu-Fang/Shannon, Sarah E. (2005): Three Approaches to Qualitative Content
Analysis. http://www.iisgcp.org/pdf/glssn/Supplemental_Reading_on_Coding_2.pdf,
retrieved on 23. Dec 2016, p. 1277.
161 Ibid., p. 1279.
162 Ibid., p. 1281.
46

Summative content analysis: is a process to measure the employment of words within
context. In other words, the researcher tries to ascertain the contextual meaning of words to
know the different types of use.163
Researchers in different fields of research heavily use qualitative content analysis that is why
it can be defined in different way:164
1. a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through
the systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns165
2. an approach of empirical, methodological controlled analysis of texts within their
context of communication, following content analytic rules and step by step models,
without rash quantification166
3. any qualitative data reduction and sense-making effort that takes a volume of
qualitative material and attempts to identify core consistencies and meanings167
While both of Denzin and Lincoln argue that,
Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It
consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that makes the world visible. These
practices ... turn the world into a series of representations including fieldnotes,
interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings and memos to the self. At this
level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world.
This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings,
attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings
people bring to them.168
Qualitative content analysis is not superficial at all. It looks deep into the text to analyze it on
different layers, the core idea of the text, and the contextual meaning in addition to analysis to
the formal aspects.169

163 Hsieh, Hsiu-Fang/Shannon, Sarah E. (2005), p. 1283.
164 Zhang, Yan/Wildemuth, Barbara M. (2005): Qualitative Analysis of Content. In:
iSchool. https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~yanz/Content_analysis.pdf, retrieved on 23.

Dec 2016, p. 1.
165 Ibid.
166 Mayring, Philipp (2000). Qualitative Content Analysis. Forum: Qualitative Social
Research,1(2). http://217.160.35.246/fqs-texte/2-00/2-00mayring-e.pdf, retrieved on 23. Dec

2016.
167 Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. CA: Sage, p. 453.
168 Ritchie, Jane/Lewis, Jane (2003): Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social
Science Students and Researchers. London, Thousands Oaks, and New Delhi: Sage
Publication, pp. 2-3.
169 Mayring, Philipp (2000).
47

Quantitative content analysis adopts a different way from Qualitative analysis. It takes into
consideration both the content aspects in addition to formal aspects, which are considered
important to reach the final analysis. The assembling of data to analyze content is based on
three aspects, Key words in context, circulation of media, and frequency.170
The advantage of quantitative content analysis lays in the fact that it can be projected in a
chart or diagram form, which offers accessibility to compare the results and findings of one
research to another. Furthermore, the process of quantitative is numerical. In other words, it is
based on numbers to represent the data. Scientifically speaking, quantitative content analysis
is a better way for assembling data, which makes it possible to adapt it for the usage of
statistics.171
Figure 7, The process of quantitative analysis

starts by creating research questions and their
hypotheses followed by sampling, which is a
process of choosing the data to be tested. After
that, coding development must be done in
harmony with the research questions followed by
creation of codebook for systematic collection of
data. The previous process is based on an exciting
theory that is very important for development of
the conceptual basis for your research. Finally,
the researcher provides descriptive statistics of the
findings and tests the validity or falsification of
the hypotheses.172
Figure 7: Quantitative content analysis steps173

170 Macnamara, J. (2005). Media content analysis: Its uses, benefits and Best Practice
Methodology. Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, 6(1), 1 34, p. 4.

171 Gordon, Francesca (2012): Quantitative vs Qualitative Data in Content Analysis
Which is Preferable? In: Psychologyfg.

https://psychologyfg.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/quantitative-vs-qualitative-data-in-
content-analysis-which-is-preferable/, retrieved on 23. Dec 2016.
172 Rose, Susan/Spinks, Nigel/Canhoto, Ana Isabel (2015): Quantitative Content
Analysis. In: Management Research. http://documents.routledge-

interactive.s3.amazonaws.com/9780415628129/Chapter%206%20-
%20Quantitative%20content%20analysis%20final_edited.pdf, retrieved on 23. Dec
2016, pp. 3-5.
48

Quantitative content analysis must be objective by providing Explanation of a phenomenon,
and for the authenticity of the research, at least two researchers must accomplish the coding.
Furthermore, the researcher must ensure the validity of the results by having a full
comprehension of the goals of the research, and Generalizability is ensured when
application of the results can be used as scope for the comprehensive sample. Of course
results must be replicable to give others the chance to retest the results.174
The researcher will use quantitative content analysis to answer the research questions and
validate or falsify the hypotheses. An analysis of the formal and content aspects of 90 articles,
provided by three different international broadcasters, will be adopted to ensure objectivity
and validity to the results. Formal aspects such as type of articles, number of words, and the
use of multimedia will be analyzed in addition to the content aspects like the tone and
projection of images in the articles. The articles are picked up randomly, but they are divided
into three time spans to know if attitudes vary by time.
5.3 Category system

Content analysis can be done either inductively or deductively. When a researcher assembles
information about a specific theme, and derives the theory from the information he collected,
it is inductive.175
Figure 8: Inductive Research176

In a deductive approach, the researcher bases his studies on others theories, then coming up
with hypotheses. After a deep analysis of the theories, the researcher can falsify or verify the
hypotheses.177

173 Ibid., p. 3.
174 Macnamara, Jim. (2005), pp. 8-13.
175 Blackstone, Amy. Principles of Sociological Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative
Methods. In: Flat World Education.

http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/3585?e=blackstone_1.0-
ch02_s03, retrieved on 25. Dec 2016.
176 Ibid.
177 Ibid.
49

Figure 9: Deductive Research178
In this research, the categories and the sub-categories are derived deductively from the
theoretical framework, background theory, media theories (agenda setting, framing, conflict
sensitive reporting), and the research questions along with the hypotheses. The categories aim
at answering the research questions:
What kind of role did the international broadcasters play in the coup in Turkey?
Are there any hidden political intentions behind the way the international
Did International broadcasters offer any suggested resolutions and give any
The research will adapt six main content categories in addition to 2 form categories to answer
the research questions. Each category contributes to answer the research questions that are
based on the theoretical framework.
The related results of 1,2,3,4,6 content categories will answer the first research question
(What kind of role did the international broadcasters play in the coup in Turkey?), and the
second research questions (Are there any hidden political intentions behind the way the
international broadcasters formulated the news?) will count on the sum of the results of the
mentioned categories in addition to the subcategory voice of the fifth category while
category 5 will contribute to answer the third research question (Did International
broadcasters offer any suggested resolutions and give any chance for other voices to settle
coup?).
The first main content category is political approach to see what kind of change led the news
of the three tested broadcasters (RT, BBC, Al-Jazeera), and under what hidden political
relations is it formed. That category encompasses four subcategories to reach the goal of
research question. (1) The first one is objectivity of the news to measure the objectivity of

178 Ibid.
50

news articles. As a result, the researcher knows if the international broadcasters are impartial
or partial intending to make desired change.
(2) The second one is Turkish Russian relations to decipher if news suggests any relation
between Turkey and Russia and the effects of the coup and post-coup actions on that relation.
(3) Turkish Western relation and (3) Turkish Arabic relations follow the same analysis of
the second subcategory.
The second main category is military aspect to know the military and political positions
taken by the originating countries of the tested international broadcasters. The category
includes two sub-categories. (1) The first is support for Erdogans government, and (2) the
second one is support for coup plotters to decipher the attitude of IBs towards the coup
whether they condemn the coup and criticize the act of the coup plotters or vice versa. This
category fits for the first and the second research questions. By testing the articles to answer
the research question, it will show the political behalf of the originating countries of IBs in the
way they formulated the news to recognize whether the coup is fruitful for their political
future or not and whether they hail post-coup actions of Erdogan or not.
The third main category is image description to show how each party in the coup is
portrayed. For example, are the putsches portrayed as heroes or rebels, or is Erdogan depicted
as a tyrant or a democratically elected president. The category has four sub-categories, (1)
image of Erdogan, (2) depiction of military coup plotters, (3) image of civilians are they
depicted as patriots, protesters, or something else?, and (4) image of causalities and dead
people are they depicted as martyrs?. Each sub-category will show the image of one party in
the tested articles.
The following category is Language which encompasses three sub-categories. (1) The first
one is impartiality, which is an indicator to analyze the language and the choice of words
used to describe the incident in the news stories of the tested IBs to show whether news
stories are partial to one party or it presents news stories impartially.
(2-3) The second and the third ones are use of bitter words to describe Erdogans
government and use of bitter words to describe coup plotters that are definite to show the
hidden political attitude of IBs. For example is Erdogan described as anti-democratic
51

president or the authoritarian president? Or are the coup plotters described as bloodiest and
criminals or the revolutionists? The results of this category will answer the first and the
second research questions.
The fifth category peace approach is based on conflict sensitive reporting or journalism, and
the results will answer the third research question (Did International broadcasters offer any
suggested resolutions and give any chance for other voices to settle coup?).
That category is attached by two sub-categories, suggestions for resolutions and voice. (1)
The first show if the originating countries of articles of the IBs apply conflict sensitive
reportings standards by displaying solutions to the crisis in their reports and prevail peace to
the situation. (2) The latter will project if the content of the articles by the tested broadcasters
give a chance for different voices or different levels of the society like citizens, coup plotters,
leaders, presidents, parties, or foreign leaders to have a comprehensive idea and try to bridge
the gap between the conflicting parties in response to the principles of conflict sensitive
reporting.
The last content category others includes all other aspects of content related to the articles
about the coup. Four sub-categories are part of this category. (1) Title of article is an
indicator to the main tone of the article to know whether it is in favor of Erdogans
government victory, it is against, or it is neutral. (2) The second sub-category is personal
opinion to check whether a personal opinion is used in the tested articles or not. (3)
Accuracy of sources is an identifier of the sources used in the articles like official, unofficial
or foreign sources. In other words, it is to make sure whether they use authentic sources or
not. (4) Description of picture is a way to analyze wording of pictures if any to identify
whether the description in favor of or against the coup, or it is neutral offering balanced
description.
In addition to the content categories, the researcher will use two formal categories to test the
articles. The first category form has 3 sub-categories. (1) Type of article is to recognize
which form has the articles, news report, commentary, feature, photo gallery, or even a mix
while (2) the second length of article is to evaluate the length of each article under three
types, long, short, or medium. As for (3) the last one multimedia, it is to check if multimedia
like photos and videos are used in the article or not, and what kind of multimedia is employed.
52

The last category and the second form category others is involved in the possibility to share
the users opinion and interactivity of articles like (1) possibility to comment to see if users
are allowed to post their opinions or not, (2) share on social media to identify the possibility
to share the articles on social media networking, and the last sub-category possibility to email
the article to know if articles can be forwarded be email or not in addition to possibility to
contact the channel and automatically read to know if broadcasters offer that option.
Articles are picked up based on three spans of time to know if international political attitudes
change due to the actual update of political situations. The researcher will present the results
of the tested articles based on the category system on two levels. In the first level of research,
the researcher will present results to the whole articles of each broadcaster and compare them
while the second level that is involved in presenting results to each span of time mentioned
earlier and make a comparison to each IB by itself. However, only the main subcategories will
be presented over three spans of time.
5.4 Selection criteria

The researcher will test media coverage of the Turkish coup in July 2016. In response to
objectivity of research, articles of three international media broadcasters belonging to
different geographical regions will be tested, namely Al-Jazeera English (Qatar Middle
East), BBC (UK Western Europe), and Russia Today (Russia Eastern Europe).
Background information about the tested international broadcasters will be provided in the
following sub-chapters.
5.4.1 Al-Jazeera English (AJE)

The year 1996 marks the birth of the first channel of Al-Jazeera bundle namely Al-Jazeera
Arabic (AJA). The channel was established by an award from a Qatari prince and continues to
be funded by the Qatari government. Furthermore, it can be considered as an international
broadcaster because it broadcasts in different languages and global viewers are the target
audience not the Qatari. Al-Jazeera has carried on to grow on as an international network
especially with the founding of Al-Jazeera English in 2006, which has attracted an extreme
number of viewers due to the use of modern technology.179

179 Powers, Shawn (2011): U.S. International Broadcasting: An Untapped Resource for
Domestic and Ethnic News Organizations. In: Will the Last Reporter Please Turn
out the Lights: The Collapse of Journalism and What Can Be Done To Fix It
(Eds., McChesney, R. and V. Pickard) New York, NY: The New Press.
53

AJE establishment was a turning point to transfer the center of global news from the north to
the south180 especially with its contribution to bridge the coverage gab in the third world
countries that has been neglected with popular international broadcasters.181
Al-Jazeera English has gradually appeared on the stage starting from a news website in 2003
which has attracted a lot of American viewers during the coverage of the war on Iraq.182 Al-
Jazeera network was established aiming at influence on the Arabic world on the first level,
and the whole globe on the second level.183
Despite the fact that the headquarter of both AJA and AJE is in Qatar, they pick news from
the same basket, AJE has its autonomy to form the news in its own agenda far from any
effects from AJA. According to a survey to the audience in Pakistan, AJE is affected by
BBCW because when AJE has replaced BBC no change of philosophy has been realized.184
AJE could attain about 110 millions households from across the whole regions of the world
with the goal to alter the agenda of news. 185AJE has been established with many roles,
Changing the news agenda, expanding the audience choices, revolutionizing the
international news, breaking the Western hegemony of international news production,
adding a new perspective to global events, challenging the West or changing the
direction of the flow of international news186
The Arab Spring marks a dramatic growth to AJE due to the knowledge and capabilities of its
reporters of the region, which gave AJE extra credit for the viewers of English language news.

180 Abdul-Mageed, Muhammad M./ Herring, Susan C. (2008): Arabic and English News
Coverage on Al-Jazeera.net. http://info.ils.indiana.edu/~herring/catac08.aljazeera.pdf,

181 Rushing, J. (2007): Mission Al-Jazeera: Build a bridge, seek the truth, change the world.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

182 Abdul-Mageed, Muhammad M./ Herring, Susan C. (2008), p. 3.
183 Ibid.
184 Al-Najjar, Abeer I. (2006): How Arab is Al-Jazeera English? Comparative Study of Al-
Jazeera Arabic and Al-Jazeera English News Channels. In: Global Media Journal.
http://www.globalmediajournal.com/open-access/how-arab-is-aljazeera-english.pdf,
retrievd on 26. Dec 2016, p. 6.
185 Ibid., p. 1.
186 Al-Najjar, Abeer I. (2006), p. 1.
54

Furthermore, it has been considered as the ultimate source of information in the Arab spring
area. Moreover, AJE has offered the world an extraordinary window to look at the news far
away from traditional styles by broadcasting on channel and streaming online. In other words,
it has given different dimensions to news.187
AJE has offered viewers and readers new styles of journalism by spreading the news on social
media networks and mobiles. AJE has offered satellite Internet to reporters in areas of Internet
blockage that offered access to the blocked areas. Not only does AJE offer professional
journalism, but also citizen journalism through portal on the website to make citizen join their
mission and have the same responsibility. This technique was completely effective in areas of
crisis like Syria where access for journalists is banned. However, those videos are subjected to
a filter process.
5.4.2 Russia Today (RT)

Russia Today was officially founded in 2005, and it broadcasts news in English, Arabic, and
Spanish along with RUPTLY, a video news agency. Not only does RT broadcast news on
satellite, but also online operating in three languages, German, French, and Russian. RT has
stepped up by its rising popularity on its YouTube channel to be the first international
broadcaster to achieve 1 billion views. Furthermore, it has always adopted new technology
and means of communication to attract more viewers like making 360 degrees videos.188
The story of RT has started with a fund of 23$ million of the government, and continued
growing and proving itself on the stage with the coverage of the Georgian-Russian war that
showed RT as a rival to the western media to get a huge amount of yearly fund (380$) million
from the Russian government in 2011.189

187 Seib, Philip (2012): Al Jazeera English: Global News in a Changing world. USA:
Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1-2.

188 Russia Today (2016): About RT. https://www.rt.com/about-us/, retrieved on 27. Dec
2016.
189 Campbell, Thomas/ Calpp, Victoria Burnside/ Wallin, Matthew (2014): Russian State
Media: How is Russias State Media Structured? How has it Grown? Is it Effective? In:
American Security Project. https://www.americansecurityproject.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/08/Ref-0167-Russian-State-Media.pdf, retrieved on 27. Dec 2016.
55

The target of RT is to break the monopoly of the Anglo-Saxon mass media, to formulate the
news from Russias points of view, and to be a competitive international broadcaster rather
than being the victims of Western media.190
Russia Today corporate profile states,
At Russia Today we are set to step beyond the boundaries of bare facts and bring you
the human side of every story. Our special projects are specifically tailored to
accustom the international audience with the Russian perspective.191
With the Russian Intrusion in the Ukrainian land, government of popular international
broadcasters like BBC have recognized that it is time to raise media fund to rival again with
the Russian Media. Furthermore, the former director of BBC has alarmed amid high-level
concerns that Britain and the US are losing a global information war with the Kremlin.192
That is why it is practical to test the coverage of RT in comparison to BBC and Al-Jazeera
English.
5.4.3 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

The year 1922 marks the rise of private company of BBC (British Broadcasting Company),
and just in five years, the company has been public to be BBC (British Broadcasting
Corporation) based on a suggestion from the parliament as a committee, which was called
BBC Trust.193
BBC is neither funded by the government nor by private sector, but by license fees collected
from people in return for TV service. Furthermore, by adapting this strategy of funding, the
BBC's UK services to remain free of advertisements and independent of shareholders and

190 Ibid.
191 Rotheray, Brian (2010): Good News from a Far Country? Changes in International
Broadcast News Supply in Africa and South Asia. In: Reuters Institute.
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Changes%20in%20Internat
ional%20Broadcast%20News%20Supply_0.pdf, retrieved on 27. Dec 2016, p. 29.
192 Halliday, Josh. (Dec. 21, 2014). BBC World Service fears losing information war as
Russia Today ramps up pressure. http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/dec/21/bbc-world-

service-information-war-russia-today, retrieved on 27. Dec 2016.
193 Britannica (2012): British Broadcasting Corporation.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-Broadcasting-Corporation, retrieved on 27.

Dec 2016.
56

political interest.194 It protects also the news from any interference from the government
since it is an independent entity.
The foundation of BBC is based on six public purposes, sustaining citizenship and civil
society, promoting education and learning, simultaneously creativity and cultural
excellence, representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities, brining the UK to
the world and the world to the UK, and delivering to the public the benefit of emerging
communications technologies and services.195
The BBC offers 24 hours news in English language, and it is considered the biggest
television service with 84 million viewers weekly.196 The presence of BBC is meaningful
due to two factors, the first is BBC being the rival with CNN, and the second factor rises due
to its great influence in the world which made BBC, a non-commercial broadcasting, as an
example and a model for the media of British colonies.197
BBC has about 11 channels,198
Figure 10: BBC Channels199

BBC has also a channel on YouTube, and social media networks like Facebook and Twitter in
addition to iPlayer to browse programs and films.

194 BBC (2015): Inside the BBC: license Fee.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/whoweare/licencefee, retrieved on
27. Dec 2016.
195 BBC (2015): Inside the BBC: Public Purposes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/whoweare/publicpurposes,
196 BBC (2015): About BBC World News TV. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-radio-
and-tv-12957296, retrieved on 27. Dec 2016.

197 McPhail, Thomas L. (2009). Global Communication: Theories, Stakeholders, and
Trends, (2. Ed). UK: Wiley-Blackwell, p. 159.

198 BBC World Wide (2015): Channels. https://www.bbcworldwide.com/channels/,

199 Ibid.
57

5.4.4 Criteria for selecting the articles
Articles have been selected randomly but based on 3 time spans.
15 July 2016 till 20 July 2016 (the spontaneous actions of the government against the
coup)
21 July 2016 till 30 July 2016 (The purge)
31 July 2016 till 16 August 2016 (Condemning the coup plotters or post-coup actions)
The description of each period is based on quick skimming of the articles while picking them
up randomly, so there might be topic overlapping of articles of one span of time in another
span of time, but it is still significant for the researcher to present the results of each span of
time. However, the researcher will present the results over three spans of time only for
significant sub-categories
The researcher takes into consideration the changing attitude of the originating countries of
international media broadcasters upon the updates on the field.
Not only will the researcher present results over three separate spans of time, but also results
for the whole articles of each broadcaster separately.
58

Chapter 6
6. Results and findings

In this chapter, the researcher will present the results of both formal and content categories
based on quantitative content analysis to the articles provided by the three tested international
media broadcasters. Furthermore, the researcher will provide excerpts from the tested articles
when matching with the categories to make the results more authentic. Results will be
represented on two levels. The first level will include comprehensive results for every
broadcaster while the other level will represent the results of categories based on three time
spans.
6.1 Formal categories

It is absolutely true that formal aspects play a major role to deliver the messages in online
articles. Furthermore, each broadcaster has its own style to project topics with different
formality. In other words, each broadcaster follows different standards and media school.
Since formal categories are of equal importance of their counterparts, content categories, this
research will analyze the following aspects of form, type of article, length of article,
multimedia, and accuracy of sources in addition to some other aspects related to the feature
of the articles on the website.
6.1.1 Form
In this subcategory, major aspects of form will be tested like the adaptation of
multimedia, journalistic form and the length of articles in addition to the sources of
articles.
Upon examination of the articles of the tested IBs on the first subcategory type of articles to
know what kind of news stories are presented, commentary, report or photo gallery, the
researcher has concluded the results in the following figure.
59

100% Type of Article
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
News report 73.33% 93.33% 56.67%
Commentary/opinion 0.00% 3.33% 33.33%
Photo gallery 3.33% 3.33% 6.67%
Feature 3.33% 0.00% 3.33%
Mix (news + commentary) 20.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Figure 11: Comparison of the types of articles employed by each IB
All IBs use news reports heavily to cover the Turkish coup mostly by RT, (93.33%) while
commentary is adapted only by RT (3.33%) just one article out of 30, and heavily used by
AJE (33.33%) in comparison to RT. Photo gallery and feature forms are poorly employed by
the all IBs with absence to feature form in RTs articles. Only BBC uses a mix form
implementing both news report and commentary together in (20%) of its articles.
The length of article subcategory is used to measure the length of the articles under three
labels, long, medium, and short. Figure 12 shows the results of the examination.
60

100%
90%
Length of Article
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Short (100-500) words 46.67% 50.00% 36.67%
Medium (500-1000) words 53.33% 46.67% 46.67%
Long (more than 1000)words 0.00% 3.33% 16.67%
Figure 12: A comparison of the length of articles used by the tested IBs
Upon analyzing the articles of the tested IBs, it is clear that all IBs use short and medium
length articles heavily while only RT and AJE employ long articles.
The third subcategory is multimedia to realize what kinds of multimedia is used by the
tested IBs to project the stories of Turkish coup. Figure 13 shows the results.
100%
90%
Multimedia
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Photos 50.00% 66.67% 26.67%
Videos 3.33% 0.00% 13.33%
Audio 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
No Multimedia 0.00% 0.00% 3.33%
Multimedia mix 46.67% 33.33% 56.67%
Figure 13: A comparison of the use of multimedia by the tested broadcasters

The graph shows all IBs use photos with different proportions but mostly by RT (66.67%).
Furthermore, they implement mix of multimedia in relatively 50% of their articles while only
61

BBC and AJE implement only videos in their articles. The use of only audio or no multimedia
is absent by all IBs except for (3.33%) of AJE articles contain no multimedia at all.
The last formal subcategory Accuracy of sources analyzes the sources of articles to know
whether they use official, unofficial or foreign sources. Figure 14 presents the results of the
analysis.
Accuracy of Sources
100%
90%
80%
Percentage
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Ofyicial 13.33% 20.00% 3.33%
Unofyicial 3.33% 0.00% 0.00%
Foreign sources 33.33% 16.67% 50.00%
Ofyicial & foreign 40.00% 50.00% 36.67%
Unofyicial & foreign 6.67% 3.33% 0.00%
Ofyicial, Unofyicial & foreign 3.33% 10.00% 10.00%
Figure 14: A comparison of use of different sources by the tested IBs

Upon examining the articles, all IBs use a mix of both, official and foreign sources heavily,
BBC (40%), RT (50%), and AJE (36.67%) followed by the appliance of only official sources
on the second row poorly by AJE (3.33%) while only BBC and RT implement a mix of
unofficial and foreign sources poorly in their articles. A variety of sources are applied in all
IBs mostly by AJE (10%) and RT (10%). BBC employs only unofficial sources in (3.33%) of
its articles.
6.1.2 Others (Interactivity with users)

Upon examining the articles in the websites of AJE, BBC, RT, the researcher has come up
with a table summarizing the results of others category.
BBC RT AJE
Possibility to comment No Yes Yes
Share on social media Facebook Facebook Facebook
Twitter Twitter Twitter
Linked in Linked in Linked in
62

Pinterest Pinterest Pinterest
Tumbler Tumbler
Google + Google +
Reddit Reddit
StumbleUpon StumbleUpon
Baidu
Possibility to email the article Yes Yes Yes
Contact the channel Yes Yes Yes
Articles automatically read No No Yes
Related articles Yes Yes Yes
Table 1: Interactivity with user
As seen in the above table, all broadcasters offer possibility to contact the channel and
provide feedback, and they also offer possibility to share the articles on different social media
networks like Facebook and Twitter and email it to others. In addition, they provide
hyperlinks to related articles. While the ability to comment is present in both RT and AJE, it
is not offered on the website of BBC. Furthermore, only AJE offers automatic reading for the
articles through a click on an icon.
6.2 Content categories

In this part, the researcher will analyze the content aspects of the articles to combine it
with the results of the formal aspects to reach the final results.
6.2.1 Political approach

This category encompasses four subcategories, objectivity, Turkish Russian relations,
Turkish European or American relations, and Turkish Arabic relations. Upon analyzing 90
articles of the tested broadcasters, the researcher shows the results of each subcategory
separately.
6.2.1.1 Objectivity
The first subcategory objectivity aims at finding the hidden tone behind each article to find
out the political position of the originating country of each IB. Figure 15 illustrates the
findings.
63

100%
90% Objectivity
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 40.00% 30.00% 33.33%
Subjective to Erdogan 26.67% 46.67% 63.33%
Against Erdogan 33.33% 23.33% 3.33%
Figure 15: A comparison of the objectivity level of each IB

BBC has the highest level of neutrality (40%) in comparison to RT (30%) lowest level of
neutrality. AJE shows sharp subjectivity to Erdogan and his government (63.33%), and low
opposition (3.33%) while BBC articles contain the highest level of partiality against
Erdogans government.
The researcher provides also the results of this subcategory over three separate spans of time
to know if there is a political position change. Each span includes 10 articles of each IB.
The following table summarizes the results of objectivity; subcategory,

BBC RT AJE
Whole period Neutral Subjective to Erdogan Subjective to Erdogan
Neutral/ subjective to
Span 1 Subjective to Erdogan Subjective to Erdogan
Erdogan
Span 2 Against Erdogan Subjective to Erdogan Subjective to Erdogan
Span 3 Neutral Subjective to Erdogan/Neutral Subjective to Erdogan
Table 2: A comparison of the results of 'objectivity' subcategory of the tested
broadcasters
The table shows that the results of the whole period is relatively identical to the results of the
three spans of time, but only BBC shifts from neutrality to opposition to Erdogan on the
second span of time.
64

6.2.1.2 Turkish Russian relations
This subcategory displays if the articles hint to a relation between Turkey and Russia, or the
effects and the interference between Turkey and Russia because of the coup itself or the post-
coup actions of Erdogans government. Figure 16 projects the results.
Turkish Russian Relations

100%
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Yes 3.33% 10.00% 10.00%
No 96.67% 90.00% 90.00%
Figure 16: A comparison of the results of the subcategory Turkish Russian relations
The articles of all the tested broadcasters mention the coup or post-coup effects on the relation
between Turkey and Russia poorly, BBC (3.33%) in one article only while RT and AJE
mention it in 3 articles out of 30.
According to one of the articles of RT Turkish FM: West failed test following coup attempt,
in danger of losing Turkey enhances the relation between Turkey and Russia
This will be a historic visit, a fresh start. I believe that a new page will be opened
[during]... the negotiations with my friend Vladimir [Putin], President Erdogan told
TASS news agency in an exclusive interview ahead of the St. Petersburg visit, adding
that there is yet much for our countries to do together. Cavusoglu said that Turkey
and Russia will look to establish a joint military, intelligence, and diplomatic
mechanism.200
6.2.1.3 Turkish European or American relations

This subcategory shows if the coup or the post-coup actions have effects on the relation
between Turkey and Europe or USA. Figure 17 displays the findings.

200 Appendix 3, p. 161.

65

100% Turkish European or American Relations
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Yes 26.67% 50.00% 53.33%
No 73.33% 50.00% 46.67%
Figure 17: A comparison of the findings of Turkish European or American relations

subcategory
Both of the articles of AJE (53.33%) and RT (50%) heavily stress the effects of the coup and
post-coup actions on the relation between Europe or USA and Turkey while BBC mentions
hints to that relation only in (26.67%) of its articles.
AJE presents the topic of Turkish European or American relations widely in connection to the
coup and the Russian relations in an article titled Could Turkey turn its back to the West?
Turkish frustration with the West's reluctance to appreciate her plight is
comprehensible, but engaging in tit-for-tat competitive diplomacy with the US and EU
would be prohibitively costly. It is to be hoped that the most market savy member of
the cabinet, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek and visits from allied capitals
explain the cost of escalating conflict to Ankara.201
As for BBC, many warnings are posted that Erdogans post-coup actions will lead to the end
of European Turkish relations. In an article titled Turkey coup attempt: Erdogan signals
death penalty return, BBC posts EU officials have warned that Turkey's bid to join the bloc
would be finished if Ankara restored the death penalty.202
And the same things is confirmed in on articles of RT titled People want these terrorists
dead: Erdogan ready to reintroduce death penalty after failed coup
The possibility of reinstating the death penalty has raised concerns among Turkeys
western allies who said that this would certainly prevent Turkey from joining the

201 Appendix 3, p. 189.
202 Appendix 3, p. 126.
66

European Union, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday.203
6.2.1.4 Turkish Arabic relations

No articles of the tested broadcasters mention any hint to Turkish Arabic Relations.
6.2.2 Military or political support

This category is to know whether the articles of the IBs show direct support for actions
of any party involved in the coup.
6.2.2.1 Support for Erdogan

The subcategory support for Erdogan shows whether the originating countries of the IBs
support the actions of Erdogans government to end the coup and the purge in the post-coup
period, or not. Figure 18 projects the finding upon examining the articles of the tested IBs.
100%
Support for Erdogan's Government
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 16.67% 36.67% 16.67%
Positive 10.00% 30.00% 46.67%
Negative 50.00% 20.00% 13.33%
None 23.33% 13.33% 23.33%
Figure 18: A comparison of the findings of support for Erdogan subcategory
BBC expresses high level of opposition to Erdogans government (50%). On the other hand,
AJE displays a sharp support for Erdogan (46.67%) while RT is relatively neutral (36.67%).
In an article titled Turkey coup: Erdogan backs return of death penalty at vast Istanbul rally
BBC posts Western nations have been critical of the government's response to the coup. The
European Union - which Turkey has applied to join - refuses to accept capital punishment in

203 Appendix 3, p. 148.

67

member states.204 Taking sharp negativity against Erdogans policy.
AJE is inclined to support the actions of Erdogan. In an article titled Turkish pilots who
downed Russian jet detained AJE posts Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Turkish
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 17, describing the attempted coup as unacceptable
and voicing hope for a speedy return to stability.205
The researcher presents also the findings over three separate spans of time to know if different
attitude is taken later. Each span includes 10 articles of each IB.
The following table summarizes the results of support for Erdogan subcategory,
BBC RT AJE
Whole period Negative Neutral Positive
Span 1 Negative Neutral Positive
Span 3 Neutral Positive Neutral
Table 3: A comparison of the results of 'support for Erdogan' subcategory of the tested
broadcasters
The table shows that the results of the whole period are identical to the first two spans of time.
However, BBC shifts from negative to neutral, RT moves from neutral to positive, and AJE
orients from positive to neutral over the last span of time.
6.2.2.2 Support for coup plotters

The subcategory support for coup plotters explains if there is international support to the
coup or not, or even if there is sympathy to coup plotters and their suspected mastermind
Fatehullah Glen. Figure 19 projects the findings.

204 Appendix 3, p. 139.
205 Appendix 3, p. 174.

68

100% Support for Coup Plotters
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 16.67% 36.67% 20.00%
Positive 13.33% 10.00% 0.00%
Negative 30.00% 13.33% 50.00%
None 40.00% 40.00% 30.00%
Figure 19: A comparison of the results of support for coup plotters subcategory
The chart views high level of negativity in the attitude of AJE (50%). On the other hand, RT
is relatively neutral.
BBC articles perspectives are highly opposing the coup plotters This brings the number of
military dismissals to more than 3,000 following the failed coup, in which rebel units used
tanks and aircraft to try to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In an artricle titled Turkey
steps up army dismissals over 15 July coup attempt.206
The same perspective of criticism is repeated again in AJE in an article titled Turkey: The
night of the ordinary heroes
Ordered to put down any resistance, participants in the coup fired from helicopters on
crowds of civilians. As waves of civilians were cut down in the streets, many more
were infuriated by videos of the blatant disregard for the lives of their countrymen.207
The researcher will present the results over three different spans of time to know if other sides
are taken over the whole period of time. Each span includes 10 articles of each IB.

206 Appendix 3, p. 135.
207 Appendix 3, p. 182.
69

The following table summarizes the results of support for coup plotters subcategory.
BBC RT AJE
Whole period Negative Neutral Negative
Span 1 Neutral Neutral Negative
Span 2 Negative Neutral Negative
Span 3 Negative Neutral Negative
Table 4: A comparison of the results of 'support for coup plotters' subcategory of the
tested broadcasters
The table shows a stable position of AJE opposing the coup plotters and RTs stability to
neutrality. On the other hand, BBC is seen generally negative, but it shifts only on the first
span of time to neutrality.
6.2.3 Image Description

This category aims at showing the way each party is portrayed in the media of each IB. It is a
comprehensive aspect showing the image of all of Erdogan and his government, coup plotters
and their mastermind, civilians, and the victims.
6.2.3.1 Image of Erdogan and his government

The researcher uses this subcategory to ascertain the real image of Erdogan and his
government depicted in media to show if it is a positive one or not. Figure 20 demonstrates
the findings.
100% Image of Erdogan and his Government

90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 36.67% 23.33% 36.67%
Positive 3.33% 36.67% 53.33%
Negative 33.33% 30.00% 6.67%
None 26.67% 10.00% 3.33%
Figure 20: A comparison of image of Erdogan subcategory results in each IB
70

Upon examination to the tested IBs, AJE delivers a positive image of Erdogan (53.33%)
followed by RT (36.67%) whereas BBC is inclined to Neutrality (36.67%).
The positive image of Erdogan is clear in an article of AJE titled Turkish political parties
unite against coup attempt which praises the government of Erdogan Erdogan is loyally
supported by millions of Turks, who mostly admire him for being a pious Muslim, but also
for raising their living standards and establishing economic stability.208
The image of Erdogan is relatively negative in most BBC articles. In an article titled Turkey:
Mass arrests after coup bid quashed, says PM
President Erdogan and his AK Party have become experts at winning elections, but
there have always been doubts about his long-term commitment to democracy. He is a
political Islamist who has rejected modern Turkey's secular heritage. Mr Erdogan has
become increasingly authoritarian and is trying to turn himself into a strong executive
president.209
The following table summarizes the results of Image of Erdogan subcategory over three
spans of time
BBC RT AJE
Whole period Neutral Positive Positive
Span 1 Neutral Neutral / positive Positive
Span 2 Negative Negative Positive
Span 3 Neutral Positive Positive / Neutral
Table 5: A comparison of the results of 'Image of Erdogan' subcategory
According to the findings in the table, the position of RT fluctuates between positive and
negative while AJE keeps relatively the same level on the positive line. On the other hand,
BBC presents the image of Erdogan neutrally but shifts on the second span of time to
negativity.
6.2.3.2 Depiction of coup plotters

This subcategory aims at revealing the image of coup plotters in the tested IBs. Figures 21
presents the results.
In one article titled People want these terrorists dead: Erdogan ready to reintroduce death
penalty after failed coup, coup plotters are described as terrorists. RT posts,
The people on the streets have made that request, Erdogan told CNN. The people

208 Appendix 3, p. 171.
209 Appendix 3, p. 122.
71

have the opinion that these terrorists should be killed ... why should I keep them and
feed them in prisons for years to come, that's what the people say.210
The same negative image is repeated again in an article titled Turkey: The night of the
ordinary heroes of AJE, At around 10pm on Friday, July 15, members of a sleeper cell
belonging to a fringe terror cult tried to stage a coup in Turkey, attempting to depose the
democratically elected government. 211
100% Depiction of Coup Plotters

90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 20.00% 33.33% 16.67%
Positive 6.67% 6.67% 0.00%
Negative 43.33% 26.67% 50.00%
None 30.00% 33.33% 33.33%
Figure 21: A comparison of depiction of coup plotters subcategory results in each IB

over the whole studied duration
Upon examination of the results, both AJE (50%) and BBC (43.33%) display coup plotters
and their mastermind negatively while RT fluctuates from offering a neutral description to the
coup plotters to a negative image (26.67%).
6.2.3.3 Image of civilians

The subcategory image of civilians is make it clear how are the civilians are represented.
Are they heroes, victims or hooligans? Figure 22 demonstrates the findings.

210 Appendix 3, p. 148.
211 Appendix 3, p. 182.
72

100% Image of Civilians
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 10.00% 10.00% 0.00%
Positive 10.00% 0.00% 10.00%
Negative 6.67% 0.00% 6.67%
None 73.33% 90.00% 83.33%
Figure 22: A comparison of the findings of image of civilians subcategory in each IB

over the whole studied duration
According to the analysis, both of BBC and AJE portray the civilians positively (10%) on the
first level, and negatively on the second level (6.67%). On the other hand, RT treats the topic
neutrally. In other words, the image of civilians is mentioned in about 7 articles of BBC, 3
articles in RT and 5 articles of AJE
In an article of BBC titled Turkey failed coup: US military chief condemns plotters citizens
are described as heroes The women regarded as heroes after Turkey's failed coup attempt212
The same image repeated in one of AJE articles titled The people defeated the coup in
Turkey where people are indirectly depicted as heroes But this night has led Turkey into a
bright day. The people of Turkey proved courageous. They came out on to the streets and
demanded that political disputes be settled through political means and democratic
procedures. 213 However a negative portray is also mentioned in some articles of AJE.
Furthermore, the same newspaper has also published an opinion that did not refrain from
calling people fighting the coup on the streets "violent mobs who responded to Erdogan's
call"214, and
Groups of civilians attacked surrendering troops who took part in a failed coup attempt
in Turkey, punching and kicking soldiers who needed protection by armed
police.Police were forced to intervene and some shot into the air to protect the
surrendering soldiers from crowds of angry men who rained down punches, kicks, and
blows from sticks as alleged coup plotters were herded on to police buses.215

212 Appendix 3, p. 136.
213 Appendix 3, p. 168.
214 Appendix 3, p. 180.
215 Appendix 3, p. 168.

73

6.2.3.4 Image of causalities and dead people
This subcategory displays the depiction of the victims of the Turkish coup to make it clear
whether they are positively portrayed (martyrs) or they are represented in the opposite way.
Figure 23 projects the results.
100% Image of dead people

90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 0.00% 6.67% 3.33%
Positive 3.33% 3.33% 3.33%
Negative 0.00% 3.33% 3.33%
None 96.67% 86.67% 90.00%
Figure 23: A comparison of the findings of image of dead people subcategory in each
IB over the whole studied duration
The image of dead people is mentioned in about 4 articles in both RT and AJE out of 30
articles. However, the percentage is poor by BBC, just one article.
The description of dead people is mainly positive as seen in one article of titled Turkey
coup: Father who died defying rebel troops, BBC posts Now along with Akin's flag there
are other Turkish flags all around his house, to let people see that "a martyr" who opposed the
coup lived there.216
6.2.4 Language Use

The category language use aims at finding the choice of words and the impartiality of each
IB. It includes three subcategories, impartiality, use of bitter words to describe Erdogan,
and use of bitter words to describe the coup plotters.

216 Appendix 3, p. 133.
74

6.2.4.1 Impartiality
This subcategory is to know if IBs are partial to one party or they provide the information in
impartial way. Figure 24 shows the results.
Impartiality
100%
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 63.33% 56.67% 46.67%
Positive 6.67% 36.67% 50.00%
Negative 30.00% 6.67% 3.33%
Figure 24: A comparison of the findings of impartiality subcategory in each IB over

the whole studied duration
The chart demonstrates that all IBs are mainly neutral, BBC (63.33%), RT (56.67%), AJE
(46.67%). However, both of RT (35.67%) and AJE (50%) are extremely positive to Erdogan
in comparison to BBC that has the highest percentage of negativity (30%).
The researcher intends to provide the findings over three spans of time to know if there is a
change in the attitude of the tested IBs. Each span includes 10 articles of each IB.
The following table summarizes the results of impartiality subcategory,
BBC RT AJE
Whole period Neutral Neutral Positive
Span 1 Neutral Neutral Positive
Span 3 Neutral Neutral Neutral
Table 6: A comparison of the results of 'impartiality' subcategory
According to the table, RT keeps the attitude over all spans of time. On the other hand, BBC
and AJE shift a little bit on one span of time.
75

6.2.4.2 Use of bitter words to describe Erdogan
This subcategory is to adopt deep analysis of the articles to see if they use bitter words to
describe Erdogan and his government. Figure 25 shows the results.
100%
Use of Bitter Words to Describe Erdogan and his Government
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Yes 16.67% 6.67% 23.33%
No 83.33% 93.33% 76.67%
Figure 25: A comparison of the findings of use of bitter words to describe Erdogan
subcategory in each IB The whole duration
The graph shows that AJE has the sharpest use of bitter words to depict Erdogan and his
government (23.33%) in comparison to BBC (16.67%) and RT in only one article.
6.2.4.3 Use of bitter words to describe coup plotters

This subcategory is to dig deep into articles to know if they use bitter words to describe coup
plotters. Figure 26 demonstrates the results.
100%
Use of Bitter Words to Coup Plotters
80%
Percentage
60%
40%
20%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Yes 26.67% 40.00% 50.00%
No 73.33% 60.00% 50.00%
Figure 26: A comparison of the findings of use of bitter words to describe coup plotters
76

The graph shows that AJE use bitter words against the coup plotters extremely (50%) in
comparison to RT (40%) and BBC (26.67%).
6.2.5 Peace approach

The category peace approach is to check whether IBs apply conflict sensitive reporting
standards because the researcher analyzes media coverage of a crisis.
6.2.5.1 Suggestions for resolutions

This subcategory helps the researcher identify the employment of one aspect of conflict
sensitive reporting standards by IBs, which is bridging the gap between the conflicting parties
by offering possible solutions to the crisis. Figure 27 demonstrates the results.
Suggestions for Resolutions

100%
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Yes 16.67% 10.00% 23.33%
No 83.33% 90.00% 76.67%
Figure 27: A comparison of the findings of suggestions for resolutions subcategory

The chart shows that the application of conflict sensitive journalism standards is relatively the
same. All IBs moderately suggest solutions in their articles.
In an article titled Turkey attempted coup: EU says measures 'unacceptable', BBC posts
Earlier, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Turkey to maintain a sense
of proportion in its response to the coup attempt.217 And in another article of BBC,
He told the BBC that the UK - a founding member of Nato - should take a firm stance
on the issue and should be insisting that those who had been detained had access to
legal representation and anyone who was not charged was speedily released. "I hope
the new government will use this as an opportunity to demonstrate that human rights
are at the core of our foreign policy and will not be downgraded in favour of
international trade," he said.218

217 Appendix 3, p. 128.
218 Appendix 3, p. 135.
77

Suggestions for resolution is also present in the other IBs, AJE posts
Despite the fact that the opposition parties have expressed full support of the civilian
government and democracy, they have also urged the government and Erdogan to
enhance Turkey's democratic standards. "This is a wake-up call to make some changes
in Turkey," MHP's Vural said. "Even before the coup, we have warned the
government about problems with Turkey's democracy and the rule of law in the
country,"219
And again in an article titled How will the military shake-up affect Turkey's future?, AJE
posts,
Celenk noted that rapidly reforming the military following the coup attempt may
"deepen divisions" within society. "The [failure of the] coup attempt was a chance for
reconciliation," he said. "But if the government does not seek to reach a consensus
with the secularists regarding the future of the Turkish Armed Forces, we may witness
further polarisation."220
RT also includes some suggestions for peace and no international conflicts in an article titled
Turkish coup no carte blanche for purges, French FM says, as number of arrests reaches
6,000
German authorities have not been as outspoken as the French, although Chancellor
Angela Merkel while addressing Erdogan but not mentioning him by name said
that "democracy, which respects everybody's rights and protects minorities, is the best
foundation [for the rule of law]. She added that Germany sides with "all those who,
in Turkey, defend democracy and the rule of law," noting that political change must
only be applied via parliament.221
6.2.5.2 Voices
The subcategory voices is to estimate the variety of voices mentioned in the articles of the
tested IBs to know what kind of voices are adapted by each IB since it is one standard of
conflict sensitive journalism to ensure peace.
All IBs mostly employ the voice of Erdogan and his government on the first level, BBC
(20%), RT (40%), and AJE (46.67%), and a mixture of Erdogan and foreign voices on the
second level, BBC (20%), RT (30%), and AJE (23.33%). See appendix 1

219 Appendix 3, p. 171.
220 Appendix 3, p. 193.
221 Appendix 3, p. 147.
78

6.2.5 Others
This category encompasses all other aspects of content. It includes three subcategories, title
of article, personal opinion, description of pictures and videos.
6.2.5.1 Title of article

The subcategory title of article is meant to discover the impartiality of each IB whether they
formulate titles in favor of Erdogan, against his government, or neutrally written. Figure 28
demonstrates the results.
100%
TItle of Article
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Positive 6.67% 30.00% 36.67%
Negative 40.00% 16.67% 10.00%
Neutral 53.33% 53.33% 53.33%
Figure 28: A comparison of the findings of title of article subcategory in each IB The
whole duration
The chart demonstrates that BBC has the highest level of neutrality (53.33%) and negativity
to Erdogan (40%) whereas AJE has the topmost level of positivity to Erdogan (36.67%).
Some of AJE article titles show its orientation towards Erdogan, Erdogan Will do everything
for stability of Turkey, The West fails the 'coup test' in Turkey, Turkey: The night of the
ordinary heroes, and In Turkey, democratic transparency defeats esoterism
On the other hand, the titles of BBC articles are relatively neutral and negative in comparison
to AJE, Why did Turkish coup plot fail?, Turkey coup attempt: Crowds confront soldiers
on Bosphorus Bridge, Turkey coup attempt: Lives resume under state of emergency, and
Turkey coup: Press fears for democracy.
79

RT has mostly a balanced level of neutrality and positivity, The same Gunfire, military
helicopters in Ankara, PM says 'coup attempt' by part of army underway, Coup attempt
cost Turkish economy $100bn - Trade Minister, Erdogan to eradicate separatist &
terrorist infiltrators, inject army with fresh blood, and People want these terrorists
dead: Erdogan ready to reintroduce death penalty after failed coup
6.2.5.2 Personal opinion

The subcategory personal opinion is to know if IBs include any personal opinions in their
articles. Figure 29 projects the results.
Personal Opinion
100%
90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Yes 46.67% 6.67% 43.33%
No 53.33% 93.33% 56.67%
Figure 29: A comparison of the findings of personal opinion subcategory in each IB

The whole duration
The chart demonstrates that BBC (46.67%) and AJE (43.33%) extremely use personal opinion
in comparison to RT (6.67%).
BBC adapts opinion in its articles heavily. In an article titled Turkey coup bid: Fethullah
Gulen's lawyers fear attack on his life, BBC posts,
Legal battle looms: By the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Washington
Turkey's demand for the immediate extradition of Fethullah Gulen is putting a strain
on US relations with Turkey, a crucial Middle East ally and indispensable regional
partner in the fight against so-called Islamic State. On the one hand, US officials have
acknowledged the national trauma triggered by the coup attempt. On the other, they
are uneasy about the purges that followed and want to be sure Mr Gulen is not the
target of a political vendetta.222

222 Appendix 3, p. 138.
80

AJE employs also opinions intensively in its articles. In an article titled President Erdogan:
Ready to reinstate the death penalty,
Howard Eissenstat of St Lawrence University told Al Jazeera the president does not
appear concerned about following the dictates of the West post-coup attempt.
"Erdogan isn't particularly interested at joining the EU at this point Were he to
reinstate the death penalty, that in and of itself alone would be enough to scuttle any
EU membership," Eissenstat said.223
6.2.5.2 Description of photos and videos

This subcategory is to show if the description of photos and videos is in favor of Erdogan and
his government, against it, or neutral. Figure 30 shows the results.
100% Description of Photos and Videos

90%
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BBC RT AJE
Positive 20.00% 23.33% 40.00%
Negative 13.33% 3.33% 3.33%
Neutral 63.33% 66.67% 50.00%
No photo or no description 3.33% 6.67% 6.67%
Figure 30: A comparison of the findings of description of photos and videos

The chart demonstrates that all IBs are extremely neutral on the first level, BBC (63.33%), RT
(66.67%) and AJE (50%), and positive to Erdogan and his government on the second level
with the highest level by AJE (40%).

223 Appendix 3, p. 174.

81

Chapter 7
7. Discussions and conclusions

In the coming chapter, the researcher will present summary of the key results, and answers to
the 3 research questions will be provided based on the results in response to the hypotheses
set by the researcher. Furthermore, this research will be concluded concisely.
7.1 Summary of key results

Upon examining the three broadcasters (BBC, RT, and AJE), it is clear what role each IB
plays on changing the seen of reality. The results show that each IB has totally a different
news agenda based on the political orientation of the originating country of each IB in the
way they cover the news about the Turkish coup.
Each tested IB represents a different region and consumes the news in the way they see their
relation with Turkey. It can be seen as a competition between the broadcasters of Western and
Eastern Europe on one side, and AJE, which is a public broadcaster of Qatar on the other side.
That is why the researcher will present key results for each category tested in the coding
process.
On the category political approach, the agenda of both RT and AJE is clearly seen as
polishing the image of Erdogan and his government by supporting the success and the
stability of the current government due to the political relations or the future political relations
between Turkey and the originating countries of the both IBs, but at same time demolishing
the image of the coup plotters by representing them as terrorists organization to gain the
international support to its agendas. Furthermore, the topic of Turkish European or American
relations is widely repeated in AJE and RT. In other words, it can be seen as destroying the
Turkish European relations and promoting the Turkish Russian relations through hints in the
articles themselves taking the chance of the failure of Western broadcasters of coup test as
described in one article.
The category military support presents in black and white the orientation of the originating
countries of the IBs. BBC shows a high level of negativity against Erdogans post coup
actions accusing him of violating the international standards, human rights, and freedom of
speech and describing him as authoritarian. On the other hand, RT and AJE seem to fill the
gab, Erdogan and his government is looking for, by hailing his post-coup actions and purge.
82

Not only do RT and AJE declare full support for Erdogan and his government, but also they
provide criticism of the Western media through their articles. Furthermore, they provided
titles against the western media. On other words, RT proves to be a busy actor on the stage,
exploiting the fluctuating relations between Europe and Turkey and the continuous threats of
the West to cancel the request of Turkey to join the EU, to gain a powerful ally on its side.
The results of image description category enhance the findings of the previous categories.
Both of RT and AJE extremely present the image of Erdogan in a positive way. On the
contrary, it is negative in BBC. Moreover, all IBs demonstrate the coup plotters relatively
negative because they are revolting against a democratically elected government, which is
against the whole international standards. The image of civilians is agreed to be positive by
the tested articles showing them as heroes and martyrs generally. However, the articles of
AJE contain some criticism on the way citizens portrayed in other Western media.
In the direct motivation of each broadcaster through the category language use, all IBs seem
to be relatively neutral. However, to confirm the results of the previous categories, both AJE
and RT are moderately positive to post-coup actions of Erdogan and his government
following the agenda of their originating countries. Coup plotters are depicted in all IBs as
terrorists, and they portray Erdogan as authoritarian, but it is mostly called so in the articles of
RT and AJE on the mouth of western media.
The application of conflict sensitive journalism standards is vital in the Turkish coup because
it is considered as a crisis. The category peace approach shows that all IBs poorly adapt to
the first standard of conflict sensitive reporting when only 23.33% maximum possible
solutions provided in the articles whereas on the second standard level, BBC sticks to the
standards by providing equal opportunity to all voices to speak through its articles. On the
other hand, AJE and RT provide mainly the voice of the government of Erdogan in addition
foreign voices. In addition, this category shows the point of concentration of each IB to know
whether they offer more chance for Erdogan and his government, the coup plotters, or others
voices to speak.
The last content category shows that the description of photos and titles of the article are
mostly presented neutrally but followed by high level of positivity to Erdogan on the part of
AJE and RT. The chance of personal opinion is more accessible by BBC and AJE than RT.
83

7.2 Interpretation of results
In this subchapter, the researcher will present answers to the research questions to verify or
falsify the hypotheses. They are three research questions and each has three hypotheses
representing IBs. 6 categories are employed by the researcher to testify the hypotheses, and
each category corresponds to a research question.
- What kind of role did the international broadcasters play in the coup in Turkey?
o H1: RT promotes the success of the coup in Turkey and criticizes the post-
coup actions of Erdogan.
o H2: BBC is neutral towards the coup in Turkey and broadcasts news with
transparency.
o H3: Aljazeera tries to fail the coup and supports the post coup actions.
BBC RT AJE
Objectivity Neutral Positive Positive
Impartiality Neutral Neutral Positive
Title of the articles Neutral / negative Neutral / positive Positive / positive
Description of photos and videos Neutral / positive Neutral / positive Neutral / positive
Support for Erdogan Neutral / negative Neutral / Positive Positive
Table 7: Key results of the main subcategories related to the first research question
Based on the summary results of the main subcategories of the categories, political
approach, language use, military support, and others, the researcher can conclude the
following results,
The researcher falsifies hypothesis number one based on the results in the previous chapter
and the summary results in the previous tables. The hypothesis states that RT is partial against
Erdogan and his post coup actions. However, the results show that RT is generally in favor of
Erdogan and his post-coup actions.
According to the results, hypothesis 2 is true. The hypothesis suggests that the media
coverage of the Turkish coup is neutral which is confirmed in the above results.
84

Hypothesis 3 suggests that AJE is in favor of Erdogan and support his post-coup actions. As a
result, hypothesis 3 is verified based on the results.
- Are there any hidden political intentions behind the way the international
o H1: RT Supports the coup plotters and concentrates on the heroes of the coup
in addition to their suspected mastermind, Fatehlluah Glen.
o H2: BBC is impartial and shows a balanced broadcasting of all parties.
o H3: Aljazeera is partial and supports Erdogans government actions to end
the coup and his post-coup actions statements.
BBC RT AJE
Support for Erdogan Negative Neutral Positive
Support for coup plotters Negative Neutral Negative
Image of Erdogan Neutral Positive Positive
Depiction of coup plotters Negative Neutral Negative
Impartiality Neutral Neutral Positive
Objectivity Neutral Positive Positive
Voices Neutral Erdogan Erdogan
Table 8: Key results of the main subcategories contributing to answer the second
research question
Based on the results, hypothesis 1 is not true. RT is neutral to all parties and concentrates on
the voice of Erdogan and gives no chance to the voice of coup plotters. Hypothesis 2
relatively true. Although BBC is negative to both coup plotters and Erdogan, it is generally
neutral because it takes no side. BBC provides relatively balanced coverage of all parties all
in its proportion while hypothesis 3 seems to be definitely true because it has high frequency
of hints regarding the support of Erdogan and his image and at the same time it shows
negativity to the opposing party. Moreover, it presents the voice of Erdogan in most of its
articles.
85

- Did International broadcasters offer any suggested resolutions and give any
o H1: RT prioritizes and patronizes the coup plotters voices and offered no
solutions.
o H2: BBC provides accurate information and tries to bridge the gap between the
opposing parties by reporting different voices.
o H3: Aljazeera mirrors the voice of Erdogans government and offers more
solutions.
This research question is answered through the results of the category peace approach.
Based on the findings of the previous chapter, hypothesis 1 is not true because RT offers only
in 16.67% of the articles the voice of the coup plotters in addition to the poor percentage of
suggestions for solutions.
Hypothesis 2 is relatively true because BBC presents variety of voices through its articles
including Erdogans government, coup plotters, civilians, and foreign voices in addition to the
suggestions for resolutions in 16.67% of its articles.
Based on the results of the category, hypothesis 3 is relatively true because AJE includes the
voice of Erdogan or his government in 70% of its articles with poor proportion of the other
parties. Furthermore, AJE provides the highest percentage of solutions in its articles
(23.33%).
7.3 Conclusion
To conclude, international broadcasters play a major role in our daily life, shaping peoples
opinions and mobilizing them. It is clear that each international broadcaster has an agenda
based on the standards and philosophy of the originating country of the IB.
International media broadcasters have the power to polish or deform images of politicians or
foreign governments. As a result, a lot of countries are allocating high budget to finance their
broadcasters to present the positive side of the originating countries and project the cultural,
educational, political, and social aspects to form a flow of globalization because international
86

broadcasters are never meant for the its originating country. However, it is oriented to foreign
people and the expats of the originating country
With the development of technology, international media broadcasters have adopted to the
advancement and expansion tide by employing new ways of reaching the audience like social
media. They are able now to mobilize millions of people in a short period of time giving no
chance for reasoning about what is right and what is wrong.
International media broadcasters are no longer an isolated entity, but it is a part and a parcel
of the political system and the government. In other words, it is the mouthpiece of the
government and represents the perspectives of its founders.
The tested broadcasters in this research are examples to prove this, for example, AJE, which
represents the Qatari government, has extreme orientation to support Erdogan and his
government, and they could really prove a busy actor on the stage due to the high budget and
the experience of their team in the area, which gives AJE the credit. AJE proves to be a
competitive to BBC and RT showing its self as a rival. RT is another example of a successful
freshly born broadcaster in the European region. RT is meant to polish the image of Kremlin
and makes a balance against Western media like BBC that is deeply rooted in the world of
media.
As a result, it is very important for people to have a variety of media exposure to verify
information and shape their opinion, but not to be driven by the agenda of one broadcaster. It
is also vital to have more academic researches on the media coverage of other international
media broadcasters or the coverage of other topics by the same broadcasters to fill the
research gab due the ability of international media broadcasters to hypnotize people. As a
result, people read critically and shape their opinions more consciously.
A suggestion for future research could be a qualitative content analysis on the same topic to
analyze the effects of agenda settings and framing on the mentality of people, and identify the
agenda of each international media broadcaster to go deeply to know what methods are used
to instruct people how and what think about one topic.

87

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Appendix

Appendix 1: Further results

Appendix 2: Category system
Appendix 3: The tested news articles
103

1- Objectivity subcategory results over 3 spans of time
80.00%
Objectivity - 15 till 20 July 2016
Percentage
60.00%
40.00%
20.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 40.00% 30.00% 40.00%
80.00% Objectivity - 21 till 30 July

70.00%
60.00%
Percentage
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 20.00% 20.00% 20.00%
Against Erdogan 70.00% 30.00% 10.00%
70.00%
Objectivity - 31 July till 16 August
60.00%
50.00%
Percentage
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 60.00% 40.00% 40.00%
104

2- Support for Edogans governemnt subcategory results over 3 spans of time
70.00%
Support for Erdogan's Government - 15 till 20 July
60.00%
50.00%
Percentage
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 10.00% 40.00% 10.00%
Positive 10.00% 30.00% 60.00%
Negative 50.00% 20.00% 20.00%
None 30.00% 10.00% 10.00%
90.00% Support for Erdogan's Government - 21 July till 30 July

80.00%
70.00%
Percentage
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 10.00% 40.00% 0.00%
Positive 0.00% 20.00% 60.00%
Negative 80.00% 30.00% 10.00%
None 10.00% 10.00% 30.00%
45.00% Support for Erdogan's Government - 31 July till 16 August

40.00%
35.00%
Percentage
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 30.00% 30.00% 40.00%
Positive 20.00% 40.00% 20.00%
Negative 20.00% 10.00% 10.00%
None 30.00% 20.00% 30.00%
105

3- Support for coup plotters subcategory results over 3 spans of time
45.00% Support for Coup Plotters - 15 till 20 July

40.00%
35.00%
Percentage
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 30.00% 40.00% 30.00%
Positive 20.00% 20.00% 0.00%
Negative 10.00% 20.00% 40.00%
None 40.00% 20.00% 30.00%
80.00%
Support for Coup Plotters - 21 till 30 July
70.00%
60.00%
Percentage
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 10.00% 50.00% 0.00%
Positive 10.00% 10.00% 0.00%
Negative 20.00% 10.00% 70.00%
None 60.00% 30.00% 30.00%
80.00%
Support for Coup Plotters - 31 July till 16 August
70.00%
60.00%
Percentage
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 10.00% 20.00% 30.00%
Positive 10.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Negative 60.00% 10.00% 40.00%
None 20.00% 70.00% 30.00%
106

4- Image of Erdogan and his government subcategory results over 3 spans of time
70.00%
Image of Erdogan and his Government - 15 till 20 July
60.00%
50.00%
Percentage
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 30.00% 30.00% 20.00%
Positive 0.00% 30.00% 60.00%
Negative 20.00% 20.00% 10.00%
None 50.00% 20.00% 10.00%
80.00%
Image of Erdogan and his Government - 21 till 30 July
70.00%
60.00%
Percentage
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 10.00% 20.00% 40.00%
Positive 0.00% 30.00% 50.00%
Negative 70.00% 50.00% 10.00%
None 20.00% 0.00% 0.00%
80.00% Image of Erdogan and his Government - 31 July - 16 August

70.00%
60.00%
Percentage
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 70.00% 20.00% 50.00%
Positive 10.00% 50.00% 50.00%
Negative 10.00% 20.00% 0.00%
None 10.00% 10.00% 0.00%
107

5- Impartiality subcategory results over 3 spans of time
80.00% Impartiality - 15 till 20 July

70.00%
60.00%
Percentage
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 70.00% 60.00% 40.00%
Positive 0.00% 40.00% 60.00%
Negative 30.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Impartiality - 21 till 30 July

70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
Percentage
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 20.00% 50.00% 40.00%
Positive 20.00% 40.00% 50.00%
Negative 60.00% 10.00% 10.00%
120.00% Impartiality - 31 July till 16 August

100.00%
Percentage
80.00%
60.00%
40.00%
20.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Neutral 100.00% 60.00% 60.00%
Positive 0.00% 30.00% 40.00%
Negative 0.00% 10.00% 0.00%
108

6- The following table mentions all the words that are used by IBs to describe both
Erdogan and his government, and the coup plotters
BBC RT AJE
Coup
Erdogan Coup Plotters Erdogan Erdogan Plotters
Plotters
Fethullah Pro-coup Democratically-
Commander-
Authoritarian Gulen terrorist military elected governmen Terrorist
in-chief
organisation forces t
Turkey's
democraticall
y elected Morning
Arbitrary Terrorist A terrorist
president "Virus" for democracy in
decisions gang campaign
Recep Turkey.
Tayyip
Erdogan
No tributes
to Erdogan
in Germany:
Stop the
Rebels Authoritarian Bloody
Rebel Islamist
autocrat
from the
Bosporus.
Turkey's
Crime of Rebel
Terrorist group Dictatorship beleaguered
treason soldiers
president"
Turkeys ruthless
Traitors Terrorists Cancer
president
Nests of Rebellious Potentates and
Virus
terrorism military. dictators
A crime
"Accomplices of against the
Separatist
terrorists" Turkish
state"
Parallel State
Traitors
Structure
A fringe
terror cult
Mutineers
Perpetrators
Nefarious
objectives
109

7- Voice subcategory results
50.00% Voices
45.00%
40.00%
35.00%
Percentage
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
BBC RT AJE
Erdogan Government 20.00% 40.00% 46.67%
Coup plotters 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Civilians 10.00% 0.00% 10.00%
Erdogan, coup plotters,
0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
civilians
Erdogan & coup plotters 3.33% 10.00% 0.00%
Erdogan & civilians 10.00% 0.00% 3.33%
Coup plotters & civilians 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
No voice 6.67% 0.00% 10.00%
Foreign voices 16.67% 13.33% 3.33%
Erdogan & foreign voices 20.00% 30.00% 23.33%
Civilians & foreign voices 3.33% 0.00% 0.00%
Erdogan, coup plotters &
3.33% 6.67% 0.00%
foreign voices
Erdogan, civilians, foreign
6.67% 0.00% 3.33%
voices
110

Appendix 2: Category system
Content categories
Content
No Subcategory Definitions and categories marks
Category
News offer balances
information following the
1 Neutral standard of journalism
News stories show the
perspectives impartially
News is partial to Erdogan
and his government and
Subjective to
supporting the end of coup
2 Erdogan or his
with the victory of Erdogan
government
Objectivity /Tone News stories support
Erdogans post coup actions
News is partial to coup
plotters and supporting the
success of the coup
News stories criticize
3 Against Erdogan
News stories condemns the
violations of international
standards
News stories present hints to
political relations or
Political
1 sympathy between Turkey
approach
and Russia in connection to
the coup
News stories refer that the
1 Yes coup may hinder the
relations between Russia and
Turkey
News stories suggest that
post coup actions may be an
Turkish Russian obstacle to the Russian-
relations Turkish relations
News stories do not present
hints to political relations or
sympathy between Turkey
and Russia in connection to
the coup
2 No News stories do not refer that
the coup may hinder the
relations between Russia and
Turkey
News stories do not suggest
that post coup actions may
111

be an obstacle to the
Russian-Turkish relations
sympathy between Europe or
USA and Turkey in
connection to the coup
coup may hinder the
1 Yes
relations between Western
Europe or USA and Turkey
post coup actions may be an
obstacle to the Western
European American-Turkish
Turkish Western relations
relations News stories do not present
sympathy between Western
in connection to the coup
News stories do not refer that
2 No
relation between Western
be an obstacle to the Western
European American -Turkish
relations
sympathy between Middle
East and Turkey in
1 Yes coup may hinder the
relations between Middle
East countries and Turkey
Turkish Arabic News stories suggest that
relations post coup actions may be an
obstacle to the Middle
Eastern -Turkish relations
News stories do not present
sympathy between Turkey
2 No and Middle East countries in
News stories do not refer that
112

relation between Middle East
countries and Turkey
be an obstacle to the Middle
Eastern -Turkish relations
News stories show no sign of
either supporting or
1 Neutral condemning coup or post
actions of Erdogans
governemnt
News stories show a serious
international support to
Erdogans governments
steps to end the coup
News stories suggest aid and
2 Positive
sympathy for Erdogan to
settle the situation from other
Support for countries
Erdogans News stories support
government Erdogans post coup actions
News stories condemn the
actions of Erdogans
government describing him
as the suppresser of
3 Negative democracy
News stories condemns
Military Erdogan field actions
2
aspect News stories condemns
News stories mention
4 None nothing about supporting
Erdogans government
News stories show no sign of
either supporting or
1 Neutral condemning the actions of
coup plotters
News stories support the

coup and incite the public to
stand with plotters
Support for coup
News stories suggest aid and
plotters or Glen
2 Positive sympathy for coup plotters to
end the rule of Erdogan or
AKP
News stories defend the coup
plotters and their leaders
News stories detest the coup
3 Negative and its plotters considering it
as a stick to the progress to
113

democracy
News stories condemns coup
plotters actions
News stories mention
4 None
nothing about coup plotters
News stories present
1 Neutral balanced description of
Erdogan
News stories praise Erdogan,
and describe him as the
ultimate savior of Turkey
News stories praise Erdogan
and call him as a
2 Positive
democratically elected
president
Image of Erdogan News stories praise the
or his government actions of Erdogans
government
News stories depict Erdogan
negatively
News stories mentions
Erdogan limits democracy or
3 Negative
he is authoritarian
Erdogan is bloody, strict, or
not merciful
News stories provide no
Image 4 None
3 description of Erdogan
description
News stories present
1 Neutral balanced description of the
coup plotters
News stories praise the
action of the coup plotters
News stories describe coup
plotters as revolutionists or
something similar
News stories justifies the
2 Positive
action of coup plotters
Depiction of
News stories present the
military coup
coup as something normal to
plotters
happen
News stories defend Glen
(mastermind of the coup)
coup plotters
News stories describe coup
3 Negative plotters as blood shedders,
killers, or something similar
actions of coup plotters
114

News stories condemn Glen
(mastermind of the coup)
News stories do not mention
4 None anything about the coup
plotters
News stories project the
1 Neutral
image of civilians impartially
News stories glorify the
actions of civilians
2 Positive News stories describe
civilians as patriots or
something similar
News stories criticize the
Image of civilians
actions of civilians
News stories describe
3 Negative civilians as an obstacle to
democracy when they stop
the army or any negative
attributes
4 None
anything about the civilians
1 Neutral image of causalities and dead
people impartially
image of causalities and dead
2 Positive people as martyr defending
the democratically elected
Image of government
causalities and News stories project the
dead people image of causalities and dead
people negatively
3 Negative News stories suggest that:
has they not marched against
the army, that would never
happen
4 None
anything about the civilians
News stories use balanced
1 Neutral language to describe the
incident
News stories use positive
words to describe coup and
2 Positive post coup actions of Erdogan
4 Language Impartiality
News stories is partial to
Erdogan and his government
News stories detest the
action of Erdogan and his
3 Negative
government and is not partial
to Erdogan
115

News stories use bitter
language to describe
Erdogan and his government
1 Yes
Use of bitter Erdogan or his government is
words to describe bloody or any negative
Erdogans attributes like authoritarian
government or dictator
News stories do not use
bitter language language to
2 No
describe Erdogan and his
government
News stories use bitter
language to describe the
coup plotters
1 Yes News stories suggest that
Use of bitter
coup plotters are bloody or
words to describe
any negative attributes like
the coup plotters
terrorists
News stories use normal
2 No language to describe the
coup plotters
News stories suggest
possible solution to end the
coup or the conflict
News stories try to bring the
perspective of Erdogan and
the coup plotters
News stories suggest a
1 Yes discussion between the
government and the coup
plotters to reach compromise
solutions to bridge the
relations between Turkey
Peace
Suggestions for and other countries or the
5 approach
resolution international organizations
possible solution to end the
coup or the conflict
News stories try not to bring
the perspective of Erdogan
and the coup plotters
2 No News stories do not suggest
a discussion between the
government and the coup
plotters to reach compromise
solutions to bridge the
relations between Turkey
116

and other countries or the
international organizations
News stories present only the statements of Erdogan
1
and his government
News stories present only the statements of coup
2
plotters
News stories present only the statements of the
3
civilians
4 News stories present equal voices from all the above
News stories present the statements of both of
5
Erdogans government and the coup plotters
News stories present both, the statements of
Voice 6
Erdogans government and the civilians
News stories present both, the statement of the coup
7
plotters and civilians
8 No voice
9 Foreign voices
10 Erdogans government and foreign voices
12 Civilians and foreign voices
Erdogans government, coup plotters, and foreign
14
voices
15 Erdogans government, civilians, and foreign voices
1 Positive to Erdogan
Title of the article 2 Negative to Erdogan
3 Neutral
1 Yes
Personal opinion
6 Others 2 No
1 Positive
Description of
2 Negative
pictures and
3 Neutral
videos
4 No Photo in the article or no description of photos
Formal categories
Formal
No Subcategory Definitions and categories marks
Category
1 News Report
2 Commentary/opinion
Type of article 3 Photo gallery
4 Feature
5 Mix (News + Commentary)
1 Form 1 Short (100-500 words)
Length of article 2 Medium (500-1000 words)
3 Longer than (1000 words)
1 With photos
Multimedia 2 With videos
3 With Audio
117

4 No multimedia
1 Official
2 Unofficial
Accuracy of 3 Foreign sources
sources 4 Official + foreign sources
5 Unofficial + foreign sources
6 Official + unofficial + foreign sources
Possibility to 1 Yes
comment 2 No
Share on social 1 Yes
media 2 No
Possibility to 1 Yes
2 Others
Email article 2 No
Contact the 1 Yes
channel 2 No
1 Yes
Automatically read
2 No
118

Appendix 3: The tested news articles
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
No Title Class Date Link

Why did Turkish coup plot fail? http://www.bbc.com/news
1 A 16 July 2016
/world-europe-36814044
Turkey: Mass arrests after coup bid http://www.bbc.com/news
2 A 16 July 2016
quashed, says PM /world-europe-36813924
Turkish coup: Glenariff woman says coup http://www.bbc.com/news
3 'scary experience' for her family A 16 July 2016 /uk-northern-ireland-
36814929
A British tourist said he was woken by http://www.bbc.com/news
4 "loud explosion" in the Turkish resort of A 16 July 2016 /world-36814636
Marmaris.
Turkey coup attempt: Crowds confront http://www.bbc.com/news
5 A 16 July 2016
soldiers on Bosphorus Bridge /world-europe-36816605
Turkey coup attempt: Britons describe http://www.bbc.com/news
6 A 16 July 2016
gunfire and explosions /uk-36813944
Turkey coup: Press fears for democracy http://www.bbc.com/news
7 A 18 July 2016 /world-middle-east-
36824837
Turkey coup attempt: Erdogan signals death http://www.bbc.com/news
8 A 19 July 2016
penalty return /world-europe-36832071
Turkey coup attempt: Crackdown toll http://www.bbc.com/news
9 A 20 July 2016
passes 50,000 /world-europe-36842073
Turkey coup attempt: Charges laid against http://www.bbc.com/news
10 A 20 July 2016
99 generals and admirals /world-europe-36843180
Turkey attempted coup: EU says measures http://www.bbc.com/news
11 B 21 July 2016
'unacceptable' /world-europe-36861154
Turkey coup attempt: Lives resume under http://www.bbc.com/news
12 B 21 July 2016
state of emergency /world-europe-36858715
Turkey coup attempt: Society divided over http://www.bbc.com/news
13 B 22 July 2016
state of emergency /world-europe-36863203
Turkey coup attempt: Gulen's UK followers http://www.bbc.com/news
14 B 23 July 2016
'threatened' /uk-36873532
Turkey coup attempt: 'Arrest warrants http://www.bbc.com/news
15 B 25 July 2016
issued' for journalists /world-europe-36881943
Turkish coup probe turns sights on http://www.bbc.com/news
16 B 25 July 2016
journalists /world-europe-36886699
Turkey coup attempt: Nearly 9,000 soldiers http://www.bbc.com/news
17 B 27 July 2016
joined plot - army /world-europe-36906724
Turkey coup: Father who died defying rebel http://www.bbc.com/news
18 B 27 July 2016
troops /world-europe-36893329
Turkey coup attempt: More than 130 media http://www.bbc.com/news
19 B 28 July 2016
outlets shut /world-europe-36910556
Turkey coup: Lib Dems urge Nato http://www.bbc.com/news
20 B 29 July 2016
suspension after press crackdown /uk-politics-36924131
119

Turkey steps up army dismissals over 15 http://www.bbc.com/news
21 C 31 July 2016
July coup attempt /world-europe-36936232
Thousands march in Germany in support of http://www.bbc.com/news
22 C 31 July 2016
Turkey's President Erdogan /world-europe-36937891
Turkey's President Erdogan seeks to rein in http://www.bbc.com/news
23 C 31 July 2016
spy agency after coup /world-europe-36934889
Turkey failed coup: US military chief http://www.bbc.com/news
24 C 1 Aug 2016
condemns plotters /world-europe-36947468
Turkey coup attempt: Erdogan 'snatch http://www.bbc.com/news
25 C 1 Aug 2016
squad' soldiers captured /world-europe-36939194
Turkey coup attempt: Court issues arrest http://www.bbc.com/news
26 C 4 Aug 2016
warrant for Fethullah Gulen /world-europe-36977496
Turkey coup bid: Fethullah Gulen's lawyers http://www.bbc.com/news
27 C 5 Aug 2016
fear attack on his life /world-europe-36988726
Turkey coup: Erdogan backs return of death http://www.bbc.com/news
28 C 8 Aug 2016
penalty at vast Istanbul rally /world-europe-37003819
Turkey coup: Ex-footballer Hakan Sukur http://www.bbc.com/news
29 C 12 Aug 2016
sought over Gulen links /world-europe-37057939
Turkey coup inquiry: Police raid companies http://www.bbc.com/news
30 C 16 Aug 2016
and target CEOs /world-europe-37093411
120

1- Why did Turkish coup plot fail?
For several hours on Friday night hundreds of Turkish soldiers appeared to have taken control of key
areas of the main cities of Ankara and Istanbul.
There was little sign of President Recep Erdogan as the plotters took over buildings and media outlets. They
needed to secure the support of the public and especially the majority of the military.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim appeared to be leading resistance to the coup, but as most Turks know, it is
President Erdogan who wields the power and has designs on extending it.
If the coup was going to succeed, the conspirators had to keep him out of the picture and they were unable to do
so. "I am the chief commander," he said later.
When the tide turned
For hours it was unclear where President Erdogan was. Reports said he was on holiday at the Aegean resort of
Marmaris, deep in Turkey's south-west.
The tide turned when the president flew into Istanbul's Ataturk airport and gave a defiant news conference.
The moment he touched base in Istanbul it was clear the government was regaining control and had the support
of senior military figures.
Ankara, where his palace and the government are based, was not yet secure, but in Istanbul he was able to
address Turkey directly.
It had been "an act of treason and rebellion", he told reporters. Ilnur Cevik, a senior presidential adviser, told the
BBC soon afterwards that the coup had been defeated by the will of the Turkish population.
"It's very clear there was a coup attempt but rapidly the situation turned in favour of the government and
Erdogan asked the people to flock into the streets in Ankara and Istanbul and that's what they did."
It was the Turkish people who reclaimed Ataturk airport from the military and the people who took back state
TV and radio from the military, he said.
Controlling the message
In reality, the soldiers who took over the studios at TRT had rebuffed a civilian attempt to force them out, and
the coup ringleaders were able to continue broadcasting their message.
A "Peace Council" had taken power and a curfew was in place, they said.
Another broadcaster, CNN Turk, also went off air when soldiers walked into a studio control room and social
media outlets were disrupted.
But the plotters' control of media outlets was not to last and even before he had arrived at Ataturk airport
President Erdogan contacted CNN Turk and appeared in a video call, urging Turks to take to the streets.
The president may have been lucky. He said the hotel where he had been staying was bombed after he had left
and his secretary general had been seized.
Did the coup have widespread military support?
For the coup to have succeeded it required backing across the armed forces. A large number of soldiers may
have been involved, and in several Turkish cities.
Tanks took to the streets and the bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul were taken over.
But the chief of staff, Gen Hulusi Akar, was not part of the coup, nor was the head of the army in Istanbul, who
took command while Gen Akar was being held by the plotters.
The navy chief and special forces commander also spoke out against the uprising and F-16 fighter jets attacked
some of the rebel tanks.
"This attempted coup collapsed before it even started," said Fadi Hakura of UK-based Chatham House, who said
it was amateurish and failed to attract broad military support.
There was no political or public backing either. The opposition secular CHP said Turkey had seen enough coups
and did not want "these difficulties repeated". The nationalist MHP also rallied behind the government.
Who were the plotters?
They are a faction within the army, and military figures say they are a small group within the First Army, whose
headquarters is in Istanbul.
"They didn't represent the vast majority of the military," says Fadi Hakura, who believes their failure is evidence
coups no longer enjoy the broad support they once did in Turkey.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long warned against potential coups and in recent years his government has
attempted to purge the military and police of figures it suspects of agitating against his Islamist-rooted AK Party.
Could it have all been planned in America?
President Erdogan has for years accused a former ally, Fethullah Gulen, of plotting against him. The pair fell out
and Mr Gulen went into self-imposed exile into the US.
And it did not take long for the president to blame "the parallel state", a clear reference to his rival.
The Gulen movement itself denied involvement. A pro-Gulen group said it found the attempted coup "strange
and interesting" but rejected any attack on democracy, fearing renewed attacks on its movement.
However, the government quickly acted to suspend five generals and 29 colonels who they said were linked to
the "parallel state", Turkish Anadolu news agency reported.
121

2- Turkey: Mass arrests after coup bid quashed, says PM
Some 2,839 soldiers, including high-ranking officers, have been arrested after an attempted coup that is
now over, says Turkey's PM Binali Yildirim.
The attempted coup was a "black stain on Turkish democracy", he said, with 161 civilians and police killed.
Those held include two army generals, Turkish media say.
Explosions and firing were heard in key cities on Friday night and thousands heeded a call by President Erdogan
to rise up against the coup-plotters.
It is unclear who was behind the coup.
The authorities also said 104 suspected coup-plotters had also been killed.
Some 2,745 Turkish judges have also been dismissed in the wake of the coup, state media say.
They are reported to include a member of the country's top court.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed a "parallel structure" - a reference to Fethullah Gulen, a powerful
but reclusive US-based Muslim cleric whom he accuses of fomenting unrest.
In a televised speech on Saturday night, he called on the US to extradite Mr Gulen.
Mr Gulen has rejected any suggestion of links to what happened, saying he condemned "in the strongest terms,
the attempted military coup in Turkey".
Why did coup happen? - Jeremy Bowen, BBC News Middle East Editor
The attempted coup happened because Turkey is deeply divided over President Erdogan's project to transform
the country and because of the contagion of violence from the war in Syria.
President Erdogan and his AK Party have become experts at winning elections, but there have always been
doubts about his long-term commitment to democracy. He is a political Islamist who has rejected modern
Turkey's secular heritage. Mr Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian and is trying to turn himself into a
strong executive president.
From the beginning Mr Erdogan's government has been deeply involved in the war in Syria, backing Islamist
opposition to President Assad. But violence has spread across the border, helping to reignite the fight with the
Kurdish PKK, and making Turkey a target for the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State.
That has caused a lot of disquiet. Turkey has faced increasing turmoil and the attempt to overthrow President
Erdogan will not be the last of it.
Read more: Why Turkey's stability matters
The BBC's Katy Watson in Istanbul says people there are shocked - President Erdogan divides opinion, but a
military takeover was not something they saw coming.
Events began on Friday evening as tanks took up positions on two of the bridges over the Bosphorus Strait in
Istanbul, blocking traffic. Troops were seen on the streets and low-flying military jets were filmed over Ankara.
Shortly after, an army faction issued a statement that a "peace council" was running the country, and it had
launched the coup "to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms".
President Erdogan, then in the south-west resort of Marmaris, made a televised address via his mobile phone,
urging people to take to the streets to oppose the uprising.
After flying to Istanbul, Mr Erdogan said: "What is being perpetrated is a treason and a rebellion. They will pay
a heavy price."
During the violence, the Turkish parliament and presidential buildings in Ankara were attacked. Gunfire was
also heard outside Istanbul police headquarters and tanks were said to be stationed outside Istanbul airport.
Broadcaster CNN Turk was temporarily taken off air after soldiers entered the building and tried to take it over.
CNN Turk later tweeted a photo of soldiers being arrested by police.
There were reports of fierce clashes in Taksim Square in central Istanbul, and gunfire and explosions were heard
near the square. One of the helicopters being flown by rebels was reportedly shot down by government troops in
Ankara.
What is happening now?
Prime Minister Yildirim said the situation was now "completely under control" and the government's
commanders were now back in charge.
Earlier, acting military chief of staff Umit Dundar said officers from the air force, the military police
and armoured units had mainly been involved in the coup attempt.
Although the chief of staff had been rescued, several military commanders were still being held
hostage, he said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter that eight soldiers who flew to Greece in a
helicopter to seek asylum will be extradited. Greece has not yet formally confirmed the move.
A US government spokesman said the Turkish government has closed its airspace to military aircraft,
and as a result operations from Incirlik Air Base against the so-called Islamic State had been halted.
Earlier, some 200 unarmed soldiers left Turkey's military headquarters in Ankara and surrendered to
122

police, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Dramatic images showed dozens of soldiers walking away from their tanks with their hands up on one
of Istanbul's Bosphorus bridges.
3- Turkish coup: Glenariff woman says coup 'scary experience' for her family
A Northern Ireland woman on holiday in Turkey has described Friday night's military coup attempt as "a scary
experience" for her family.
Jackie Kocaturk, from Glenariff, County Antrim, is in Yalova, near Istanbul.
She is on holiday with her Turkish husband, their two sons and one of their friends.
Turkey's Prime Minister has said that 161 people have been killed and 1,440 wounded in the failed attempt to
take control.
Some 2,839 soldiers have been arrested.
Jackie Kocaturk's husband witnessed some of the clashes in the town last night but she was indoors with her sons
and their friend.
She said: "It all seems to be settling down now after a night of uncertainty and panic buying in the shops.
"The curfew never took hold because Erdogan's supporters took to the streets to stop the coup.
"People here can't believe what happened and everyone is still in shock.
"I was very worried last night as I am here with my husband, two sons and one of their friends and it was a very
scary experience for them.
Army
"We were in the house last night and about 11pm on Friday night we started to get word from friends in Istanbul
that the bridges there had been closed by the army.
"Whenever we heard what was happening we switched on the TV and watched the events unfold.
"Everything where we were remained quiet until about midnight when we started to hear helicopters flying
overhead and planes were hovering over the resort as it is on the flight path to Ankara airport which the military
had closed.
"At about midnight we heard on the news that there was to be an army imposed curfew until 06:00 on Saturday
morning. Citizens were to stay in doors.
Panic
"A friend made contact with us and said 'Go to the shop and get some food in because this is bad'.
"We didn't know how serious things were but we people panicked and rushed out to the small shop nearby to buy
supplies of food and water.
The shop was completely overcome with people.
"My husband was in the town of Yalova where he said people had come out onto the streets to support the
president and were stopping tanks and pulling soldiers out.
"There was lots of blood shed over night but now everything seems quiet where we are."
4- A British tourist said he was woken by "loud explosion" in the Turkish resort of Marmaris.
A British tourist told 5 live Breakfast he was woken by a "very loud explosion" in the Turkish resort of
Marmaris last night, as members of the Turkish military attempted to stage a coup.
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been on holiday in the resort, but had reportedly left by the
time the shots were fired.
"We heard helicopters over head and machine gun fire," said Mike, who was at the resort with his fiancee. "We
obviously didn't want to rush to the windows to look outside."
Forces loyal to Turkey's government appear to have quashed the coup. 90 people are reported to have died after
gunfire was also heard in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
5- Turkey coup attempt: Crowds confront soldiers on Bosphorus Bridge

During the failed coup in Turkey, the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul became the scene of a confrontation
between soldiers trying to overthrow the government, and a group of supporters of Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The struggle for this symbolic landmark, which connects Europe and Asia, resulted in fierce fighting between
the two sides.
A new day dawns in Istanbul, and this man's expression, as he stands on the Bosphorus Bridge on Saturday
morning, reflects the determination of many Turkish people to quash the attempted coup.
One of the first signs to the outside world that there was unrest brewing in Turkey on Friday evening was when
soldiers blocked off the Bosphorus Bridge, a vital part of the city's network.
Apart from being strategically important, taking control of the bridge was a significant statement of intent by the
coup leaders.
Cars were stranded for a time on the bridge, due to the military closing it.
123

President Erdogan urged people to get onto the streets in Ankara and Istanbul, to combat the coup - and many of
them flocked to the bridge. The soldiers shot at them and there were some casualties.
The crowds confronted the soldiers during the standoff, and were fired upon.
People took cover near the bridge's entrance.
By dawn, the rebellion had begun to falter and police moved in with a water cannon to disperse the soldiers
holding the bridge.
Early on Saturday morning, the soldiers surrendered to police.
Some of the crowds attacked the soldiers after they laid down their arms.
Police attempted to stop the crowds from assaulting the surrendered men - but were not always successful.
The police took away the soldiers after their surrender.
With the coup now failed, the crowds took to the bridge in large numbers.
The people clambered onto the army's tanks, abandoned on the Bosphorus Bridge.
The bridge was now back under control of the Turkish government - and these men were able to walk onto it and
take a selfie.
6- Turkey coup attempt: Britons describe gunfire and explosions

Britons in Turkey have been describing how they heard gunfire and explosions during an attempted coup,
in which 265 people died, 161 of them civilians.
Alev Scott, a British-Turkish writer, says she heard gunfire in Istanbul's Taksim Square and low-flying jets.
The Foreign Office had "strongly" advised Britons to stay indoors, but recently said the situation "appears to be
calming".
ABTA estimates its members have 50,000 people currently on holiday in Turkey.
More than 2.5 million Britons visit Turkey every year.
Ms Scott said: "I was watching things from my terrace, watching the military vehicles on the Bosphorus Bridge
and then these sonic booms started.
"It was actually quite scary so I went down into my flat just keeping away from the windows which had all
blown open."
British holidaymakers in Marmaris have also described hearing gunfire in the streets and an explosion.
Rhonda Jones, a player for Rangers Ladies football club, posted a video on Twitter of cars and scooters filling
the streets in a procession loudly beeping their horns.
She described hearing "gunfire exchanged up and down the street in Marmaris" and "a small explosion".
Mike Baddeley, also on holiday in Marmaris, said he was woken by "a very large explosion, followed by, it
seemed like one or two helicopters flying above our heads... with machine gun fire".
Saima Alvi, a teacher from Altrincham, landed at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in transit to Qatar just after the coup
attempt, and found herself stranded with her family, including her disabled daughter.
Speaking from the airport she said: "I was in a small transit lounge with about 150 other people and everyone
was crying, upset and scared.
"I found a point which was next to an exit but also wasn't near the windows and I had a plan of action, an
evaluation if I had to get out quickly with the children."
Also stranded at Ataturk airport were 41 students and seven members of staff from the Arthur Terry School in
Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, who were there to get a connecting flight to South Africa.
The school said earlier that the British Consulate and Foreign Office were providing support.
It issued an update on Saturday evening saying the children would fly out to South Africa overnight.
The attempted coup began on Friday evening when tanks took up positions on two bridges over the Bosphorus
Strait in Istanbul, blocking traffic.
Turkish officials said the attempt to seize control of the country by a faction of the armed forces is now over and
2,839 soldiers, including high-ranking officers, have been arrested.
Turkey's PM Binali Yildirim said 161 citizens had been killed and 1,440 have been wounded in clashes in a
night he called a "black stain on Turkish democracy".
A further 104 suspected coup-plotters had also been killed, authorities said.
Burcu Incekara, 37, a shopkeeper on Green Lanes in Haringey, said: "My sons just went to Turkey two days ago
- they said they were safe at the moment."
But she said that F-16 planes had flown very near to their house.
"There were bomb, gun attacks from the soldiers to the police - it's not good," she said.
"They were scared, of course, because near where they are there is a place with soldiers and they are scared -
everyone is scared."
The Foreign Office's latest advice says: "The situation in Turkey appears to be calming following an attempted
coup overnight on 15-16 July.
"The security environment, however, remains potentially volatile.
124

"Following earlier disruption, flights to and from airports in Turkey are returning to normal, although some
disruption remains and you should check with your airline or tour operator before travelling."
ABTA, which represents travel agents and tour operators, said travellers should follow Foreign Office advice,
but added that most British travellers will be visiting coastal resorts, which were not significantly affected.
The Association of British Insurers said travellers should be able to transfer travel insurance to a new destination
if alternative arrangements are made by those booked to travel to Turkey.
British Airways has cancelled all flights to and from Turkey on Saturday and flight BA675 departing from
Istanbul on Sunday.
Thomas Cook says on its website that its flight and holiday programme is operating as normal, but it is offering
free amendments and cancellations for all customers due to fly to Turkey on Saturday and Sunday.
British nationals in Turkey can contact the Foreign Office on +44 207 008 0000.
7- Turkey coup: Press fears for democracy

Turkey's failed military coup has led some international media to fear President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
will seize the chance to suppress all opposition.
While voicing relief at the failure of the "amateurish" coup, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in
German) predicts that the climate in Turkey will become "even more restrictive".
"The Turkish government is likely to infringe on democracy, freedom of opinion, and fundamental rights," it
says.
In the UK's Guardian, a commentary bemoans "violent mobs sanctioned as 'protecting democracy' by the
president".
Comparing the coup to an "unhappy wife being kidnapped by a misguided and incompetent lover", it predicts
that the "wife will be 'safely' locked away and the lover disposed of - perhaps humanely, perhaps not".
Some go even further. Switzerland's Neue Zuercher Zeitung (in German) believes that -"tragically" - ordinary
Turks' rejection of the military coup will result in the opposite of stronger democracy, and that instead Mr
Erdogan will launch a "final sweeping blow" and a "witch hunt" against his opponents.
Across the Atlantic, an editorial in the New York Times also finds a sad irony in the fact that the very thing that
saved Mr Erdogan - democracy - faces "accelerating erosion" by a president who is "becoming more vengeful
and obsessed with control than ever".
In German paper Die Welt (in German), Turkey correspondent Deniz Yucel even sees in current developments
in Turkey "all the ingredients of totalitarian rule".
"After decades of putting on a show of being the victim - of the establishment, the military, terror groups -
[Erdogan] has found his own victim: Turkish democracy."
'Lesser evil'
But several papers still have hope that Mr Erdogan might opt for moderation and reconciliation.
French news magazine Le Point (in French) urges Mr Erdogan to "restore his international reputation" and resist
the temptation to "launch ugly repression".
Spain's El Pais (in Spanish) voices concern at Mr Erdogan's "authoritarian drift", and warns that he must
ensure that democracy and the rule of law are further strengthened after the uprising's failure.
But the Netherlands' De Volkskrant (in Dutch) says that while Mr Erdogan is likely "to do away with his
internal enemies", he is still the "lesser evil" and preferable to a "nonentity in uniform" who would risk
destabilising Turkey and the wider region.
'Brave leader'
In contrast, the media's mood in Turkey is largely one of jubilation.
A commentary in Hurriyet (in Turkish) - which was raided by pro-coup troops - says democracy "would have
been murdered" if the military uprising had succeeded, but warns that Turkey's future depends on "strengthening
democracy and the constitutional state".
In Turkey, the pro-government newspaper Aksam (in Turkish) hails Mr Erdogan decision to call out the crowds
to face down the "attack on democracy by vicious traitors".
"The honourable president's stance was of historic importance," says a commentary.
Another pro-government paper, Star (in Turkish), detects in Western media coverage - including that of the
BBC - a desire for the coup to succeed, and believes this reflects the views of their people and governments.
"Who are we going to trust?" it wonders, but is confident in Turkey's success "as long as such upstanding and
brave leaders as Erdogan are in office and this nation stands firm".
But there are dissenting voices.
The secularist opposition paper Cumhuriyet (in Turkish) says not "millions", but only "thousands", of people
came to defend Mr Erdogan, and describes them as governing "AK Party militants with jihadist aspirations".
'Would-be sultan'
In Russia, with which Mr Erdogan only recently started to patch up a rupture in relations, several commentators
accuse him of having brought the crisis upon himself.
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In Moskovsky Komsomolets (in Russian), a commentary says the coup was a "direct result" of the president's
"ambitions to be a sultan, his authoritarianism, his unpredictability, and attempts at destroying the secular
foundations of the Turkish state".
In state-owned Rossiskaya Gazeta (in Russian), a commentary predicts that Mr Erdogan's new post-coup
"regime" and his "bold authoritarianism" are likely to be "even more alien" to the values of the West, and Turkey
will seek closer relations with countries such as Russia instead.
8-Turkey coup attempt: Erdogan signals death penalty return

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is ready to reinstate the death penalty "if the people
demand it", following the recent coup attempt.
He was addressing supporters outside his Istanbul residence who were chanting for capital punishment to be
restored.
EU officials have warned that Turkey's bid to join the bloc would be finished if Ankara restored the death
penalty.
Mr Erdogan has overseen a crackdown since the coup attempt was quashed.
Thousands of police officers, military personnel and judges have been suspended or arrested. Turkey's Western
allies have expressed concern and urged President Erdogan to respond in a measured way.
But speaking to his supporters on Tuesday morning, the president said Turkey was "a democratic state run by the
rule of law".
He said he was ready to reinstate the death penalty if the Turkish people demanded it and parliament approved
the legislation, adding: "You cannot put aside the people's demands."
"Today is there no capital punishment in America? In Russia? In China? In countries around the world? Only in
European Union countries is there no capital punishment," he said.
Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to become a member of the EU.
On Monday, Mr Erdogan said suggestions that he was using the coup attempt to crack down on his political
opponents were "libel".
"I'd like to know what a crackdown by Tayyip Erdogan looks like... It's just libel," he said.
"If Tayyip Erdogan was an oppressive figure, he wouldn't have won 52% of the vote at the presidential
elections."
Also on Monday, one of the coup's alleged ringleaders, the air force commander Gen Akin Ozturk, appeared in
court.
The general, who appeared to have several recent injuries, denied any involvement in the uprising.
At least 232 people were killed and 1,400 wounded in fighting after rebel troops sealed off bridges in Istanbul,
surrounding the city's Ataturk airport and stationed tanks outside the presidential palace in Ankara. Many later
surrendered.
Officials have blamed the unrest on the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and the "parallel structure" they
say he has formed to topple the government.
Mr Erdogan insists the US should extradite Mr Gulen, warning that it "should not keep such a terrorist".
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Turkey would need to provide "evidence, not allegations" against Mr
Gulen, who has denied any involvement in the plot.
The Turkish interior ministry dismissed almost 9,000 police officers on Monday as part of a purge of officials
suspected of involvement in the coup attempt.
That followed the arrest of 6,000 military personnel and suspension of almost 3,000 judges over the weekend.
9- Turkey coup attempt: Crackdown toll passes 50,000

More than 50,000 people have been rounded up, sacked or suspended from their jobs by Turkey's
government in the wake of last week's failed coup.
The purge of those deemed disloyal to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan widened on Tuesday to include teachers,
university deans and the media.
The government says they are allied to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who denies claims he directed the
uprising.
PM Binali Yildirim said the preacher led a "terrorist organisation".
"We will dig them up by their roots," he told parliament.
Turkey is pressing the US to extradite Mr Gulen and the issue was raised during a phone call between US
President Barack Obama and President Erdogan on Tuesday, the White House said.
Spokesman Josh Earnest said a decision on whether or not to extradite would be made under a treaty between the
two countries.
A Turkish government spokesman suggested that the US should be able to extradite the cleric "on grounds of
suspicion" rather than requiring facts of the case against him.
"There is very strong suspicion for his [Gulen's] involvement in this coup attempt. So this is sufficient grounds,"
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said spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
For his part, Mr Gulen says claims he was behind the coup attempt are "ridiculous".
"I urge the US government to reject any effort to abuse the extradition process to carry out political vendettas,"
he said in a statement.
President Erdogan is due to chair meetings of his national security council and cabinet in the capital, Ankara, on
Wednesday, after returning to the city for the first time since the attempted coup.
The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Ankara says that the meeting will be the president's first chance since the coup
attempt to sit and talk in person with all key members of the government and armed forces.
Mr Erdogan's task is to re-impose stability amid the turmoil, our correspondent adds, and to reassure the country
and Turkey's allies abroad that he is not embarking on a witch-hunt against his many critics.
The Pentagon said that talks also took place on Tuesday between Defence Secretary Ash Carter and his Turkish
counterpart, regarding the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.
The base is used by the US-led coalition fighting so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government crackdown widened on Tuesday to include the education sector and
government departments.
Turkish media announced that:
15,200 teachers and other education staff had been sacked
1,577 university deans were ordered to resign
8,777 interior ministry workers were dismissed
1,500 staff in the finance ministry had been fired
257 people working in the prime minister's office were sacked
Turkey's media regulation body on Tuesday also revoked the licences of 24 radio and TV channels accused of
links to Mr Gulen.
The news came on top of the arrests of more than 6,000 military personal and the sackings of nearly 9,000 police
officers. About 3,000 judges have also been suspended.
The removal of thousands of officials has alarmed international observers, with the UN urging Turkey to uphold
the rule of law and defend human rights.
A senior German official said on Tuesday that "a deep split" had opened in Turkey, and he feared the divisions
would cause unrest among Germany's large Turkish community.
"The danger of an escalation in violence between Erdogan supporters and opponents has also risen in Germany,"
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.
The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has accused Turkey of carrying out "revenge" against
its opponents and critics.
He also said a debate around restoring the death penalty was "deeply worrying". The EU has warned such a
move would end talks over Turkey joining the bloc.
According to official figures, Friday night's coup attempt left 232 people dead and 1,541 wounded.
10- Turkey coup attempt: Charges laid against 99 generals and admirals
Turkey has formally charged 99 generals and admirals in connection with the weekend's thwarted coup
attempt, just under a third of the country's 356 top military officers.
Authorities have banned all academics from travelling abroad, as the purge of state employees suspected of
being connected to the failed coup continues.
More than 50,000 people have been rounded up, sacked or suspended.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to announce further measures.
He chaired a five-hour emergency meeting of the National Security Council and was expected to lay out a series
of emergency measures later on Wednesday, sources told the Reuters news agency.
So far about 1,577 university deans (faculty heads) have been asked to resign in addition to 21,000 teachers and
15,000 education ministry officials.
Some 626 institutions have also been shut down, most of them private educational establishments, officials say.
They are suspected of having links to the alleged mastermind of the coup, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who
denies any involvement.
Speaking to Al Jazeera in Ankara, Mr Erdogan said a lot of people had been arrested, but that the operations had
not finished.
He added that those detained would provide officials with "many names" in the coming days.
The WikiLeaks website has been blocked in Turkey after it released thousands of emails purportedly showing
exchanges between ruling AKP officials.
The documents - ranging from this month back to 2010 - were obtained a week before the attempted coup and
the source has no connection to that event, WikiLeaks says.
Turkish daily Cumhuriyet said that one of the emails contained a letter sent to President Erdogan.
"My family and I suffered in our own country because of your actions. Aren't we as precious as Egyptian
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Esma?" it says, in a reference to Mr Erdogan's tears on TV after the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood politician
was killed in Egypt.
Other emails contain media reports on Fethullah Gulen and his movement.
Mr Erdogan also said he learned about the coup from his brother-in-law, reacting with "disbelief", and that he
believed foreign countries might have been involved, without naming any.
As soon as it became clear that the coup had failed, the purges began, first with the security forces, then
spreading to Turkey's entire civilian infrastructure.
Human rights group Amnesty International warned of a "crackdown of exceptional proportions", including
measures to censor media outlets and journalists, some of them critical of government policy.
Extending the clear-out to include the education sector, university rectors have been asked by the Higher
Education Council to "urgently examine the situation of all academic and administrative personnel" linked to
what it calls the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (Feto) and report back by 5 August.
It has also told universities that academics who are already abroad on work or study missions should return home
"within the shortest possible time".
A government official told Reuters that the ban on academics travelling abroad was a temporary measure
implemented to stop alleged coup plotters in universities from fleeing.
Turkey is also pressing the US to extradite Mr Gulen, and White House spokesman Josh Earnest said a decision
would be made under a treaty between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Turkey's military announced that it had resumed cross-border strikes against Kurdish rebel targets in
northern Iraq, killing about 20 alleged militants. They were the first since the attempted coup.
F-16 jets were reported to have targeted positions of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq's
Hakurk region, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Turkish military has regularly targeted suspected PKK bases in Iraq since last year.
Also, local media said Turkish F-16 jets had launched an operation to check rumours about two coastguard
vessels that were said to be missing, which was later denied by a Turkish official to the AFP news agency.
11- Turkey attempted coup: EU says measures 'unacceptable'

The European Union says Turkey's measures against the education system, the judiciary and the media
following the failed coup are "unacceptable".
In a statement, High Representative Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn said they were
"concerned" by Turkey's decision to declare a state of emergency.
The move gives Turkey's leaders "far-reaching powers to govern by decree".
Thousands of people have been sacked or arrested following the failed coup.
The two senior EU officials urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect the rule of law, rights and
freedoms.
And they also warned Turkey over its decision to suspend the European Convention on Human Rights, saying it
must stick to the conditions by which a suspension is permitted.
Turkey is a candidate to join the EU, but its accession talks have progressed extremely slowly.
Earlier, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Turkey to maintain a sense of proportion in its
response to the coup attempt.
The human rights organisation Amnesty International has described the authorities' actions as "a crackdown of
exceptional proportions".
Analysis: Mark Lowen, BBC News, Istanbul
The state of emergency gives President Erdogan radically enhanced powers for three months.
He and the cabinet will be able to fast-track legislation through parliament, where the government holds a
majority; the constitutional court will be unable to challenge it; there could be restrictions on publications and
freedom of assembly; and broader powers of arrest.
The question is: how will this be applied?
The government insists it will not affect the daily life of citizens and that the state of emergency will only root
out the "virus" behind the coup. It points out that similar measures were adopted in France after the Paris attacks
last November. And President Erdogan says this actually aims to protect democracy and human rights.
But given the criticism of the president for curbing both while in office, doubts persist over how a leader seen by
opponents as increasingly authoritarian will use this, especially given the recent purges.
France and Germany have spoken out loudest, but Mr Erdogan has been typically forthright in his response,
telling the French foreign minister to "mind his own business".
In the immediate aftermath of Friday's failed coup, thousands of soldiers - including high-ranking generals -
were arrested, along with members of the judiciary.
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Since then more than 50,000 state employees have also been rounded up, sacked or suspended and 600 schools
closed.
Academics have been banned from foreign travel and university heads have been forced to resign.
The government has also revoked the press credentials of 34 journalists, according to Turkish media.
The president has blamed the coup attempt on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally who is believed to
have much support in Turkey's military and state institutions.
Mr Gulen has denied any involvement.
Turkey is seeking the cleric's extradition, but the US says it needs to see hard evidence of his involvement in the
coup attempt.
22:00 (19:00 GMT) Coup attempt launched in Istanbul and Ankara on 15 July
Bosphorus bridges blocked in Istanbul; warplanes attack police and intelligence buildings in Ankara
Midnight: President Erdogan, who is on holiday in south-west Turkey, appears on CNN Turk via
FaceTime to urge resistance
Parliament in Ankara is bombed and soldiers and tanks fire at protesters
03:00 President Erdogan arrives safely at Istanbul airport and is mobbed by supporters
06:00 Soldiers surrender on the Bosphorus bridges
At least 260 people were killed and 1,400 wounded
All timings approximate
12- Turkey coup attempt: Lives resume under state of emergency

In the heart of Istanbul, Turkish flags dominate Taksim Square. For five days in a row since the failed
coup, people have taken to the streets here to show their support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
the government.
On the steps of Gezi Park, which was the epicentre of anti-government protests three years ago, is a recently-
erected platform. Between them hangs a banner with a Turkish flag imprinted on it that reads: "Sovereignty
belongs to the Nation".
Thousands gathered here to watch President Erdogan on giant screens on Wednesday night as he announced the
implementation of a three-month state of emergency. Some in the crowd burst into applause, clearly appreciative
of the measure.
Mr Erdogan pledged that the country's democracy would not be harmed and fundamental rights and freedoms
would not be curbed.
"This step is taken to cleanse the supporters of the Fethullah Gulen terrorist organisation from state bureaucracy,
to place the state in strong hands in order to make democracy function better," he said.
The headline of one pro-government daily on Thursday read: "No compromise from democracy", highlighting
Mr Erdogan's comments. Another read: "State of emergency for the coup plotters, peace for the citizens".
But that is not a mood shared by everyone in Turkey, which is already a country divided along political or
ideological lines.
Amongst the government's critics there are concerns that the announcement of a state of emergency might lead to
more authoritarian rule, giving President Erdogan greater powers to sideline parliament.
Our lives will be tougher: View from Istanbul
On the streets of Istanbul, people hesitate to speak on the subject. Those who agree to speak ask for their last
names to be withheld.
"I do not think we deserve this," says Sengul, a journalist. "The coup attempt was horrible. But what we are
going through at the moment is awful too."
"The state of emergency will affect our daily lives. I do not see any reason why censorship will not be extended,"
she says.
Women's views on the failed coup
Elif, an architect, shares similar fears. "We jumped out of the frying pan into the fire," she comments. "The
arrests of thousands of people, followed by a state of emergency in the whole country, make us think our lives
will be tougher."
Turkey's thwarted coup
22:00 (19:00 GMT) Coup attempt launched in Istanbul and Ankara on 15 July
Bosphorus bridges blocked in Istanbul; warplanes attack police and intelligence buildings in Ankara
Midnight: President Erdogan, who is on holiday in south-west Turkey, appears on CNN Turk via
FaceTime to urge resistance
Parliament in Ankara is bombed and soldiers and tanks fire at protesters
03:00 President Erdogan arrives safely at Istanbul airport and is mobbed by supporters
06:00 Soldiers surrender on the Bosphorus bridges
At least 260 people were killed and 1,400 wounded
All timings approximate
129

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus assured Turks on Thursday that the government would not declare
any curfews, free market rules would not be affected and fundamental rights would not be compromised.
"Our business has suffered. People do not want to go out on the streets unless they have to," says Kemal, a taxi
driver.
"Now we have to wait and see. If they abuse the power to issue decrees, then we will be facing further
problems," he says.
"I am anxious for the future of Turkey," says an academic whose work-trip to Canada has been blocked due to
the latest crackdown. He does not want to give his name, and says no more.
Shattered lives
At Caglayan Court House, families of privates and military students accused of taking part in the coup attempt
await the latest news.
Ahmet's 16-year-old son, studying at a military high school in Istanbul, was detained on Saturday morning and
then imprisoned. He says he has seen him only once since then, and waved to him from a distance.
"I am worried," he says. "These kids had no idea what they were doing. Those who deceived them should be
punished. But some say there will not be a fair trial anymore."
"We don't know what will happen to us now," says Rifat, whose son - also a military school student - is detained.
"Will they extend the detention period? Will justice work? We don't know."
He says their lives are now completely shattered.
"Yesterday, the door bell rang. My nine-year-old daughter ran to open it, shouting: 'It's my brother!' My wife
collapsed to the floor in agony," he says, unable to hold back his tears.
13- Turkey coup attempt: Society divided over state of emergency

Against a backdrop of nightly gatherings in Turkey to celebrate the defeat of last week's attempted coup,
a state of emergency was declared by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and approved by 346 votes to 115
in the Turkish Parliament.
Parliamentary deputies met in the main chamber just metres from the building's wrecked central hall, damaged in
a missile strike during the failed coup. In all, nine missiles hit the building and its grounds.
Ultimately, Turkish society resisted the coup, but a week on society is divided over the merits and risks of the
state of emergency that has followed.
"It is better to have a declared state of emergency than a de facto one", Metin Feyzioglu, chairman of the Turkish
Bar Association said. But he had a warning for the government over the massive wave of suspensions and arrests
that followed the failed coup.
"They [the authorities] must understand that if they want to follow the way that leads to eliminating all their
critics, then there will be no country to govern, no society to lead, and unfortunately the country will
disintegrate," he said.
Who's the target of Erdogan's purge?
Cleric Gulen condemns post-coup 'witch-hunt'
How mobiles beat tanks and saved Erdogan
Who was behind coup attempt?
Why did Turkish coup plot fail?
Ufuk Ulutas, director of the Ankara-based Foundation for Economic and Political Research (SETA), defended
the government's decision to impose the emergency measures.
"We're talking about a country whose parliament, whose special forces, whose presidential compound were
bombed by F-16 jets and attack helicopters. And we're talking about a group of coup-plotters who are abundant
in number," he said.
"Of course, the government has to be very careful about the prosecution process, because we're talking about a
huge number of people. There may be some who are on the lists by mistake," he added.
In parliament, Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag attempted to reassure those in doubt.
"The measures are necessary in order to make sure there is no repeat of the coup attempt," he said. "If we could
accomplish our task without [the state of emergency] we would. This is not martial law."
Bulent Tezcan, chairman of the parliamentary group of the CHP, the main opposition Republican Peoples Party,
said that the emergency measures risked undermining the remarkable unity with which the coup was defeated.
He said: "There is unease that what is happening in the public squares is no longer an expression of the will of
the nation, but the propaganda of a certain party."
14- Turkey coup attempt: Gulen's UK followers 'threatened'

Supporters of the man blamed by the Turkish government for last week's attempted coup have told BBC
News they have been the target of threats and abuse in the UK.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Fethullah Gulen of being behind the failed uprising, but
he denies any involvement.
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Thousands of people suspected of supporting the US-based cleric have been arrested, sacked or suspended from
their jobs in Turkey in the past week.
But UK-based Gulenists said that it is not just in Turkey that his followers have been singled out.
Within a few hours of the president urging people to take to the streets in protest last Friday, the Mevlana Rumi
mosque in Edmonton, north London said it was targeted.
"Two people entered the mosque. They started shouting out, swearing, breaking the peace," said Seval Gokce,
the mosque's executive director.
She added: "A person standing outside opened up the Turkish flag. Then an hour later, five or six more cars
pulled up outside the mosque, shouting out abuse and amongst them, they were heard to say they were thinking
of burning down the mosque."
'Angel of death'
Others have been targeted personally.
Ozcan Keles, a member of the mosque and chairperson of the Gulen-inspired charity Dialogue Society said he
and others received threatening text messages.
"It's signed off by 'the angel of death' and then it's got a second signature which says MIT Special Forces and
Operations UK," he said. "It's basically saying: I'm sending this on behalf or I am a representative of the Turkish
government and Turkish intelligence services."
He said: "I'm in London. I have nothing to do with what's happening in Turkey. I condemn the coup as much as
anyone condemns it."
The Gulen movement is not easy to describe.
There is no single identifiable body linking everything together. Instead followers are encouraged to form their
own organisations that finance themselves.
'Arouse suspicion'
But that has led to criticisms that some organisations are too secretive about their connection to the movement.
Bill Park, a senior lecturer in defence studies at King's College, University of London, said: "They tend to be a
bit coy about their links.
"The fact that they are sometimes coy means not only that they arouse suspicion because you never quite know
who you're talking to but also it means you can put this label on anyone you don't trust, don't like or feel is up to
something."
As the purge of suspected Gulenists continues in Turkey, it is likely some will be even less keen to identify
themselves publicly with the movement.
Seval Gokce said the mosque has reported the incidents to the police and she said the community is being extra
vigilant.
"For the first time since 2008, we've put a sign on the door showing our opening and closing hours," she said.
"We've only shut down from 11 in the evening until four in the morning but it's the first time we're closing the
doors between prayers for our own safety."
15- Turkey coup attempt: 'Arrest warrants issued' for journalists

Turkey's authorities have issued detention warrants for 42 journalists, local media say, as part of an
inquiry into the failed coup on 15 July.
Prominent commentator Nazli Ilicak is said to be on the list. Ankara has not publicly commented on the claim.
The authorities have already detained or placed under investigation thousands of soldiers, judges and civil
servants.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to purge state bodies of the "virus" he says caused the revolt.
So far, five journalists have been detained for questioning, Turkish news agencies report.
The closure of several media outlets was ordered in the days following the attempted coup, but this is the first
time that individual journalists have been identified, the BBC's Nick Thorpe in Istanbul reports.
The most prominent of the 42 is 72-year-old Nazli Ilicak.
She was fired from the pro-government Sabah daily three years ago for criticising government ministers who are
under investigation for alleged corruption.
The Turkish government accuses cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the attempted coup which was led by
the army.
Mr Gulen, who lives in the US, has strongly denied any involvement.
In other developments on Monday:
Turkey's state-run Turkish Airlines dismisses 211 employees over their alleged links to the Gulen
movement
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warns that negotiations for Turkey's eventual
membership of the EU would be suspended immediately if Ankara goes ahead with a proposal to
reintroduce the death penalty
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people took part in a pro-democracy rally in Istanbul, condemning the coup
131

attempt.
The demonstration was organised by the opposition party CHP but was backed by President Erdogan's AK party,
in a rare show of unity.
Mr Erdogan launched a widespread crackdown following the failed coup, arresting thousands of service
personnel and sacking or suspending thousands of judges, government officials, school teachers and university
heads.
Human Rights group Amnesty International says it has received credible evidence of detainees being subjected
to beatings and torture, including rape, since the coup attempt.
Last week, Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency, allowing the president and the government to
bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms.
16- Turkish coup probe turns sights on journalists

Bulent Mumay found out he was on a list of 42 journalists facing arrest when a friend called him on
Monday morning.
A well-known reporter who was sacked from a long-standing job at the liberal Hurriyet newspaper last year, Mr
Mumay says the news was a shock.
"It's difficult to be facing such accusations," he told the BBC, "but I wasn't surprised."
Mr Mumay described Turkey's record on press freedom as "troubled".
The country ranked 151 out of 180 in media watchdog Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom
Index.
Mr Mumay said he had several journalist friends who had been arrested in recent years.
"I am just a person who practises journalism and describes himself as a critic," he said. "So I am one of those
they point the finger at and accuse of being part of the group who planned the coup."
Mr Mumay called on the authorities to look at his social media accounts which would show that he had taken a
stand against the coup from the moment he first heard military jets flying overhead.
"Just look on Twitter and you will find several tweets from me strictly rejecting any kind of military coup," he
said.
Another name on the list is Fatih Yagmur, an investigative journalist sacked from another liberal daily, Radikal,
after writing a story alleging the Turkish government was arming militants in Syria.
In a defiant message on Twitter on Monday, he said that he had no intention of handing himself in to
prosecutors, having witnessed torture in Turkish police stations.
Many of the journalists named on the prosecutor's list only found out they were facing arrest when their names
were published by the state news agency.
So far only five have been detained, in dawn raids on Monday.
17- Turkey coup attempt: Nearly 9,000 soldiers joined plot army
Turkey says 8,651 members, or 1.5%, of the nation's armed forces took part in the failed coup on 15 July.
Military officials also revealed that the plotters had 35 planes, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks and three ships.
Meanwhile, detention warrants have been issued for 47 journalists as part of a crackdown that has already
resulted in detentions of nearly 16,000 people.
The government says US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the army-led attempted coup - a claim he
denies.
At least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in clashes during the abortive coup.
Torture claims
In a statement on Wednesday, the Turkish military's General Staff said that "a total of 8,651 military personnel
took part in the coup attempt".
It added that 1,676 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, as well as 1,214 military students, joined the
plotters.
Separately, the authorities ordered the detention of another 47 journalists - just several days after similar
warrants were issued for 42 reporters.
Those on the new list were mostly members of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, Turkish officials were quoted
as saying by local media.
The authorities ordered the closure of several media outlets soon after the attempted coup.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to purge state bodies of the "virus" he says caused the revolt.
He launched a widespread crackdown, arresting thousands of service personnel and sacking or suspending
thousands of judges, government officials, school teachers and university heads.
Human rights group Amnesty International says it has received credible evidence of detainees being subjected to
beatings and torture, including rape, since the coup attempt.
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18- Turkey coup: Father who died defying rebel troops
One of the most dramatic moments of the failed coup on 15 July was when Turkish troops fired at
protesters on Istanbul's famous Bosphorus Bridge.
Among those shot dead was a 41-year-old taxi driver, whose wife spoke to the BBC's Rengin Arslan. This
is her story.
"The telephone rang non-stop. His mother was calling. He jumped out of bed and turned on the TV.
"He saw our president's call to people to take to the streets. He asked for a Turkish flag, which he then hung
outside, then he walked away, still in his pyjamas. He didn't even get dressed, but took his telephone."
That was the last time Sema Sertcelik saw her husband Akin.
He walked to the Bosphorus Bridge, where the plotters had deployed tanks that night. It was only 15 minutes
from his house, where he left his family.
Now along with Akin's flag there are other Turkish flags all around his house, to let people see that "a martyr"
who opposed the coup lived there.
met Sema Sertcelik at her flat, with her 17-year-old daughter Irmak and 10-year-old son Hamza.
Her husband was among 179 civilians who died when they stood against the tanks and soldiers. The violence
that night also claimed the lives of 67 soldiers and police.
Akin was among tens of thousands who heeded President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's appeal to confront the troops
in the streets.
The bridge connecting Europe and Asia was a focal point of resistance to the coup - and the clash was watched
live on TV.
Several protesters were shot dead when they tried to reach the tanks.
President Erdogan accused a Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, of masterminding the coup, by inciting supporters
in the army and other state institutions.
The cleric - a former ally of Mr Erdogan who now lives in self-imposed exile in the US - strongly denied the
claim.
Sema showed me text messages that she sent one after another to her husband. Then she recalled their last
conversation.
"He said there was lots of blood on the ground. He said there were many wounded people around him and
soldiers were shooting.
"I told him to be careful. He was shouting at people to get down. He told me to read the Koran, to pray to God.
So I prayed. Then I dozed off. When I woke up again it was 07:26 in the morning. I checked my mobile and
called him, but there was no answer. I kept calling - still no answer."
Irmak and Hamza listened to their mother in silence - I could not guess their thoughts.
Sema told me Hamza had not cried yet. It was so difficult and painful to tell them that their father was dead, she
said.
The day after the coup attempt, Sema searched several hospitals and finally found her husband in a morgue,
where unidentified victims had been sent.
"I got home and Irmak came to me. She asked where her father was. I told her that I had found him asleep. She
hugged me, kissed me - and I told her to go to bed. She went, but then came back. Eventually I managed to tell
her."
'We were equal'
Sema says she is "very proud" because her husband "became a martyr". She wishes she could have died with
him.
"When I went with my brother to collect his body I saw a 20-year-old man and a very old man who had died that
night. There were women among the dead too."
Sema's children smiled as she described a happy and harmonious family life.
"We were equal. He supported me at home in every possible way."
She brought the family albums. One picture showed Akin holding his baby boy for the first time. I looked at
Hamza, and he avoided my gaze.
Then Irmak looked frantically for a picture of all four of them together.
When I asked Sema how she remembered Akin she described her last vision of him. "He was smiling, there was
a light on his face. When I saw him for the last time, I thought he was in a beautiful place."
She strongly believes there will be revenge for Akin and the others who died opposing the coup.
"The people who did this won't get away with it."
Like many others, I have to cross that bridge nearly every day - and its romantic symbolism, connecting two
continents, has been damaged forever.
I will always remember the tanks on it, the people killed by their own army, and the woman and two kids who
were left behind.
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19- Turkey coup attempt: More than 130 media outlets shut
The Turkish authorities have announced the closure of 131 media organisations, as a crackdown
continues following the failed coup on 15 July.
Three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, 45 papers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers will be shut.
One of them, Zaman, once one of Turkey's biggest newspapers, was put under state control in March. Arrest
warrants have been issued for 47 staff.
Many of the media outlets are linked to the US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen
The government says Mr Gulen was behind the army-led attempted coup, a claim he denies.
Separately, the government announced on Wednesday that nearly 1,700 members of the armed forces, including
149 generals and admirals had been discharged.
At least 246 people died during the coup, and more than 2,000 people were injured.
Both the closure of the media outlets and the soldiers' dismissal were announced in Turkey's official Resmi
Gazete.
While most are relatively small provincial outlets, several with a national audience have also been targeted.
Zaman's readers were mostly Gulen supporters, who stopped reading it after the state takeover in March,
rendering it unprofitable.
In addition to the warrants issued for the 47 Zaman staff, authorities had sought the arrest of 42 other journalists
earlier in the week.
Some of the media outlets closed

Cihan, which used to be one of Turkey's largest news agencies
National papers: Zaman and its English language publication Today's Zaman, opposition daily Taraf,
Bugun, Meydan - most linked to Gulen movement
TV stations: Kanalturk, Samanyolu, Samanyolu News, Bugun TV, Yumurcak (children's channel)
Radios: Aktuel, Burc, Dunya
Periodicals: Aksiyon, Sizinti, Nokta
A purge too far? Analysis from Mark Lowen, BBC News, Istanbul
The numbers are staggering: 131 media outlets - newspapers, TV channels, radio stations, magazines, news
agencies and publishing houses - will be closed, accused of spreading the ideology of Fethullah Gulen or
backing the failed coup.
A legitimate clampdown - or a purge too far? The debate rages.
It has long been known that the exiled cleric has controlled or been close to a wide array of media organisations.
Months ago, the main Gulenist press organs - Zaman and Cihan news agency - were taken over, amidst a chorus
of dissent.
Turkey's ranking in the press-freedom index of Reporters without Borders, a media watchdog, was relegated to
151st.
After the attempted coup, the government feels vindicated in its suspicions - and the state of emergency has
given it the power to act.
But the accusations are growing that it is not just Gulenists but also critical journalists with no proven links to
the movement who are being targeted.
Among those discharged from the armed forces are 87 army generals, 30 air force generals and 32 admirals.
The Turkish army also revealed that 8,651 members, or 1.5%, of the nation's armed forces had taken part in the
failed coup.
President Erdogan has vowed to purge state bodies of the "virus" he says caused the revolt.
20- Turkey coup: Lib Dems urge Nato suspension after press crackdown
Nato should consider suspending Turkey, the Lib Dems have said, following its crackdown on the media
and other bodies in response to the recent coup attempt.
The authorities have issued a decree closing 131 media outlets while scores of top journalists have been arrested.
The Lib Dems said the "purge" of critics of the government was contrary to the principles of democracy, liberty
and the rule of law upheld by Nato.
Turkey is a key member of the defence alliance and ally of the United States.
The Turkish government has been accused of using the coup attempt by sections of the military as a pretext to
target journalists and other non-state institutions including judges, academics and teachers.
Three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, 45 papers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers are to be
closed down.
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Many of the media outlets are linked to the Hizmet movement of US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, whom
Turkey's democratically elected president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed for the uprising, a claim Mr Gulen
denies.
'Open society'
Despite strongly condemning the coup and giving its backing to President Erdogan, the international community
has told the government its response must be proportionate, follow due process and avoid indiscriminate
reprisals.
But the Lib Dems, who served in coalition government with the Conservatives between 2010 and 2015 but were
reduced to eight MPs at the last election, have urged Nato to act.
Tom Brake, the party's foreign affairs spokesman, said the flurry of arrests and closure of media outlets in recent
days "should send shivers down the spine of any person who believes in a free and open society".
"Erdogan's ongoing purge of newspapers, academics, teachers and judges has nothing to do with Turkey's
security and everything to do with blocking any opposition to his increasingly authoritarian rule," he said in a
statement to the Lib Dem voice blog.
"The preamble to Nato's founding treaty refers to it being "founded on the principles of democracy, individual
liberty and the rule of law", all of which are under threat in Turkey currently.
"If the UK and our Nato allies want to protect these core principles, it is time to make it clear to Erdogan that his
actions will have lasting international consequences, and I am calling on Nato to urgently consider suspension of
Turkey's membership."
State of emergency
He told the BBC that the UK - a founding member of Nato - should take a firm stance on the issue and should be
insisting that those who had been detained had access to legal representation and anyone who was not charged
was speedily released.
"I hope the new government will use this as an opportunity to demonstrate that human rights are at the core of
our foreign policy and will not be downgraded in favour of international trade," he said.
Turkey already has a poor track record on media freedom, ranking 151 out of 180 countries in this year's World
Press Freedom Index.
At least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in clashes during the abortive coup - 16,000 people
have been detained since then.
Turkey has declared a three-month state of emergency, allowing the president and the government to bypass
parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms.
Earlier this year the EU called for longstanding talks on Turkey becoming a member to be re-energised although
observers have said the coup and the government's response have set back the prospect of any immediate
progress.
EU officials have said the accession talks will be suspended immediately, if the Turkish government
reintroduces the death penalty.
21- Turkey steps up army dismissals over 15 July coup attempt

Turkey's government has sacked another 1,389 soldiers accused of being linked to the coup attempt
earlier this month.
This brings the number of military dismissals to more than 3,000 following the failed coup, in which rebel units
used tanks and aircraft to try to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
On Saturday Mr Erdogan announced steps to put all armed forces under direct government control, amid a
crackdown.
He accuses US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen of being behind the coup attempt.
At least 246 people died as rebel soldiers tried to seize power on 15 July. Mr Gulen denies any involvement.
The latest soldiers to be dismissed include Mr Erdogan's chief military adviser, a top aide to the chief of the
general staff and the defence minister's chief secretary.
On Saturday the government announced plans to close all military academies and bring land, naval and air forces
under the control of the defence ministry.
The proposals need to be approved by parliament.
The coup has triggered a massive purge, with 66,000 public sector workers dismissed and 50,000 passports
cancelled.
The state has also shut 142 media outlets and detained journalists. A three-month state of emergency has also
been declared.
President Erdogan has ignored international unease about the crackdown, telling his foreign critics: "Mind your
own business."
22- Thousands march in Germany in support of Turkey's President Erdogan

Tens of thousands of people in Germany have turned out in support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip
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Erdogan, in a rally that raised diplomatic tensions.
Mr Erdogan had planned to address the rally in the city of Cologne, held to denounce an attempted coup two
weeks ago, by video link.
But on Saturday, Germany's Constitutional Court banned the speech from being broadcast.
German media said at least 35,000 people turned out.
An estimated three million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, the majority of whom voted for Mr
Erdogan's AKP party in the last Turkish election, according to the Turkish Communities in Germany
organisation.
"We are here because our compatriots in Germany advocate democracy and are against the attempted military
coup," Turkey's German-born Sport and Youth Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic said in Cologne.
A message by Mr Erdogan, thanking the demonstrators for their support, was read out.
"It is said so often that this is the pro-Erdogan rally but it is not, it is an anti-coup demonstration," said one
woman, Kevser Demir. "And I think that it is a duty of humanity to stay against such a coup."
Close to 2,700 police officers were deployed in Cologne. A far-right rally was held at the same time, but
participants were kept far away from the Turkish demonstrators.
A handful of counter-protesters were also in attendance. One, Gulistan Gul, said it was crucial to speak out
against Mr Erdogan.
"He is trying to have sole power over the people there," he said. "And we are against that dictatorship. The Kurds
are oppressed, Armenians are oppressed, other minorities and religions are oppressed."
German media said the court ruling was made because of concerns about public order.
Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik had condemned the decision in a series of tweets.
And Mr Erdogan's spokesman said Germany owed the president "a satisfactory explanation".
Mr Erdogan says US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen was behind the coup.
Turkey's government has sacked another 1,389 soldiers accused of being linked to the coup attempt on 15 July,
in which rebels tried to oust President Erdogan.
This raises the number of military dismissals above 3,000 since the failed coup.
23- Turkey's President Erdogan seeks to rein in spy agency after coup
Turkey's president has said he wants to close the nation's military academies and put the spy agency and
the military chief of staff under his own control.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the proposals would be brought before parliament.
The measures are the latest in a large-scale crackdown launched after the failed coup on 15 July.
The authorities say Fetullah Gulen was behind the army-led coup in which at least 246 people died. The US-
based cleric denies the allegation.
'Mind your own business'
"We are going to introduce a small constitutional package which, if approved, will bring the National
Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and chief of staff under the control of the presidency," President Erdogan told
Turkey's A Haber television on Saturday.
"Military schools will be shut down... we will establish a national defence university," he said.
The president added that the size of the gendarmerie would be cut, but its weaponry would be increased.
Mr Erdogan needs a two-thirds majority for the proposals to be adopted and therefore will have to secure support
from opposition parties.
Turkey announced a military reshuffle on Thursday, including the dishonourable discharge of 1,700 military
servicemen. About 40% of generals and admirals have been discharged since the coup.
More than 66,000 public sector workers have been dismissed from their posts and 50,000 passports cancelled,
while the labour ministry is investigating 1,300 of its staff.
The state has shut 142 media outlets and detained several journalists.
A three-month state of emergency has also been declared across the country.
President Erdogan has also stepped up his attacks on nations criticising his actions, telling them to "mind your
own business".
He has accused US Gen Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command, of being "on the side of the coup plotters".
Gen Votel responded by saying that any reports that he was involved in the abortive coup were "unfortunate and
completely inaccurate".
24- Turkey failed coup: US military chief condemns plotters

The top US military figure has strongly condemned last month's failed coup in Turkey, as Washington
seeks to ease strained ties.
The chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Joseph Dunford, met PM Binali Yildirim in Ankara.
Turkey has been angered by what it sees as a readiness by allies to criticise Turkey's reaction to the failed coup,
rather than the coup-plotters.
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But Mr Yildirim also conceded mistakes had been made in the coup aftermath.
His office released a statement saying Gen Dunford had condemned the coup attempt and was visiting Ankara to
support Turkish democracy and its people.
"It is important that the United States, our friend and ally, display a clear and decisive stance against this terrorist
coup attempt against our nation and democracy," Mr Yildirim said.
Ahead of the meetings, US joint staff spokesman Capt Greg Hicks had confirmed Gen Dunford would "deliver
messages condemning in the strongest terms the recent coup attempt".
Some protesters in Ankara were unconvinced, with banners reading: "Coup plotter Dunford get out of Turkey"
and "Dunford go home. Send us Fethullah."
Turkey has urged the US to extradite the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who it accuses of being behind the coup
attempt, something he denies. Mr Yildirim repeated the request to Gen Dunford.
Turkey's government has cracked down on those it considers linked to the coup-plotters.
Tens of thousands of people have been arrested, or dismissed or suspended from roles in the military, judiciary,
civil service and education.
However, Mr Yildirim, in comments carried by the Anadolu news agency, said the crackdown may have gone
too far in some cases.
"There must definitely be some among them who were subjected to unfair procedures," he said.
Gen Dunford also visited the Incirlik military base, which is used by US and other planes for attacks on so-called
Islamic State (IS) in Syria.
Turkey, a key member of the Nato military alliance, is seen as vital in the fight against IS jihadists.
At least 246 people were killed in clashes during the attempt to depose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 15
July.
Earlier on Monday, the authorities said they had captured all but one of the soldiers accused of trying to seize the
president as he was on holiday in Marmaris.
Special forces arrested another 11 soldiers on Sunday night in a forested area after a two-week manhunt near the
resort in the south-west.
Turkey also summoned Germany's charge d'affaires to the foreign ministry in Ankara to explain why Mr
Erdogan was prevented from addressing a rally in Cologne via a video-link on Sunday.
At least 30,000 rallied in the German city in support of the Turkish president.
Cologne police had initially banned the organisers from erecting a large video screen at the demonstration.
A court then ruled that a screen could be used, but only to relay speeches of those present at the rally.
There are about three million ethnic Turks living in Germany, Turkey's largest diaspora community.
25- Turkey coup attempt: Erdogan 'snatch squad' soldiers captured

Turkey says it has captured all but one of the soldiers accused of trying to seize the president during last
month's failed coup.
Special forces arrested another 11 soldiers overnight after a two-week manhunt near Marmaris.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on holiday at the resort in south-west Turkey on the night of the coup attempt, but
fled before his hotel was raided.
The fugitives were located in a forested area, reports say.
Since the failed putsch Mr Erdogan has targeted people suspected of links to those involved.
Tens of thousands of people have been detained, or dismissed or suspended from roles in the military, judiciary,
civil service and education.
Over the weekend Mr Erdogan announced a sweeping reform of Turkey's armed forces to bring them under full
civilian control.
Turkey has summoned Germany's charge d'affaires to the foreign ministry in Ankara to explain why Mr Erdogan
was prevented from addressing a rally in Cologne via a video-link on Sunday.
At least 30,000 rallied in the German city in support of the Turkish president.
Cologne police had initially banned the organisers from erecting a large video screen at the demonstration. This
ban was partially overturned by a regional court, which ruled that a large screen could be used, but only to relay
the speeches of people physically present at the rally.
The right to freedom of assembly did not apply to "the delivery of opinions by a member of a foreign
government or head of state via video-link," the court found.
Germany's highest court confirmed the ruling after an appeal.
There are about three million ethnic Turks living in Germany, Turkey's largest diaspora community.
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus accused Germany of "double standards".
Turkish authorities accuse US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup attempt, something he
denies.
The rebel soldiers were spotted by villagers hunting boar in the forested area near Marmaris. Gunfire was
exchanged during the operation but no casualties were reported.
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The soldiers arrested overnight on Sunday and Monday morning include Major Sukru Seymen, the alleged
commander, according to Anadolu news agency.
More than 20 other members of the military squad suspected of involvement had already been remanded in
custody to face trial, the agency reports.
During the coup attempt on 15 July Mr Erdogan spoke live on TV via his mobile phone. He said he had narrowly
escaped an attempt on his life.
According to official reports, the president's security team was tipped off that a squad of soldiers was heading to
his hotel and moved him.
Turkey's interior minister said on Friday that more than 18,000 people had been detained over the failed coup.
More than 9,000 of them have been formally arrested.
Nearly 50,000 Turkish citizens have had their passports cancelled, Efkan Ala told state TV.
Analysis - By Jonathan Head in Istanbul
The sweeping reforms of the armed forces announced by President Erdogan could put the military under full
civilian control for the first time in the country's modern history, with the aim of preventing future coup
attempts.
However, dealing with the movement the government blames for instigating the coup will be a more complex
task.
Millions of Turks are believed to be followers of the exiled Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, many of them
successful and influential.
More than 60,000 have already been dismissed from state employment; more than 3,000 military officers with
suspected links to the preacher have also been sacked.
But eliminating them from other areas like business would require a purge on a massive scale, something
Turkey's fragile economy may not be able to sustain.
26- Turkey coup attempt: Court issues arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen
A court in Istanbul has issued an arrest warrant for US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen over Turkey's recent
failed coup, media reports say.
The warrant accuses Mr Gulen of "ordering the 15 July coup attempt", the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkey has repeatedly urged the US to extradite Mr Gulen. He denies any role.
Turkey has cracked down heavily on those it believes responsible for the coup attempt, with much of the
emphasis on perceived supporters of the cleric.
Tens of thousands of public sector workers have been suspended or dismissed, with many having their passports
cancelled. There has also been a massive reshuffle of the military.
About 18,000 people have been detained or arrested.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also pledged to tackle businesses linked to Mr Gulen.
He told heads of the chambers of commerce in Ankara on Thursday: "This organisation has an extension in the
business world. Maybe it is what they are most powerful at. Because it is a rule: no project can be successful
without financing.
"We are determined to totally cut off all business links of this organisation, which has blood on its hands."
More than 270 people died in events surrounding the coup attempt.
Mr Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Turkey has yet to make a formal request for his extradition. The US has said its judiciary will consider a request
when filed. It also asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, which Turkey says it has supplied.
27- Turkey coup bid: Fethullah Gulen's lawyers fear attack on his life
Lawyers for US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen say they fear an attack on his life, in the wake of the
failed coup attempt on 15 July in Turkey.
Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Gulen, accusing him of orchestrating the coup attempt. It has called
on the US to extradite him.
Mr Gulen denies any involvement.
Turkey has cracked down heavily in the wake of the coup attempt. On Friday the governing AK Party ordered an
internal purge of Gulen supporters.
More than 270 people died in events surrounding the coup attempt.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Mr Gulen's lawyers said they expected him to remain at the
Pennsylvania compound where he lives in self-imposed exile, and not attempt to flee.
Mr Gulen is a reclusive figure who rarely makes contact with the media.
Legal battle looms: By the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Washington

Turkey's demand for the immediate extradition of Fethullah Gulen is putting a strain on US relations with
Turkey, a crucial Middle East ally and indispensable regional partner in the fight against so-called Islamic State.
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On the one hand, US officials have acknowledged the national trauma triggered by the coup attempt. On the
other, they are uneasy about the purges that followed and want to be sure Mr Gulen is not the target of a political
vendetta.
They have been more cautious than European governments about criticising the extent of the crackdown. But
when it comes to the extradition request, they emphasise the need for evidence that would directly link the cleric
to the failed coup and would stand up in a US court.
They have made clear this is a legal process that will play out over months. The justice department is currently
going through documents Turkey has submitted to determine whether they constitute a formal extradition
request.
Mr Gulen's lawyers said it was unlikely any extradition request would stand up in a US court and there was
almost no chance that their client would get a fair trial in Turkey, given what had been said against him there
since the coup attempt.
One of the lawyers, Reid Weingarten, said: "It would be unprecedented and appalling if the United States took a
frail almost-octogenarian, plopped him on a plane to go back into that kind of setting with the hideous things that
are being said about him by the entire Turkish government."
Much of Turkey's crackdown has targeted perceived supporters of the cleric.
Tens of thousands of public sector workers have been suspended or dismissed, with many having their passports
cancelled. There has also been a massive reshuffle of the military.
Now local branches of the AK Party have been told to begin a purge of suspected Gulenists in their ranks.
Mr Gulen had been a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan until a bitter split between his movement and
the party of the president three years ago.
Turkey has listed Mr Gulen's movement as a terrorist organisation.
28- Turkey coup: Erdogan backs return of death penalty at vast Istanbul rally
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told a vast rally in Istanbul that he would approve the
return of the death penalty if it was backed by parliament and the public.
He was speaking to a crowd of at least a million who had gathered in Turkey's biggest city.
The rally followed last month's failed military coup.
Mr Erdogan also said the state would be cleansed of all supporters of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The cleric is blamed by the Turkish government for the attempted uprising. He denies any involvement.
Religious figures and leaders of two of Turkey's three opposition parties attended the rally. The Kurdish party
was not invited.
More than 270 people died in events surrounding the 15 July coup attempt, which triggered a government
crackdown.
Thousands of alleged supporters of Mr Gulen have been detained or dismissed from government jobs.
Western nations have been critical of the government's response to the coup. The European Union - which
Turkey has applied to join - refuses to accept capital punishment in member states.
'Five million'
The parade ground, built to hold more than a million people, was overflowing, with streets of surrounding
neighbourhoods clogged by crowds, Reuters news agency reports.
Turkish government sources said five million people had attended, with the event broadcast live on public
screens at smaller rallies across Turkey's provinces.
Mr Erdogan told the rally: "It is the Turkish parliament that will decide on the death penalty... I declare it in
advance, I will approve the decision made by the parliament.
"They say there is no death penalty in the EU... Well, the US has it; Japan has it; China has it; most of the world
has it. So they are allowed to have it. We used to have it until 1984. Sovereignty belongs to the people, so if the
people make this decision I am sure the political parties will comply."
The president railed against Mr Gulen's movement, hinting of further hardline measures to come.
"July 15 showed our friends that this country isn't just strong against political, economic and diplomatic attacks,
but against military sabotage as well. It showed that it will not fall, it will not be derailed," Mr Erdogan said.
"Of course we have to uncover all members of this organisation and eradicate them within the framework of the
law, but if we content ourselves with just that, then we as a state and a nation will leave weak our defence
against similar viruses."
The "Democracy and Martyrs' Rally" was the climax of three weeks of nightly demonstrations by Mr Erdogan's
supporters around the country.
Speaking ahead of Mr Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told the rally that Mr Gulen would be brought to
Turkey and made to pay the price for the coup attempt.
"Let all of you know, the leader of this terrorist group will come to Turkey and pay for what he did," Mr
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Yildirim said.
In a rare address to a public rally, the head of Turkey's armed forces, Hulusi Akar, said "traitors" would be
punished in the harshest way, and thanked civilians for their role in defeating the uprising.
Former ally
The crackdown in Turkey has seen tens of thousands of public sector workers suspended or dismissed, with
many having their passports cancelled. There has also been a massive reshuffle of the military.
Local branches of the AK Party have been told to begin a purge of suspected Gulenists in their ranks.
Mr Gulen was a close ally of President Erdogan until a bitter split between his movement and the party of the
president three years ago.
Turkey has listed Mr Gulen's movement as a terrorist organisation.
29- Turkey coup: Ex-footballer Hakan Sukur sought over Gulen links
Turkish prosecutors investigating the failed July coup have issued an arrest warrant for one of the
country's best-known footballers, ex-international Hakan Sukur, state media report.
Searches were carried out at two houses in western Turkey, as officials said he faced charges of being a member
of an "armed terrorist organisation".
A former MP for the ruling AK party, Hakan Sukur is a known supporter of the cleric blamed for the botched
coup.
He moved to the US several months ago.
A warrant was also issued for the ex-footballer's father, Sermet Sukur. He was arrested in his hometown of
Adapazari after he was seen at a local mosque and reported to the police. Sermet Sukur for years acted as his
son's manager.
Hakan Sukur's twitter account and website were not publicly accessible on Friday. However, he has expressed
support for cleric Fethullah Gulen in the past.
Hakan Sukur played for Turkey 112 times and scored 51 international goals
Joined Galatasaray in 1992 and was part of their Uefa Cup-winning team in 2000
Had spells with Torino (in 1995) and later with Inter Milan, Parma and Blackburn Rovers
Scored fastest-ever World Cup goal, after 11 seconds against South Korea in 2002
Retiring in 2007, he was an AKP MP for two years from 2011
Mr Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in the US and the Turkish government has called for his extradition to face
trial on charges of masterminding the failed 15 July coup. He denies involvement.
Some 270 people died and many more were wounded when parts of the armed forces tried to seize power.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by purging the military and public services of tens of thousands of
people suspected of following Mr Gulen, whom the government accuses of setting up a parallel state.
Hakan Sukur went on trial in absentia in June for insulting President Erdogan on social media and the decision
by prosecutors to seek his arrest is not seen as a surprise because of his support for the US-based preacher.
30- Turkey coup inquiry: Police raid companies and target CEOs
Turkish police have raided 44 companies and are seeking the arrest of 120 company executives, as part of
the investigation into last month's failed coup, state media report.
The companies in Istanbul targeted by prosecutors are suspected of channelling funds to the movement of US-
based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The cleric is accused of organising the botched coup.
His followers are alleged to have set up a parallel state.
The co-ordinated raids, backed up by riot police, took place in the Uskudar and Umraniye districts of eastern
Istanbul, Anadolu news agency said.
Some 240 people died resisting the coup on 15 and 16 July, as rebel parts of the military tried to seize control of
Turkey, sending tanks into Ankara and Istanbul.
Since then Turks have witnessed a purge of the military and public services. An estimated 26,000 people have
been detained and 82,000 dismissed or suspended. On Monday, police raided three Istanbul court houses
searching for 173 judicial officials.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed earlier this month to root out businesses, schools and charities linked to
Fethullah Gulen, which he labelled "nests of terrorism". But, he said, it was in the business world that the roots
of Gulenism were strongest.
"We will cut off all business links, all revenues of Gulen-linked business. We are not going to show anyone any
mercy," he said.
Turkey recovers from traumatic night - by Mark Lowen:
"It was a night of horror - but we weren't scared for our lives, we were scared for our nation," says Ravza
140

Kavakci Kan, an MP with the governing AK Party, as we tour the destruction in parliament.
"But this was the day we would defend our democracy. It brought the Turkish people together in solidarity. It
was our liberation war."
Mr Gulen, 75, lives in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania and denies involvement in the botched
coup, however the Turkish authorities are seeking his extradition.
One factor that may dissuade the US authorities from extraditing him is that the Turkish parliament is expected
to consider bringing back the death penalty. If they do, Mr Erdogan has said he will not stand in the MPs' way.
Any purge of business in Turkey risks alienating foreign investors. Ratings agency S&P downgraded its credit
rating for Turkey last month and Germany's trade association warned against new investment in the country.
However, Turkish officials say they are optimistic that an improvement in relations with Russia will boost direct
investment.
Turkish authorities have already targeted high-profile businesses as part of the coup investigation.
Three executives at Boydak Holding, one of Turkish largest conglomerates, were detained as part of the
crackdown. The group has firms in energy and finance as well as furniture.
141

RT (Russia Today)

Gunfire, military helicopters in Ankara, https://www.rt.com/news
1 PM says 'coup attempt' by part of army A 15 July 2016 /351334-ankara-
underway shooting-jets-helicopters/
Turkish military declares takeover of https://www.rt.com/news
2 country, top officials reportedly taken A 15 July 2016 /351343-turkey-coup-
hostage military-attempt/
Erdogan calls people onto streets on https://www.rt.com/news
3 CNN Turk via mobile phone, says will A 15 July 2016 /351373-erdogan-cnn-
overcome coup turk-coup-announcement/
Soldiers surrender weapons on https://www.rt.com/news
4 Istanbuls Taksim Square amid reports A 15 July 2016 /351407-istanbul-army-
of fighting with casualties protesters-clashes/
At least 60 dead in attempted Turkish https://www.rt.com/news
5 coup as shootouts continue in Ankara A 16 July 2016 /351472-turkish-coup-
& Istanbul shooting-casualties/
Turkey says US is 'no friend' for https://www.rt.com/news
6 harboring 'coup planner' Gulen A 16 July 2016 /351611-turkey-us-
friend-coup/
Turkish coup no carte blanche for https://www.rt.com/news
7 purges, French FM says, as number of A 17 July 2016 /351763-ayrault-erdogan-
arrests reaches 6,000 turkey-coup/
People want these terrorists dead: https://www.rt.com/news
8 Erdogan ready to reintroduce death A 19 July 2016 /351986-turkey-erdogan-
penalty after failed coup death-penalty/
Turkey post-coup purge: Licenses of https://www.rt.com/news
9 21,000 teachers revoked, 1,577 deans A 19 July 2016 /352119-turkey-purge-
ordered to resign coup-attempt/
Turkeys main Muslim body prohibits https://www.rt.com/news
10 religious funerals of coup supporters A 20 July 2016 /352285-turkey-muslim-
funeral-coup/
Turkish coupists planned to charge https://www.rt.com/news
Erdogan with overly gentle treatment /352414-erdogan-
11 B 21 July 2016
of Kurds report kurdish-terrorism-
indictment/
US can't lecture Turkey on rule of law': https://www.rt.com/usa/3
12 Trump praises Erdogan after coup B 21 July 2016 52464-trump-erdogan-
attempt turkey-nato/
Erdogan to eradicate separatist & https://www.rt.com/news
13 terrorist infiltrators, inject army with B 22 July 2016 /352587-erdogan-
fresh blood infiltrators-army-reform/
Turkey arrests nephew of alleged coup https://www.rt.com/news
14 plotter Fethullah Gulen B 23 July 2016 /352899-turkey-gulen-
nephew-arrest/
Failed Turkish coup attempt https://www.rt.com/news
15 sympathizers suffer torture & rape B 24 July 2016 /353032-turkish-
Amnesty authorities-torture-
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detained/
Erdogan says Turkish people want https://www.rt.com/news
16 death penalty reintroduced, slams EU B 26 July 2016 /353277-turkey-erdogan-
for inaction death-penalty-eu/
Turkey issues warrants for further 47 https://www.rt.com/news
17 journalists as 15K detained over failed B 27 July 2016 /353544-journalists-
coup arrested-turkey-coup/
RT visits Erdogans self-exiled arch- https://www.rt.com/news
18 nemesis Fethullah Gulen at his US B 29 July 2016 /353951-gulen-
estate pennsylvania-estate-visit/
1,000s Turkish forces surround https://www.rt.com/news
NATOs Incirlik air base for /354042-turkish-police-
19 B 30 July 2016
inspection amid rumors of coup incirlik-nato-coup/
attempt
Do not import conflict German https://www.rt.com/news
20 politicians ahead of massive pro- and B 30 July 2016 /354035-erdogan-rally-
anti-Erdogan demos in Cologne germany-politicians/
Erdogan dismisses 1,400 army staff, https://www.rt.com/news
21 announces sweeping overhaul of C 31 July 2016 /354050-erdogan-
Turkish military military-reform-schools/
Coup attempt cost Turkish economy https://www.rt.com/busin
22 $100bn - Trade Minister C 2 Aug 2016 ess/354271-turkey-coup-
cost-billions/
British MP financed by group linked to https://www.rt.com/uk/35
23 failed Turkey coup C 2 Aug 2016 4264-turkey-coup-mp-
link/
Erdogan cheated death when coup pilot https://www.rt.com/news
24 chasing him ran out of fuel state C 5 Aug 2016 /354685-erdogan-
media assassination-f16-refuel/
Gift from God: Erdogan reasserts https://www.rt.com/news
25 dominance with huge Istanbul rally C 7 Aug 2016 /355007-erdogan-rally-
unity-death-penalty/
Austrian, German party leaders https://www.rt.com/news
26 compare Turkeys post-coup C 7 Aug 2016 /354909-austria-
crackdown to Hitler power grab germany-nazi-turkey/
Turkish FM: West failed test following https://www.rt.com/news
27 coup attempt, in danger of losing C 10 Aug 2016 /355404-eu-failed-
Turkey turkey-test/
Erdogan ultimatum: US has to choose https://www.rt.com/news
28 between Turkey & Gulen C 11 Aug 2016 /355509-us-choice-
turkey-gulen/
Turkey issues arrest warrant for ex- https://www.rt.com/sport/
29 football star Hakan Sukur over failed C 12 Aug 2016 355718-turkey-issues-
coup arrest-hakan-sukur/
Can Russia trust Turkey this time? https://www.rt.com/op-
30 C 12 Aug 2016 edge/355661-russia-trust-
turkey-erdogan/
143

1- Gunfire, military helicopters in Ankara, PM says 'coup attempt' by part of army underway
Part of the military is attempting a coup in Turkey, the countrys Prime Minister Binali Yldrm said, following
reports of military jets and helicopters flying low over Ankara and Istanbul.
"Some people took illegal action outside of the chain of command," Yildirim told news network NTV. "The
government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so," he
added.
According to the PM, Turkish security forces were doing what needs to be done to resolve the situation.
The Turkish military has issued a statement saying that it has taken over power in the country from President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional
order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and general security that was damaged, the statement read.
CNN Turk later reported that president Erdogan, was safe, despite claims by the military that theyve taken
over.
According to Reuters, the coup attempt occurred when Erdogan was on vacation outside the country.
State-run Anadolu news agency reported that the Turkish military chief of staff, Hulusi Akar, was among those
taken hostage by the pro-coup forces in Ankara. The hostages are being held at military HQ in the capital.
The office of Erdogans ruling AKP party in Istanbul has been surrounded by soldiers, according to Twitter
reports.
Earlier, a military helicopter has reportedly opened fire in the district of Ankara where the Turkish National
Intelligence Organization headquarters is situated.
According to local news agencies, a large number of ambulance vehicles has been sent towards the Turkish
General Staff building in the capital.
Ankaras mayor, Ibrahim Melih Gokcek, used Twitter to call on all the citizens to take to the streets.
Everybody to the streets, he wrote.
Shooting is being reported in the Turkish capital, Ankara, with military jets and helicopters seen in the sky above
the city.
According to reports on Twitter, the authorities have closed the two Bosporus bridges in Istanbul, where military
jets have also been spotted flying.
All flights were cancelled at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul where tanks were deployed on Friday night.
Facebook and Twitter services were blocked in Ankara on Friday, RIA-Novosti reported.
According to local media, all security personnel have been urgently called in to work.
Turkish state-run television network TRT has been shut down, Bloomberg reported.
2- Turkish military declares takeover of country, top officials reportedly taken hostage
Turkeys government appears to have been overthrown in a coup, as the military claimed taking control over the
country.
Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional
order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security that was damaged, the military said
in a statement. All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all
countries will continue.
Heavily armed soldiers and military vehicles closed the two main bridges in Istanbul Friday evening, and while
low-flying military jets could be heard overhead.
Around midnight local time, a TRT anchor announced the country was now run by a Peace Council that will
ensure the safety of the population.
Tanks have been posted outside Istanbuls Ataturk International Airport and in other locations in the city.
Access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube is being blocked, while the state-owned TRT television has gone off
the air, according to reports from inside Turkey. It's website shows weather.
Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command," Prime Minister Bulent
Yildirim said, in comments broadcast by private channel NTV.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag reportedly blamed the coup on Fethullah Glen, a Turkish preacher currently
residing in the US. A former ally of President Erdogans AKP party, Glen fell out of favor in 2013.
President Recep Erdogan is reportedly on vacation in the southern Turkish resort town of Bodrum.
About half an hour after midnight local time on Saturday, Erdogan appeared on CNN Turk (via Skype), issuing a
statement blaming "parallel state" for the coup, calling for people to take to the streets, and vowing "We will
overcome this."
Tanks have been posted outside Istanbuls Ataturk International Airport, while armored vehicles were
photographed outside TRT offices.
All flights from Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport have been canceled, Reuters reported citing a witness.
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The Turkish military announced it was seizing power in the country to protect the democratic order and to
maintain human rights.
People are standing in lines to get money from ATM's.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said he hopes for peace and continuity in Turkey, AFP reported.
3- Erdogan calls people onto streets on CNN Turk via mobile phone, says will overcome coup
Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appeared live on CNN Turk via FaceTime on the presenters cell
phone, saying the ongoing military coup in the country will be overcome and calling on people to protest.
Erdogan has urged the nation to come out to the "squares and airports," saying that no force can stand the power
of the people.
Reassuring the audience that he still is the president of Turkey and its commander-in-chief, Erdogan has
described the situation as an attempted uprising by a minority in the army.
According to Reuters, the coup attempt occurred when Erdogan was on vacation outside the country. In his TV
appearance, the president said he was returning to the Turkish capital of Ankara.
The authorities would take all "necessary steps," he said, adding that he didn't believe the coup backers would
succeed.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Erdogans plane has been diverted inside the country, but airports in
the Turkish capital had already been closed by the military with all flights diverted.
NBC News reported that Erdogan's aircraft has been denied permission to land in Istanbul, citing a source in the
US military.
Senior US military source tells NBC News that Erdogan, refused landing rights in Istanbul, is reported to be
seeking asylum in Germany.
Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 15, 2016
The latest report claims that the Turkish president is seeking asylum in Germany.
While the whereabouts of the Turkish president are still unknown, there have been unconfirmed reports that his
plane has been flying across Europe. It has been claimed that Erdogan has been declined landing rights in
Germany and Western media sources say he might be now heading for London.
NBC reporting that President Erdogan's asylum request has been rejected by the Germans, he is thought to be
flying to London
Politico Daily (@Politico_Daily) July 15, 2016
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has reportedly refused to call the ongoing events a coup, saying that "for the
moment... this is an uprising," Hurriyet Daily News reported. Speaking to broadcaster NTV, the PM said that
those behind it will be punished "the hardest way."
Speaking live on local television, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Erdogan's AK Party
was still in charge of the government, Reuters reported.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has claimed that the people behind the coup are members of the movement that is
loyal to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, according to Reuters. President Erdogan and his supporters within the
government have described the military behind the coup as a small faction.
They would be defeated, the officials said, with one of the senior officials saying it might take some 24 hours to
restore order within the country, Reuters reported.
The exiled preacher, who has resided in the US since 1999, was a firm ally of Erdogan as the then-president-to-
be rose through Turkish politics. The two then fell out, however, with Gulen now facing a life sentence in
Turkey for orchestrating an earlier coup.
4- Soldiers surrender weapons on Istanbuls Taksim Square amid reports of fighting with casualties
The Turkish military has opened fire and used tanks against crowds of civilians in the city of Istanbul amid
protests against the ongoing coup, reports and footage on social media show.
Witnesses reported hearing two explosions near Istanbuls Taksim Square, while AP reported that the police and
the military once again exchanged fire on the square.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that around 30 Turkish soldiers who were attempting to support the military coup
have surrendered their weapons to police in Istanbuls central Taksim Square.
As the soldiers were turning over their weapons, a fighter jet flew by at low altitude, triggering a sonic boom that
shattered the windows of nearby buildings.
Earlier, soldiers reportedly fired on protesters trying to cross Istanbul's Bosporus bridge. Several people are said
to be wounded, according to media.
At least 150 people were admitted to Istanbuls Haydarpasa Numune Hospital with injuries, AP reported, citing
an official. Earlier, NTV said that at least six dead bodies were transported to the same hospital.
Meanwhile, Anadolu Agency said that at least two civilians died as military shot at people protesting the
attempted coup in Istanbul.
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Video footage from the scene showed people taking shelter behind a bus as panic ensues. Others were seen
carrying the wounded away to safety.
An AFP photographer said he saw wounded people being taken away from Bosphorus Bridge by ambulances to
hospitals.
Turkish troops open fire on Bosporus Bridge. People carry the wounded. pic.twitter.com/vP1T07pYGg
Gilgo (@agirecudi) July 15, 2016
A separate video showed a tank crashing into a car seemingly blocking the militarys way.
Protesters attempted to block the tanks by climbing on top of them and hitting them with objects.
Turkeys Dogan news agency confirmed reports of soldiers shooting at protesters trying to cross Istanbul's
Bosporus bridge, adding that some have been injured.
Turkeys special forces commander said that the countrys armed forces do not condone the actions of an
attempted coup.
TV footage released by the news agency showed people running to take cover.
Police forces and protesters gave soldiers blocking the Bosphorus bridge a last warning to surrender, stating that
they have two hours to leave, according to reports.
At least one protestor has died in an altercation outside the AKP party headquarters in Istanbul.
The military has moved to the base of the Taksim monument at Taksim square in Istanbul, AP reported, adding
that random shots are being fired into a crowd of government supporters.
Meanwhile, police arrested four soldiers who tried to storm the building of state-television TRT in Istanbul,
Anadolu Agency said.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing another massive explosion in Istanbul at around 4:40 a.m. local time. The exact
location was unknown.
The attempted military coup has been "suppressed" and organizers are now being arrested, Istanbul Governor
Vasip Sahin told NTV.
Istanbul's skdar. Tank getting blocked by protesters. pic.twitter.com/GrNKtiQV59
Gilgo (@agirecudi) July 15, 2016
The Turkish Parliament has scheduled an emergency meeting on Saturday to address the attempted coup,
Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman said.
5- At least 60 dead in attempted Turkish coup as shootouts continue in Ankara & Istanbul
Intense gunfire has resumed in the Turkish capital, Ankara, by the parliament and General Staff buildings, with
massive casualties reported as police battled pro-coup military forces. In Istanbul, at least six people were killed
and 150 taken to hospitals.
Pro-government forces are now in control of Turkeys military headquarters, Reuters quoted a senior Turkish
official as saying. However, a small group of pro-coup soldiers is still fighting and have control of several
military helicopters.
A faction of pro-coup soldiers are still fighting fiercely against those who oppose them, Reuters cited Turkish
military General Staff as saying in a statement. The soldiers are referring to themselves as the Peace at Home
Movement and urging people to stay inside their homes for safety.
Earlier, the soldiers who attempted a military coup opened fire on people gathered at the parliament and General
Staff buildings, Anadolu news agency reported, adding that there were casualties.
The prosecutors office has announced that at least 60 people were killed during the coup attempt.
A total of about 800 people are in hospitals, including some 200 in Ankara, President of Red Crescent Turkey Dr
Kerem Kinik said.
The presidential palace in Ankara was hit by a bomb dropped by one of the aircraft controlled by the pro-coup
military, NTV reported. Footage of black smoke rising from the area has been posted on Twitter.
The aircraft was allegedly an F-16 jet and it dropped two bombs, Daily Sabah reported, adding that people were
injured in the attack. Earlier, images on Twitter allegedly showed a human shield around the fence of the
presidential complex.
Five people died as bombs landed near the presidential palace in Ankara, state-run Anadolu Agency said.
Earlier, Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman said that nobody had been killed during the attacks on the
parliament, although a few police officers had been injured. All the deputies are safe and unharmed, AP reported
him as saying.
Kahraman stated that a bomb hit a corner of a public relations building inside the parliament complex, injuring a
number of officers.
Over 130 people have been detained in connection with the failed coup attempt, Prime Minister Binali
Yildirim said. Images show soldiers being escorted away by citizens.
Yildirim told the public that things are getting better every minute and called on people to remain in the
streets in support of the government.
He added that jets seized by coup plotters were still in the air, but that the Air Force had orders to shoot them
146

down.
At least 150 people were admitted to Istanbuls Haydarpasa Numune Hospital with injures, AP reported. Earlier,
local broadcaster NTV said that at least six dead bodies were transported to the same hospital.
The remaining soldiers on Istanbuls Bosporus Bridge have surrendered, according to local reports.
Boaz kprsn de tank tomay vurmu. pic.twitter.com/iJTII8rCEe
Musa zbek (@musaozbekk) July 16, 2016
Istanbuls Bosporus Strait has been closed off to tanker traffic by the authorities, Reuters quoted a shipping agent
from GAC, one of worlds largest ship agencies, as saying.
6- Turkey says US is 'no friend' for harboring 'coup planner' Gulen

The Turkish government has indirectly criticized its NATO ally, the US, for providing a safe haven for Fethullah
Glen, whom Ankara blames for masterminding Fridays military coup attempt. The cleric is currently living in
self-imposed exile in the States.
I do not see any country that would stand behind this man, this leader of the terrorist gang, especially after last
night. The country that would stand behind this man is no friend to Turkey. It would even be a hostile act against
Turkey, Prime Minister Binali Yldrm told reporters on Saturday, as Turkey was recovering from overnight
violence.
Commenting on Turkeys hostility towards the 75-year-old preacher, US Secretary of State John Kerry said
Ankara hadnt requested the clerics extradition. The US official said that Washington will be "completely
supportive of efforts to assist the government of Turkey," but insisted that any decision on Gulen will be taken on
the basis of legal, and not political considerations.
"We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr Gulen, and obviously we invite the government
of Turkey to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny and the United States will accept
that and look at it and make judgments appropriately and I am confident there will be some discussion about
that," Kerry told reporters during his trip to Luxembourg.
Following Kerry's statement, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly demanded Gulen's extradition
during a televised government meeting in Ankara.
Speaking to media inside the extensive complex in Saylorsburg Pennsylvania, where he lives and preaches,
Gulen rejected Turkey's accusations, and countenanced the possibility that the coup was a false flag operation.
There is a possibility that it could be a staged coup (by Mr Erdogans AKP) and it could be meant for further
accusations (against the Gulenist and the military), said Gulen.
Glen was a political ally of Erdogan when he was Turkeys Prime Minister, but the two fell out and became
bitter rivals. Ankara accuses Glen of creating a parallel state in the form of a network of supporters among
Turkish officials. Erdogan accused Glen of masterminding a corruption scandal involving senior government
figures in 2013, and launched a crackdown against his organization.
A faction of the Turkish military attempted to topple the government overnight, but failed in its bid. The
attempted power grab involved tanks and helicopters, as government buildings were attacked and violent clashes
erupted between government loyalists and rebels in Istanbul and Ankara.
The hostilities left over 260 people killed and many others injured. The government has responded to the coup
by initiating a massive purge in the military.
Binoy Kampmark of the RMIT University told RT that while willful and erratic Erdogan has been increasingly
unpopular in the White House, the coup put the US in a tight spot.
"The US doesn't want an overly belligerent Turkish government, but, by the same token they don't want an
unstable one. Turkey, with the largest standing army in NATO, is definitely a source of concern," he said via an
online uplink.
"If the coup had been successful, the US would have protested, but they can deal with the Turkish military,
probably better than with Erdogan. They could deal with him before, but with his crackdown on democracy, and
the Kurds, who are fighting ISIS, he has become an embarrassment, and after the coup it will get worse,"
defense analyst Ivan Eland told RT.
Kerry has told Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavosoglu on Saturday that claims of US involvement in
Turkeys failed coup hurt relations between the two countries, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
Kerry also urged Turkey to follow the rule of law when investigating the attempted coup.
He made clear that the United States would be willing to provide assistance to Turkish authorities conducting
this investigation, but that public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup
attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations, Kirby said.
7- Turkish coup no carte blanche for purges, French FM says, as number of arrests reaches 6,000
Frances foreign minister has urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect the law and refrain from
purges after the recent failed attempt by Turkish military officials to topple the government. Some 6,000 arrests
have been made in just two days.
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"We had to condemn the coup in Turkey, this is the least we could do, Jean-Marc Ayrault told France 3 TV
channel.
[But] we want the rule of law to function fully, this is no carte blanche for Erdogan, Ayrault said.
A faction of the Turkish military attempted to topple the government of President Erdogan on Friday night, with
tanks and attack helicopters brought into Turkeys two main cities, Ankara and Istanbul.
The attempt failed, leaving at least 265 people killed and some 1,440 injured in military action. Authorities then
launched a speedy operation to determine those involved in the attempted coup and prosecute them.
Some 6,000 people generals, judges and prosecutors among them have been detained within the past 48
hours in connection with the coup. A chief military assistant to the president is reportedly among those arrested.
The countrys justice minister, Bekir Bozdag, called the arrests spring cleaning" and said more were still to
come, according to broadcaster NTV.
French Foreign Minister Ayrault has criticized the moves, however, saying: Do not resort to purges. Those who
damaged democracy should be pursued within the framework of the law. We will continue to insist on the
democratic treatment [of coup sympathizers] when we meet the Turks in Washington next week."
German authorities have not been as outspoken as the French, although Chancellor Angela Merkel while
addressing Erdogan but not mentioning him by name said that "democracy, which respects everybody's rights
and protects minorities, is the best foundation [for the rule of law]. She added that Germany sides with "all
those who, in Turkey, defend democracy and the rule of law," noting that political change must only be applied
via parliament.
EU Parliament president Martin Schulz echoed Merkels words, stating that the Turkish government should not
use the latest events to breach democratic foundations and deny people their fundamental rights.
"One-man rule and arbitrary decisions are not acceptable in a country which is not only a strategic ally but also
an accession candidate to the European Union," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Erdogan on Sunday, stressing that anti-
constitutional actions and violence are unacceptable in any country. He expressed condolences over
numerous deaths, both among civilians and law enforcement officers who stood against the plotters and said
he hoped that constitutional order and stability will be restored in Turkey as soon as possible.
Pictures on social media showed detained soldiers stripped from the waist up, some wearing only their
underpants, handcuffed and lying packed together on the floor of a sports hall where they were being held in
Ankara.
President Erdogan denounced the coup as treachery and warned on Sunday that capital punishment, currently
banned in Turkey, might be returned to bring to justice those responsible for Fridays events, Turkish NTV
reported. Erdogan said it was in response to calls from a crowd of his supporters who gathered in front of his
home in Istanbul.
"We cannot ignore this demand," Erdogan told the crowd, Reuters reports. "In democracies, whatever the people
say has to happen."
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities say they have taken back control in the country and life has returned to normal,
according to Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who made the claim during a television broadcast on Sunday,
Reuters reported.
8- People want these terrorists dead: Erdogan ready to reintroduce death penalty after failed coup
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not ruled out the possibility of bringing back the death penalty in
Turkey, saying that people on the streets have made that request and are calling for the punishment of
suspected plotters for the attempted military coup.
There is a clear crime of treason and your request can never be rejected by our government, Erdogan said in an
interview with CNN on Monday, referring to the government supporters who took to the streets of Turkey who
voiced approval.
But of course it will take a parliamentary decision for that to take action in the form of a constitutional measure
so leaders will have to get together and discuss it and if they accept to discuss it then I, as president, will
approve any decision that comes out of the parliament, he added.
Turkish people have condemned the attempt to bring down the official government and have spoken in favor of
reintroducing capital punishment for thousands of soldiers and officers standing behind the failed coup.
The people on the streets have made that request, Erdogan told CNN. The people have the opinion that these
terrorists should be killed ... why should I keep them and feed them in prisons for years to come, that's what the
people say.
They want a swift end to it, because people lost relatives, lost neighbors, lost children ... theyre suffering so the
people are very sensitive and we have to act very sensibly and sensitively, he added.
The possibility of reinstating the death penalty has raised concerns among Turkeys western allies who said that
this would certainly prevent Turkey from joining the European Union, EU foreign policy chief Federica
Mogherini said on Monday.
148

The death penalty was abolished in Turkey in 2004 as this had been one of the conditions necessary for it to join
the bloc, though nobody has been executed since 1984.
Around 6,000 people, including three Turkish top generals and hundreds of soldiers, were detained during the
investigation launched after Turkish authorities had taken back the control over the situation in the country,
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Sunday.
Around 3,000 judges and prosecutors were suspended from their posts as well.
The cleansing (operation) is continuing. Some 6,000 detentions have taken place. The number could surpass
6,000, Bozdag said, adding that criticism of the governments crackdown on those arrested is tantamount to
supporting the attempt to overthrow it.
9- Turkey post-coup purge: Licenses of 21,000 teachers revoked, 1,577 deans ordered to resign
Turkey has revoked the licenses of 21,000 teachers working in private institutions, an Education Ministry official
told Reuters. It's the latest in a string of crackdowns on workers allegedly tied to the exiled cleric blamed for last
week's coup attempt.
"The licenses of 21,000 teachers working in privately-run institutions have been cancelled. Tip-offs that these
[people] are mostly linked with terrorist activities have been taken into consideration," a ministry official said.
An earlier report from the state-run Anadolu news agency stated the ministry had dismissed 15,200 education
personnel.
Meanwhile, Turkey's High Education Board has ordered the resignation of 1,577 deans at all universities both
public and private across the country, state broadcaster TRT reported. The news caused the Turkish lira to
weaken beyond 3 to the US dollar.
In addition, 399 employees of the Ministry of Family and Social Polices were stripped of their responsibilities on
Tuesday, and 257 people working at the office of the prime minister were also sacked, Anadolu reported.
Turkey's courts have also ordered that 85 generals and admirals be jailed pending trial over their roles in Friday's
coup attempt. Among those arrested include former air force commander Gen. Akin Ozturk, who is alleged to be
a ringleader of the uprising. Gen. Adem Hududi, commander of Turkey's 2nd Army, which is in charge of
countering possible threats from Syria, Iran, and Iraq, was also detained.
Thousands of officials suspected of links to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who the government blames for
the coup have also been purged from the judiciary and Interior Ministry.
The newest sackings and calls for resignation are the latest in a movement that Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
says is aimed at removing the influence of Gulen by its roots. A total of 49,337 public sector workers
including military and police personnel have lost their jobs since Friday, according to Hurriyet.
President Erdogan and his government blame Gulen for orchestrating the coup attempt on Friday in which over
200 people were killed and 1,400 injured. Ankara has called for Gulen's extradition from the United States,
where he resides in the Pennsylvania town of Saylorsburg.
However, Gulen, 75, has rejected allegations that he was involved in the attempt, telling prosecutors in a
statement that he is not the person who planned or led the coup. Who planned it and directed it I do not know.
He said that Erdogan may have staged it himself a claim which the Turkish president has called nonsensical.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that Turkey would need to provide evidence, not allegations against
Gulen in order to have him extradited to Turkey.
10- Turkeys main Muslim body prohibits religious funerals of coup supporters
Turkeys main religious body has banned all imams in the country from holding services for military personnel
killed supporting the attempted coup on July 15. The move comes amid sweeping purges that have left over
50,000 people dismissed or arrested.
Imams are no longer allowed to lead prayers for pro-coup soldiers who targeted our nation, Anadolu Agency
cited the Religious Affairs Directorate as saying on Tuesday. The ban does not apply to those who took part in
the coup unwittingly or under duress.
The Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) employs an estimated 100,000 personnel, including all of Turkeys
75,000 imams.
Earlier on Tuesday the Diyanet said it had dismissed 492 of its staff over what it described as terrorism links
and suspected involvement in the coup attempt.
The attempted coup on Friday, July 15, claimed the lives of at least 232 people, of them 145 civilians, leaving
nearly 1,500 people injured, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.
The Turkish government has launched a massive purge against those it suspected of participating in the
attempted power grab and those connected to the organization of Fethullah Gulen, a powerful Muslim cleric
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses of masterminding the coup.
Around 50,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants, and teachers have been suspended or detained, and 99
military generals have been charged.
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Turkey's High Education Board on Tuesday ordered the resignation of 1,577 deans at all universities, while the
Education Ministry has suspended more than 26,000 employees.
11- Turkish coupists planned to charge Erdogan with overly gentle treatment of Kurds report
Those behind the the attempted coup in Turkey planned to accuse President Erdogan and his inner circle of
aiding terror by negotiating with the PKK before launching a military crackdown on Kurds, Turkish media
reported citing a document recovered by police.
A petition to initiate a judicial process against the Turkish government was discovered during a search of the
office of Public Prosecutor Mehmet Sel in Istanbul, who was detained following the failed coup attempt.
If the members of the military had been successful in toppling Erdogans regime last Friday, coup supporters
would have initiated an inquiry into claims that the president and his inner circle had committed the crime of
helping an armed terror organization by ignoring their preparation of attacks, a prosecution source that spoke
to Andolou Agency revealed.
According to the petition, that had not been signed or dated, despite having the year 2016 on it, Erdogan and
others were to face prosecution over the solution process to bring an end to the Kurdish conflict in the country
that has been ongoing for decades.
The document that was addressed to chief public prosecutors office in Inegol, Bursa province, accused the
Turkish leadership of supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party, (PKK), considered terrorist in Turkey.
In particular, it accused Erdogan, Interior Minister Efkan Ala, National Intelligence Organization chief Hakan
Fidan, provincial governors as well as former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and former deputy prime
ministers Besir Atalay and Yalcin Akdogan of conducting peace talks with the PKK leadership between 2009
and 2015.
The charges against Erdogan seem to be ironic as the Turkish president has on a number of occasions promised
to neutralize the Kurds after a two and a half year ceasefire between the PKK and Ankara was shattered last
July, which led to a massive army crackdown in the southeast of the country.
Furthermore Ankaras anti-terrorist operations have not only been based in the southeast of Turkey but have also
spilled over into Iraq and Syria.
Between July 2015 and May 2016, according to the Turkish government, over 2,500 Kurdish rebels were killed
in Turkey. A number of prominent human rights organization, including Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch, have earlier expressed fears that the real count much is much higher. As the military operation
continues against in the Kurds in the east the PKK continues to carry out revenge attacks, often targeting Turkish
soldiers and police.
But despite Erdogan's current harsh stance on Kurds, coup supporters remembered his negotiations with the PKK
when he was still the Prime Minister which were conducted in hopes of ending the insurgency that began in
1978.
The first Erdogan-led governments attempt to appease the minority in 2009 aimed at expanding the freedoms
for the Kurds and included a partial amnesty for Kurdish fighters. It failed in 2010 when the PKK declared an
end to the ceasefire. This led to the eruption of hostilities that ended two years later, when Erdogan launched the
latest peace negotiations with the PKK.
But the three decade old insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers Party flared up again last July after the collapse
of a ceasefire that lasted two years, plunging Turkeys mainly Kurdish southeast back into open conflict with
Ankara.
12- US can't lecture Turkey on rule of law': Trump praises Erdogan after coup attempt
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for
quelling last weeks uprising. As for the aftermath, Trump told The New York Times he believes the US cant
lecture others on civil liberties.
Trump delivered his view as he went over his main campaigning points with The New York Times ahead of the
Thursday convention. Most focused on a heavy redefinition of American roles with regard to military presence
and spending in other countries.
I give great credit to him for being able to turn that around, he said of Erdogans actions Friday night in
quelling a coup attempted by a group of rebellious military. He also chose not to criticize the Turkish leader for
his tactics in the aftermath of the uprising, which have seen thousands of military, education, and government
personnel imprisoned, dismissed or suspended.
I dont know that we have a right to lecture. Just look about whats happening with our country. How are we
going to lecture when people are shooting our policemen in cold blood? How are we going to lecture when you
see the riots and the horror going on in our own country? Trump said.
he Republican presidential hopeful also mused over pressing Ankara into securing civil liberties in the post-coup
environment.
When the world sees how bad the United States is and we start talking about civil liberties, I dont think we are
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a very good messenger, Trump explained. The Obama administration has so far appeared not to offer any
strategy for dealing with Erdogan, with Turkey being a crucial ally in the region and home to American nuclear
weapons.
Trump proposed to make a stronger case for Erdogan to work with the US on fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly
ISIS/ ISIL), although there exists a problem in that the US also considers the Kurdish minority one of its
strongest allies in doing so. Erdogan stands accused of striving to deny the Kurds a national identity.
Im a fan of the Kurds, you understand, Trump told the NYT.
On questions of security and Americas global role, Trump focused on his predominantly economic outlook,
proposing many revisions, including redefining Washingtons relationship to both rivals and allies.
This included the prospect, for the first time in decades, of taking away security guarantees the United States has
renewed to its 27 NATO allies. In essence, this implied the US would throw its entire military weight behind any
one ally if they were attacked.
I would prefer to be able to continue [to renew Americas pledges], Trump said, but only if allies learned to
adjust to the new reality that the US was no longer the key provider.
If elected president, Trump also said he would make sure the US only became involved in allies security affairs
if those nations have fulfilled their obligations to us.
This is in line with his campaign rally cry of America First a platform which also implies a radical
renegotiation of American relationships with its partners, including things such as the North American Free
Trade Agreement and other long-standing US positions, particularly military spending.
As Trump was outlining what the US would or wouldnt do for its NATO allies, Moscow emerged with criticism
of the approach he has used.
Regarding the pointless use of an example about a hypothetical Russian attack on anyone, that was not an
acceptable phrasing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The decision adds further weight to calls for the IOC to implement a blanket ban on Russia competing at next
month's event in Brazil.
Matthieu Reeb has noted that the ROC will not be able to appeal the ruling in the Swiss Federal Court, which
means that long-jumper Darya Klishina, who trains outside Russia, will be the only Russian track and field
athlete cleared to compete in Rio.
13- Erdogan to eradicate separatist & terrorist infiltrators, inject army with fresh blood
A new coup attempt is still possible in Turkey because separatists and terrorists have potentially infiltrated
the state structure, President Tayyip Erdogan has warned, claiming that the failings which led to the putsch mean
a restructuring of the military is required.
The Turkish leader stressed that while the threat of another power takeover is a possibility, such an attempt
would not be easy, as security forces and intelligence agencies are more vigilant following the failed coup.
After declaring a state of emergency late Wednesday, Erdogan in an interview with Reuters revealed that lapses
in intelligence led to the previous attempt to seize control of the country.
It is very clear that there were significant gaps and deficiencies in our intelligence, there is no point trying to
hide it or deny it. I told it to the head of national intelligence, Erdogan told the new agency.
The upcoming meeting of the Supreme Military Council might bring about significant restructuring of the
military. "Within a very short amount of time a new structure will be emerging, Erdogan said. With this new
structure, I believe the armed forces will get fresh blood."
The president also reiterated his commitment to continuing a crackdown on the opposition, especially on
followers of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government blames for the coup attempt.
Gulens movement, known as Hizmet, encompasses a broad train of thought in Turkey. Followers in the country
are believed to hold influential positions in various institutions ranging from the police and secret services to the
judiciary and even the ruling AKP party. In addition, Hizmet runs schools across Turkey, while other institutions
can be found from Pakistan to the US.
Authorities blame the so-called Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETO/PDY)
allegedly led by Gulen for orchestrating the Friday's coup. Erdogan, in an interview on Thursday, equated the
threat stemming from Gulens influence to that of the Kurds, in particular, the Kurdistan Workers Party, (PKK),
considered terrorists in Turkey, which Ankara has been trying to eradicate for decades.
He said Gulen and his movement will be treated as another separatist terrorist organization, calling the
actions of those involved in Fridays armed rebellion inhuman and immoral.
The Turkish parliament ratified the a three-month state of emergency initiated by Erdogan in a 346 to 115 vote.
With this motion, the gangs of FETO terror movement banding together within the state for years, will be
wiped out, said Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim after the vote. These forces targeting democracy and
the future of the state will be eliminated forever.
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We will continue the fight ... wherever they might be, Erdogan said, adding that if necessary the three-month
state of emergency could be extended. These people have infiltrated the state organization in this country and
they rebelled against the state.
In response to Erdogans request to extradite Gulen, US Secretary of State John Kerry asked Ankara to present
evidence against the cleric.
"With respect to Mr. Gulen, we have consistently said to our friends in Turkey, our allies in Turkey, that we need
evidence," Kerry said. "We have a very strict set of requirements that have to be met for an extradition to take
place."
Kerry added "we need to have evidence which we can then make a judgment about," rather than base decisions
on allegations.
Besides dozens of coup plotters, some 246 people were killed when parts of the military tried to seize power last
Friday and Erdogan called on his supporters to go in the streets to protect democracy. In fierce fighting involving
jets, military helicopters and tanks that lasted into Saturday morning, a further 2,185 people were wounded.
In the wake of a massive crackdown on the opposition across all sectors of society, which has so far affected
over 60,000 people, Erdogan is pushing forward to reintroduce the death penalty, a move that has been criticized
globally, and especially by the EU, which Turkey has been trying to join.
On Thursday, Turkey temporarily suspended the European Convention on Human Rights, for the duration of the
state of emergency, which calls for protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of people in the
country.
14- Turkey arrests nephew of alleged coup plotter Fethullah Gulen

Muhammet Sait Gulen, the nephew of Fethullah Gulen, the exiled Turkish cleric accused by President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan of masterminding last weeks failed coup, has been arrested on the orders of the chief
prosecutor of Ankara.
The younger Gulen was arrested in the city of Erzurum in the east of the country, as part of the investigation into
the putsch, and is to be transferred to the capital imminently, Turkish media have reported.
He is the first of Fethullah Gulens close relatives to be detained in the current crackdown, though other
members of the Pennsylvania-based preachers family have previously been placed in custody.
More than 10,000 people have been arrested in Turkey since the army led an abortive takeover attempt on Friday
July 15 in which at least 265 died. Most of the detainees are military, but some are also judges and civil servants,
jailed after Erdogan promised to cleanse the state apparatus of apparent Gulen supporters.
Over 37,500 police staff and civil servants have been suspended, and more than 21,000 teachers have been
stripped of their licenses.
Earlier on Saturday, Erdogan signed a decree ordering the closure of 1,043 private schools, 1,229 foundations
and associations, 35 medical institutions, 19 unions, and 15 universities associated with Gulen, or run directly by
his popular Hizmet movement. Their assets will be transferred to the state.
This was the first decree since Erdogan introduced a state of emergency on Wednesday, enabling him to issue
edicts, bypassing parliament, though the Turkish leader said that parliament will have a chance to vote on the
closure of Hizmet institutions.
Turkey says that it will also submit an extradition request for Fethullah Gulen within days.
Gulen himself has repeatedly denied any connections with the coup, and has claimed that his supporters are
being framed in what he says may have been a staged coup attempt by Erdogan himself.
With their shared history of promoting Islam in society, the two men were allies after Erdogan was elected prime
minister in 2003, but fell out. Gulen became Erdogans bte noire after his supporters allegedly recorded and
leaked incriminating conversations involving Erdogan, his relatives and other top officials in 2013 and 2014.
15- Failed Turkish coup attempt sympathizers suffer torture & rape Amnesty
Amnesty International has gathered credible evidence that people arrested in relation to the past weeks failed
coup attempt have been often arbitrary detained, deprived of contacts with family and lawyers as well as go
through severe tortures.
The detainees arrested over alleged links to the foiled coup attempt are being arbitrarily held, sometimes in
informal detention places such as sports centers and stables. They are also not properly informed about the
charges against them, Amnesty International said in a statement, published on its official website.
Some detainees, including at least three judges, were held in the corridors of courthouses.
Amnesty also obtained extremely alarming accounts of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees from their
lawyers, doctors and a person on duty in a detention facility.
According to these reports, police held detainees in stress positions for up to 48 hours, denied them food, water
and medical treatment, verbally abused and threatened them and subjected them to beatings and torture,
including rape and sexual assault.
Based on the information given by a person on duty at Ankara Police Headquarters sports hall to Amnesty, a
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detainee suffered severe wounds after apparently being beaten by police. He could not stand up or focus his eyes
and he eventually lost consciousness. Police refused to allow this detainee to receive basic medical treatment and
a police doctor reportedly said: Let him die. We will say he came to us dead.
According to the evidence obtained by Amnesty, 650-800 male soldiers were being held in the Ankara police
headquarters sports hall. At least 300 of them had signs proving that they were beaten, with some of them even
having broken bones. About 40 were unable to walk because of serious injuries sustained in custody.
Amnesty also collected accounts of police officers saying that the detainees are being beaten so that they would
talk. Many detainees are also handcuffed behind their backs with plastic zip-ties and forced to kneel for hours
or are blindfolded.
At the same time, Amnesty stressed that the worst treatment in detention was reserved for higher-ranking
military officers. Two lawyers in Ankara told the NGO they saw senior military officers in detention being raped
with a truncheon or finger by police officers.
Amnesty International interviewed more than 10 lawyers in both Ankara and Istanbul who gave information
about the conditions of their clients confinement. The lawyers represented up to 18 detainees each.
Most of their clients are soldiers but there are also judges, prosecutors, police, and other civil servants among
them.
The interviewees also told the human rights organization that based on what detainees told them police deprived
them of food for up to three days and water for up to two days. Some detainees are also reportedly in extreme
emotional distress and even attempt suicide.
Reports of abuse including beatings and rape in detention are extremely alarming, especially given the scale of
detentions that we have seen in the past week. The grim details that we have documented are just a snapshot of
the abuses that might be happening in places of detention, said Amnesty Internationals Europe director John
Dalhuisen.
"It is absolutely imperative that the Turkish authorities halt these abhorrent practices and allow international
monitors to visit all these detainees in the places they are being held, he added, stressing that failing to
condemn ill-treatment or torture in these circumstances is tantamount to condoning it.
Amnesty also stressed that depriving detainees of access to lawyers and family and holding them in unofficial
detention facilities as well as arbitrary detentions amount to enforced disappearance which in itself is a crime
under international law.
This practice places detainees outside the protection of the law and cuts them off from the outside world, putting
them at very high risk of torture or even extrajudicial execution, the NGO stressed.
Amnesty also emphasized that independent monitors must be allowed to access detainees amid torture
allegations and called on the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to conduct an emergency
visit to Turkey to monitor conditions of detention.
As a member of the Council of Europe, the Turkish government has an obligation to cooperate with the CPT, it
said.
Amnesty International urges the Turkish authorities to adhere to their obligations under international human
rights law and not to abuse the state of emergency by trampling on the rights of detainees, said John Dalhuisen.
Following a failed coup attempt on July 15, Turkey launched a massive crackdown on the alleged coup
supporters. It also introduced a state of emergency on Wednesday, which, according to the deputy prime
minister, means a means temporary suspension of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In total, 13,165 people have been detained for alleged involvement in the foiled coup attempt in Turkey that
occurred on Friday July 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Some 8,838 among the detained are soldiers, 2,101 are judges and prosecutors, 1,485 are police officers, 52
are local authorities and 689 are civilians, he said as quoted by Turkish Hurriyet daily.
In the meantime, 934 schools, 109 dormitories, 15 universities, 104 foundations, 35 health institutions, 1,125
associations and 19 unions were closed over alleged links to what Erdogan described as the Fethullahist
Terrorist Organization. Their assets were seized by the state.
On Saturday, Turkish authorities arrested a man, whom a presidency official described as the "right hand" of
US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused of masterminding
the failed coup attempt.
Earlier Saturday, Muhammet Sait Gulen, Fettulah Gulens nephew, was arrested on the orders of the chief
prosecutor of Ankara.
Meanwhile, Erdogan told France 24 on Saturday that the arrested coup plotters are starting to confess. He also
justified the imposition of the state of emergency by saying that it is actually aimed at supporting and
strengthening democracy. He also said that it could easily be prolonged if necessary.
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16- Erdogan says Turkish people want death penalty reintroduced, slams EU for inaction
Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said his government would ensure that the Turkish peoples call to
reinstate the death penalty in wake of the failed coup is heard despite the EUs warning that it would bring
accession talks to a halt.
In a Monday interview with a German broadcaster ARD, Erdogan pledged to follow up on his promise to
reintroduce capital punishment if such a request is submitted by the countrys parliament, saying the government
could not ignore the will of the people.
What do the [Turkish] people say today? They want the death penalty reintroduced. And we as the government
must listen to what the people say. We cant say no, that doesnt interest us, he stressed, while adding that he
cannot reinstate the punishment by himself.
I am not a king. I am only a countrys president. To be a stronger president does not mean to act in breach of
constitution, he noted, pointing out that capital punishment is not considered an abnormal practice anywhere in
the world save Europe.
Only in Europe is there no death penalty. Otherwise, it is almost everywhere, he stressed.
Calls to reintroduce the death penalty, which was abolished by Turkey in 2004 in order to facilitate its
acceptance as an EU member, have come amid a clampdown on the military and civil servants following a failed
coup attempt. Over 13,000 people, largely soldiers, have been detained in the massive purges that have
followed.
Yes, it was the most critical point of my political life, Erdogan said in referring to the coup attempt, labeling it
an attack on the people.
More than 45,000 public servants have been suspended and over 21,000 teachers have been stripped of their
licenses since the chaotic events of July 15, which saw at least 265 people killed. On Monday, 42 Turkish
journalists were arrested on government orders.
The cleanse of Turkeys military and civil ranks has prompted sharp criticism from the European Union, with
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker saying Turkey in its current state, is not in a position to
become a member any time soon and not even over a longer period.
Moreover, Juncker said that if Turkey reinstated the death penalty, it would close the door to any possibility of
the country joining the block.
The post-coup crackdown soured already deteriorating relations between the EU and Turkey, with Erdogan
blaming Europes leaders for failing to deliver on the promises they made in the EU-Turkey refugee deal, which
Europe sees as key to stemming the flow of illegal migrants to the continent.
Speaking to ARD, the Turkish president said The European leaders are not sincere, stressing that Turkey had
received no more than $2 million in financial aid from the EU so far, while spending $12 million alone on some
three million Syrian refugees.
Three billion was promised, Erdogan noted, before accusing the EU of inaction.
The comprehensive EU-Turkey refugee deal, which came in force on March 20, stipulated that Turkey would
take in all illegal migrants entering Europe via its territory in exchange for speeding up EU accession and
allowing Turkish citizens to travel to the EU without a visa. The visa-free pass was initially to be introduced by
July, however, Turkey has failed to comply with all of the EUs 72 criteria, including relaxing its stringent anti-
terror legislation, which became a sticking point in the negotiations.
Turkeys president has blamed the conspiracy to overthrow his regime on US-based exiled cleric Fethullah
Gulen, who vehemently denies any allegations of complicity. According to Erdogan, Gulen created an intricate
parallel network of supporters, including military, judicial, and political officials, as well as media and
education workers, to stage the coup. Turkey is now demanding Gulens extradition from the US, where he has
been living since 1999 in the state of Pennsylvania.
However, Washington has insisted that hard evidence be provided before it will consider the request.
17-Turkey issues warrants for further 47 journalists as 15K detained over failed coup
Turkish authorities ordered the detention of 47 journalists from a formerly oppositional newspaper amid a
widening crackdown on supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for
a failed coup attempt earlier this month.
The warrants were issued Wednesday against executives and senior journalists of the Zaman newspaper, which
was seized by the Turkish government in March.
"Today's detentions cover executives and some staff including columnists of Zaman newspaper, the Gulen
movement's flagship media organization," a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
reporters, as cited by Reuters.
The official said that the journalists are not being detained for anything they may have written or said, rather
because they may have useful information regarding Gulens network, which could be used by the Turkish state
in its investigation against the US-based Muslim cleric, who Ankara believes was the mastermind behind the
failed coup.
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"At this point, the reasoning is that prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the
Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation, the official added.
A former columnist for the publication Sahin Alpay was detained at his home early on Wednesday morning,
according to the Anadolu Agency, as cited by AFP.
The Zaman newspaper was previously linked to Gulens religious movement before the government seizure.
State Department spokesman John Kirby branded the detention of more journalists in Turkey as a troubling
trend that upsets legitimate political discourse, Reuters reported.
The latest arrests come just two days after the Turkish government issued warrants for 42 other journalists
including a well-respected commentator Nazli Ilicak, who was also a former member of parliament. A total of 16
journalists have been detained so far for questioning.
Turkey has detained more than 15,000 people in the military, judiciary and civil service since the abortive coup
on July 15, CNN Turk cited Interior Minister Efkana Ala as saying on Wednesday. A total of 8,113 people have
been formally arrested pending trial, Ala added.
Tens of thousands of people have also lost their jobs in the civil service and education sector.
The Turkish military confirmed on Wednesday that 8,651 soldiers had taken part in the failed coup, which
accounts for 1.5 percent of the Turkish Army. According to the NTV television station, the military says the
soldiers belonged to a terrorist network, which was led by Gulen.
The military added that 35 planes, 37 helicopters as well as 37 tanks were used in the coup attempt, which killed
around 290 people, according to AFP.
"There is no institution which this structure has not infiltrated," Erdogan's son-in-law, Energy Minister Berat
Albayrak, said in regards to Gulen's network of followers.
"Every institution is being assessed and will be assessed," he added, as cited by Reuters.
Gulen has denied taking any part in the coup and has urged the US not to extradite him back to Turkey. The
Muslim cleric has been living in the US since 1999 and is the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement, which
supports moderate Islam, but is viewed by Erdogan as a terrorist organization.
His [Erdogans] goal: to ensure my extradition, despite a lack of credible evidence and virtually no prospect
for a fair trial, Gulen wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times, as cited by Reuters. The temptation
to give Mr. Erdogan whatever he wants is understandable. But the United States must resist it.
The US has so far rejected Turkish calls to extradite Gulen, saying that Ankara needs to present facts in order to
make Washington consider sending him back to Turkey.
18- RT visits Erdogans self-exiled arch-nemesis Fethullah Gulen at his US estate

An RT reporter has met with Turkeys most wanted man, Fethullah Gulen, a powerful preacher who has been
living in self-exile in the US state of Pennsylvania. Ankara blames the scholar for the recent coup attempt in
Turkey and wants him extradited.
Reporter Caleb Maupin and an RT America crew were invited to visit Gulen at his estate in rural Pennsylvania.
Although the renowned Turkish cleric did not wish to speak to the press, he made it clear that he hasnt left his
highly secured American home, despite Ankaras suggestions he might be on the run.
Immediately following the failed coup attempt on the night of July 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
blamed Gulen and his supporters for attempting to seize power in Turkey.
Erdogan has demanded the clerics arrest and extradition from the US, but Washington has repeatedly responded
by saying it needs clear evidence of a link between Gulen and the attempted coup before it will consider
extraditing him.
Turkish officials have previously suggested that the moderate Islamic preacher might have already left North
America and could be on the run, mentioning Australia, Mexico and South Africa as possible refuges.
We know that he could have left for a number of other countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
told CNN Turk earlier this week, and Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozda has suggested to Haberturk TV that
Gulen could have fled the US.
Born in 1941, Fethullah Gulen had become a popular preacher in Turkey before a military coup in the 1980s.
Afterwards, he resigned his post as cleric and founded the Hizmet movement, which is considered by its
supporters to be a modern face of Islam. As then-president-to-be Erdogan rose in Turkish politics, Gulen and his
movement firmly supported the future PM who would later become the states leader.
Gulen left his native country for the US in 1999 and has not returned. His supporters in Turkey were accused of
recording and leaking incriminating conversations involving the president, his relatives, and other top officials in
2013 and 2014. Gulen was then accused of orchestrating a coup. He now faces a potential life sentence in
Turkey.
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19- 1,000s Turkish forces surround NATOs Incirlik air base for inspection amid rumors of coup
attempt
Some 7,000 armed police in heavy vehicles surrounded the Incirlik air base used by NATO forces in Adana in
what a Turkish minister called a security check. With no official explanation, speculations have arisen about a
new coup attempt or VIP visit.
Hurriyet reported earlier that Adana police had been tipped off about a new coup attempt, and forces were
immediately alerted. The entrance to the base was closed off.
Security forces armed with rifles and armored TOMA vehicles used by Turkish riot police could be seen at the
site in photos taken by witnesses.
Turkeys minister for EU Affairs downplayed the situation in a Twitter post, saying a security inspection was
carried out.
We did the general security check. There is nothing wrong, he tweeted from Adana.
Some supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have reportedly flocked to the cordon surrounding
the base. The scene, however, did not appear as massive and tense as the recent Adana protests demanding for
the base to be shut down.
On Thursday, a huge rally marched towards the NATO base, as people with loudspeakers chanted anti-American
and anti-Israel slogans. The demonstrators claim that the US had a hand in the failed July 15 coup attempt in
which 270 people died. Tens of thousands people, including members of the military, police, judiciary, media,
and civil service, have been arrested in connection with the coup, which Turkish officials say was organized by
US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, Erdogans former ally, who is now his most hated rival.
In the wake of the coup attempt, several military officials at the Incirlik Air Base, including its commander,
General Bekir Ercan Van, were arrested on treason charges by Turkish authorities, which claimed that one of the
rogue F-16 planes taking part in the rebellion to overthrow Erdogans government had been refueled there.
The general had even reportedly attempted to seek asylum in the US, but his plea was apparently rejected.
Incirlic Air Base is used by both the Turkish and US militaries and is vital to the US-led anti-terror bombing
campaign in Syria and Iraq. It also serves as one of six NATO storage sites for US tactical nuclear weapons in
Europe. The exact number of nuclear bombs kept at the base is unknown, although, according to various
estimates, it may store up to 90 warheads.
The US-led coalitions airstrikes had to be halted for several days when power was cut at the base. US military
personnel stationed there had to switch to an internal power supply.
The inspection at the base comes as the Turkish government announced a sweeping military reform on
Saturday. In an interview with TV broadcaster A-Haber, Erdogan unveiled plans to scrap all military academies
and replace them with a new national defense university.
Protesters chant 'Allahu Akbar' & 'Go Home USA' outside #Incirlikhttps://t.co/2LmFufV7wr
LucidHurricane (@LucidHurricane_) July 31, 2016
The commanders of the different branches of the Turkish armed forces are to be put under the defense ministers
chain of command. In addition, Erdogan wants the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and military chief
of staff to report directly to him, which would require a new constitutional amendment to be passed by the
parliament.
Communication with #Incirlik has been cutoff. Cannot reach them by email or phone.
pic.twitter.com/s8GZrlBMPp
Income Disparity (@IncomeDisparity) July 31, 2016
It also comes on the eve of a visit from a top US military official, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph
Dunford, who is scheduled to arrive in Turkey on Sunday. Diplomatic sources quoted by Hurriyet claim Dunford
will go visit both Ankara and Incirlik.
20- Do not import conflict German politicians ahead of massive pro- and anti-Erdogan demos in
Cologne
German politicians have urged people to show restraint and refrain from bringing Turkeys internal tensions to
Germany as the city of Cologne is bracing for a number of massive rallies both in support of and against Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It is unacceptable that anyone would bring internal political tensions from Turkey to Germany and intimidate
people with other political beliefs, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the German daily
Suddeutsche Zeitung ahead of a massive rally of Turkish President Erdogans supporters and a number of
counter-demonstrations that are scheduled to take place in Cologne on Sunday.
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His words were echoed by Hanneloer Kraft, the Prime Minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia,
where the city of Cologne is located. Do not import a domestic political conflict to the region where you have
chosen to live, she told German media, calling on protesters to show calm and restraint.
In the meantime, German Vice-Chancellor and the leader of the Social Democrats, Sigmar Gabriel, has called on
all people to prevent the situation in Turkey from provoking a social split in German society.
Even fundamental disagreements should not lead to a split in our society. Germany should be a homeland for
every person that lives here, he said in a Facebook statement written both in German and Turkish that called on
people to treat those who have different opinions with respect.
Police said at a press conference on Friday that as many as 30,000 people are expected to take to the streets of
Cologne on Sunday to show support for Turkeys president in the wake of a foiled coup attempt on July 15, or to
display discontent with his policies.
Most of the demonstrators are likely to be Erdogan supporters, as the organizers of the pro-Erdogan rally, the
Union of European-Turkish Democrats (UETD), expect about 20,000 people to join in their demonstration,
German media report. The rally is also expected to be attended by some Turkish officials and even members of
the Grey Wolves, a Turkish nationalist organization, according to Die Zeit daily.
In the meantime, at least five counter-rallies have also been announced, four of which have been organized by
the youth wings of German political parties: the Greens, the Social Democrats, the Left party, and the Free
Democrats.
The counter-demonstrations organized by the political youth movements are being held under the common
slogan Stop the Erdomania! and, while the organizers condemned the failed coup attempt in a joint
statement posted in Facebook, they stressed that such a coup attempt should not be used to replace democracy
and the rule of law with the authoritarianism of the President Erdogan.
One more counter-demonstration staged by the regional far-right party ProNRW and the HoGeSa (Hooligans
against Salafists) group will be held under the motto No tributes to Erdogan in Germany: Stop the Islamist
autocrat from the Bosporus. Police tried to ban the far-right rally, but the regional administrative court rejected
its request.
In the meantime, police plan to deploy 2,300 officers and six water cannons at the scene in preparation for
possible outbreaks of violence on Sunday. Some members of the police contingent will be Turkish speakers.
Police have still not ruled out the possibility of banning the pro-Erdogan rally. We are expecting an atmosphere
which is highly emotionally charged, Cologne Police Chief Jrgen Mathies said, as quoted by Deutsche Welle.
We will constantly assess the situation. Should we come to the conclusion that public safety cannot be ensured,
I will cancel the demonstration, even at short notice, he added, stressing that police could intervene quickly,
decisively and forcefully if necessary.
Turkish domestic politics have no right to be on German soil
Meanwhile, the very idea of holding a rally in support of or against a foreign leader has provoked outrage among
some German citizens and politicians.
Turkish domestic politics have no right to be on German soil, Andreas Scheuer, the secretary general of the
Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), told Der Spiegel, adding that those, who want to want to get involved
in Turkish domestic politics are welcome to leave our country and go back to Turkey.
At the same time, Scheuer stressed that freedom of expression and freedom of association are a greater good,
but do not mean that Turkeys internal conflicts and violence can be imported into Germany.
Similar sentiments were voiced by many residents of Cologne, who reportedly showered the local Koelner Stadt
Anzeiger newspaper with letters voicing fears and outrage over the upcoming rally in support of Erdogan,
Deutsche Welle reports.
We cant have people spreading propaganda for foreign rulers in Germany, some people wrote, while others
urged local authorities to stop this lunacy, stressing that a demonstration for dictator Erdogan should not
be allowed to go ahead.
In the meantime, the atmosphere in Germany has been tense since the failed coup attempt in Turkey. According
the Suddeutsche Zeitung, schools, shelters, and other facilities deemed to have links with the movement of US-
based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen have been attacked in many German states.
Alleged Gulen supporters in Germany have also been subjected to intimidation and even death threats on social
media. Some groups have posted boycott lists on the internet that include the names of restaurants and shops
allegedly belonging to Gulen supporters.
The sentiments are very, very aggressive, Gokay Safuoglu, the head of one of Germanys Turkish
associations, told Suddeutsche Zeitung.
In the meantime, the purges in Turkey continue. More than 18,000 people have been detained since the foiled
coup attempt on July 15, Turkish Interior Minister Efkana Ala announced recently, while over 45,000 members
of the army, judiciary, police, and media, as well as civil servants, have been sacked.
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21- Erdogan dismisses 1,400 army staff, announces sweeping overhaul of Turkish military
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered a cull of 1,400 army personnel for alleged links with this
months failed coup, and stuffed the top military council with his political allies in a bid to impose greater
control over the army.
The measures come less than a day after Erdogan ordered the closure of military academies labeled as breeding
grounds for discontent and reassigned control of the army to the defense ministry, a civilian body.
The 1,389 members of the army, who were mostly officers, were accused of links with Fethullah Gulen, the
exiled preacher Erdogan blames for orchestrating the abortive putsch on July 15.
A total of 1,700 personnel including 40 percent of the countrys top officers had already been dismissed for
alleged involvement with the violent takeover attempt, which resulted in over 200 deaths.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked about the looming overhaul in an interview broadcast by the Turkish TV channel
A Haber on Saturday. The changes will significantly affect military education, as all of Turkeys military schools
will be shut down and replaced by a National Defense University that will supply high-skilled military
specialists to all three branches of the countrys armed forces the army, navy and air force.
We will bring graduate education instead of military academies, Erdogan told the broadcaster, while promising
that the new legislation will be published in Turkeys Official Gazette on Sunday.
Moreover, Erdogan revealed that a decree is being prepared that would make Turkeys armed forces directly
subordinate to the countrys defense minister, while the chief of general staff and Turkeys state spy agency, the
National Intelligence Organization (MIT), would answer directly to the president.
Our armed forces will be much stronger with the latest decree we are preparing, Erdogan argued. He
admitted that the night of the failed coup attempt had revealed serious weakness of intelligence.
In order for the decree to become law, Erdogan will have to gain the support of opposition parties in order to
pass new constitutional amendments broadening his presidential power.
In addition, the Turkish leader said the gendarmerie security forces will undergo serious cuts, while their
weapons and ammunition will be upgraded to enable them to fight terrorism more effectively.
The gendarmerie, which is a branch of the Turkish army, is tasked with ensuring internal security. Its forces have
regularly been engaged in Turkeys southeastern regions to stifle Kurdish unrest in the area.
At the same time, Erdogan claimed he had already ordered his lawyers to drop all lawsuits filed for personal
insults. It is estimated that some 2,000 cases were brought by Erdogan in the wake of the coup.
As a milestone, I hereby withdraw all the cases filed for insulting me and forgive all the offenders, he said
while delivering a speech at the so-called Martyrs Memorial Day, which was created to mourn the victims of the
coup attempt.
The Turkish president also reiterated his accusations against US-based Gulen. However, he claimed the preacher
is a puppet rather than a puppeteer, intimating that a mastermind had been behind Gulens alleged rebellion.
The influential cleric rarely leaves his estate in the US state of Pennsylvania, where he has been living in self-
imposed exile since 1999.
Earlier this week, a Turkish prosecutor alleged that Gulens supporters, who Ankara says are members of a
Fethullah Terrorist Organization, had received training from American secret services in staging the foiled
coup.
The CIA and FBI provided training in several subjects to the cadre raised in the culture centers belonging to
the Gulen movement. The operations carried out by prosecutors and security officials during the Dec. 17 process
can be taken as a good example of this, the indictment reads.
In the meantime, the Turkish government is continuing its clampdown on officials who have been allegedly
implicated in the events of July 15. Erdogan put the number detained at 18,600 people, saying it was a very
substantial number of persons.
Overall, over 60,000 public servants have been dismissed, including 43,000 working in educational institutions,
which Turkish authorities claim have been infiltrated by Gulenists. On Saturday, 56 officials working in the
countrys constitutional court were temporarily suspended pending an ongoing investigation into the coup.
In an effort to bar people who fear prosecution on coup-related charges from fleeing the country, some 50,000
passports have been cancelled by Turkish authorities.
22- Coup attempt cost Turkish economy $100bn - Trade Minister

The failed bid to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cost Turkey $100 billion
(300 billion lira), according to Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci.
When we consider all those warplanes, helicopters, weapons, bombs and buildings, the cost is 300 billion liras
minimum according to our calculations, the minister told Turkish media in Ankara. He stressed the figure is
likely to rise after more detailed calculations are made.
Tufenkci said the full picture should be seen in a medium-term context even if some investors stayed away in the
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short-term, adding that the rebels had made Turkey look like a third world country.
They are not coming after the images revealed tanks were deployed on the streets, parliament was bombed,
Tufenkci said, pointing out that some foreign orders had been cancelled in the wake of the coup.
According to the minister, Turkey managed to control the situation. If such a coup took place in another
country, markets would probably be closed down for at least a week, he said, emphasizing that all the Turkish
banks, commodity markets and commerce centers had opened as normal after the weekend.
The interest rates didn't rise extraordinarily. The stock exchange's losses have been limited. There's no need to
revise growth or export figures. The nation has stood firm, he added.
Tukfenkci highlighted the necessity to reenergize the Turkish tourism industry, that had been significantly
damaged by Russian sanctions and recent terrorist attacks. The number of foreign travelers visiting Turkey fell
over 40 percent in June to its lowest level this year. From now on tourism will also rally, said the minister.
In the wake of the coup, Turkish authorities had to suspend annual leave for public sector personnel. The
measure has led to a million cancelled tourism reservations, according to Tukfenkci.
The Turkish lira plunged as much as eight percent against the US dollar in the aftermath of the July 15 coup
attempt. The currency has since recovered half its losses. The country's stock markets are recovering, but are
down around eight percent since July 15.
23- British MP financed by group linked to failed Turkey coup

A British MP was paid thousands of pounds by a group allegedly linked to the failed Turkish military coup to
write a report on Turkeys human rights record, which was then promoted during a House of Commons debate, it
has emerged.
According to the Times, Tory MP Sir Edward Garnier accepted 115,994 ($152,951) from the Istanbul-based
group Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF).
he group has been linked to an organisation headed by the Islamic preacher Fetullah Glen, who lives in self-
imposed exile in the US.
On July 15, a group of rogue soldiers that Ankara alleges were connected to Glen attempted to topple the
democratically-elected government in Turkey and bring martial law into effect.
Garnier's paper, titled A Report on the Rule of Law and Respect for Human Rights in Turkey, was released in
September last year and promoted by London-based PR company Hawthorn, which offers reputation
management.
Copies were sent to then-foreign secretary Philip Hammond and then-Prime Minister David Cameron.
It was written at a time when Glen's group was listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
Garniers report focused almost solely on the juridical actions of the Turkish government against Glen-linked
organizations, according to the newspaper.
In March this year, Garnier joined in a Commons debate on the EU-Turkey migrant deal, raising serial and
appalling human rights and rule of law abuses by the Turkish government and urging a reversal of the UKs
support for Turkeys accession to the EU.
While he mentioned his contribution to the report during his Commons statement, he did not reveal it had been
commissioned by a group linked to the Glen movement.
According to the Times, Garnier denied supporting the Glenists and said his report was researched
independently.
The recent coup was unsuccessful, but more than 230 civilians were killed and 2,191 people were injured.
Opposition parties have condemned the coup attempt.
The Times says since the 1970s, Glen has established a web of influence in Turkey through schools, media
outlets and businesses, urging his followers to pursue careers in the police, judiciary, military and other
institutions.
He remains as the group's honorary president.
24- Erdogan cheated death when coup pilot chasing him ran out of fuel state media
The rebel pilot of an F-16 that had the Turkish presidents plane in its sights failed to strike only because the
fighter jet ran out of fuel and had to change route, thus saving Erdogans life during the coup attempt, the pro-
government Yeni Safak newspaper claims.
The F-16 tracked Erdogans plane on its radar, but couldnt approach close enough to fire as its fuel was
reportedly running low, forcing the pilot to abort the mission, according to Yeni Safak. The reason why the F-16
didnt fire had remained unknown until recently, with a former military officer familiar with the events cited by
Reuters as saying it was a mystery.
At least two F-16s harassed Erdogans plane while it was in the air and en route to Istanbul, the officer
noted.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan managed to cheat death twice overnight on June 15, Yeni Safak
claims. Erdogan left the hotel in the resort town of Marmaris where he was on family holiday just minutes
before an assassination squad came after him and then he evaded death in the air.
President Erdogans Gulfstream IV TC-ATA was prepared for the flight in utmost secrecy, with no flight
information revealed.
The Turkish leader was on his way to Istanbul, but had to temporarily change its flyway to the city of Izmir until
it was safe to land at the initial destination point. His plane reached the city unscathed before daybreak on
Saturday on July 16.
The unplanned changes in his route were previously explained by trouble in the air, as a high-ranking official
put it, according to Reuters.
The coup plotters reportedly had bombed places in the resort town of Marmaris after he left, Erdogan said,
according to Reuters. Around 25 assassinators dispatched to the area from a helicopter in an effort to seize and
probably kill the Turkish president.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim allegedly was also targeted in Istanbul during the coup attempt but
managed to escape.
The failed coup took place in Turkey on July 15 and was suppressed the following day. Nearly 250 people were
killed while more than 2,000 suffered injuries, not counting the casualties among the plotters, according to
Turkeys authorities.
25- Gift from God: Erdogan reasserts dominance with huge Istanbul rally
More than a million people clad in Turkeys crimson colors assembled for a Democracy and Martyrs rally
at a parade ground in Istanbul. President Tayyip Recep Erdogan fronted the event, striking out at the leaders of
the failed coup and critics abroad.
That night, our enemies who were rubbing their hands in anticipation of Turkeys downfall woke up the next
morning to the grief that things would be more difficult from now on, said Erdogan after a minutes silence to
commemorate more than 240 people, who were killed during a failed putsch on July 15.
From now on, we will examine very carefully who we have under us. We will see who we have in the military,
who we have in the judiciary, and throw the others out of the door.
Turkish officials estimated that as many as 5 million people attended the biggest demonstration among the
hundreds that took place across the country. While the figure is hard to verify, the Yenikapi parade ground,
which can comfortably hold a million people was overfilled.
Giant posters of modern Turkeys founder Kemal Ataturk were seen hanging, alongside those of the current
president, as well banners proclaiming you are a gift from God, Erdogan and order us to die and we will do
it.
Noting that the death penalty is still widely used around the world, Erdogan said that he would back parliament
if it votes to re-introduce capital punishment, which was officially outlawed in 2004. The last official execution
in Turkey happened in 1984, but the measure has been touted as punishment for the elite military officials who
took control of the coup.
We need to evaluate well not just those who engaged in this treachery, but the powers behind them, the motives
that made them take action, continued the Turkish President, in a reference to his nemesis Fethullah Gulen,
who he has repeatedly accused of orchestrating the abortive takeover.
Gulen remains in exile in Pennsylvania in the US, despite Turkey stepping up its efforts to demand his
extradition. Approximately 18,000 people have been arrested, either for their role in the uprising, or alleged links
with Gulens movement.
Erdogan also took time out to criticize Germany, which banned a live broadcast of the rally in a public square in
Cologne, at least partially to avoid inflaming tensions between their sizable Turkish and Kurdish minorities.
Where is the democracy? Let them [Germany] nourish the terrorists [Kurds] it will come back to hit them,
said the 62 year-old politician.
New Turkey of national unity
But despite some acrid rhetoric, the overall purpose of the rally was to harness a mood of national unity after the
shocking outbreak of violence, jolting the nation beset by increasing instability, due to internal tensions with
Kurds, and war in neighboring Syria.
There we will stand together as a single nation, a single flag, a single motherland, a single state, a single
spirit, said Erdogan.
All but the Turkish flag were banned from the gathering, and political leaders agreed to avoid sloganeering.
Heads of leading opposition parties though not the Kurdish HDP stood alongside Erdogan as he spoke, and
gave their own speeches.
There is a new door of compromise. There is a new Turkey after July 15, proclaimed the leader of the
Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu, stating that the failed coup could return the country to the
secular ideals of Ataturk.
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But for all the talk of generosity and unity, the loudest cheers from the crowd, and the lenses of the cameras
focused overwhelmingly on one man Tayyip Recep Erdogan.
26- Austrian, German party leaders compare Turkeys post-coup crackdown to Hitler power grab
The leaders of Germanys liberal Free Democrats and Austrias far-right Freedom parties have both drawn
parallels between the Turkish presidents post-coup crackdown and the abuse of power which allowed Adolf
Hitler to exert Nazi rule.
A failed military coup attempt to oust and potentially kill elected Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan resulted in a
hardline response, with the Turkish parliament approving a national state of emergency. Since July 15 a number
of institutions, including media outlets, schools and hospitals, have been forced to close. Some 60,000 public
officials have been sacked and thousands of Turkish passports canceled, as authorities persecute those who
supported the coup which was allegedly plotted by an outside force.
In an interview with Bild am Sonntag, FDP leader Christian Lindner said he sees parallels between the Turkey
coup attempt and the Reichstag fire in February 1933 which was used by the Nazi Party as a proof of alleged
communist plot against the government.
We are experiencing a coup detat from above like in 1933 after the Reichstag fire. He is building an
authoritarian regime tailored solely to himself, Lindner said. Because the rights and freedoms of the
individual no longer play a role, he cannot be a partner for Europe.
Earlier, Austrias Freedom Party politician Heinz-Christian Strache also compared the situation to 1930s
Germany, where the then-chancellor Adolf Hitler sprung upon the incident to round up members of the
communist party and other opposition.
In an interview with Die Presse, Strache suggested the Turkish coup was guided by the government with the
eventual aim of making a presidential dictatorship by Erdogan possible.
Dramatically, we have experienced such mechanisms elsewhere before, such as with the Reichstag fire, in the
wake of which total power was seized, Strache added.
It comes as a midweek war of words erupted between Turkish and Austrian officials, sparked by Chancellor
Christian Kerns assertion that talk of Turkey to entering the EU is fiction. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu later branded Austria the capital of radical racism on live television.
27- Turkish FM: West failed test following coup attempt, in danger of losing Turkey
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has lashed out at the EU for its mixed reaction to the failed coup
attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while adding that if the West loses Turkey, it will be due to
its own mistakes.
Speaking to the Anadolu news agency, Cavusoglu was uncompromising in his stance towards the EU. He
accused the bloc of making serious mistakes and having failed the test following the failed coup attempt
against President Erdogan, which took place on July 15.
Support for EU membership used to be around 50 percent of the population, I assume it is around 20 percent
now, he said, as cited by Reuters.
Cavusoglu pointed out that there is growing resentment in Turkey due to a perception that the EU and US have
only been giving mild support to Ankara in wake of the attempted coup.
These frustrations pushed Cavusoglu to declare that if the West loses Turkey, it will be because of its own
mistakes, and not due to the fact that Ankara was seeking better ties with Russia or China.
Erdogan met President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for the first time since Turkey downed a Russian bomber over
Syria last November.
This will be a historic visit, a fresh start. I believe that a new page will be opened [during]... the negotiations
with my friend Vladimir [Putin], President Erdogan told TASS news agency in an exclusive interview ahead of
the St. Petersburg visit, adding that there is yet much for our countries to do together.
Cavusoglu said that Turkey and Russia will look to establish a joint military, intelligence, and diplomatic
mechanism, but warned it would not come at the expense of good relations with NATO. Ankara is a member of
the alliance and has allowed the US military to use its Incirlik airbase for operations against Islamic State (IS,
formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq and Syria.
Turkey wanted to cooperate with NATO members up to this point, the minister said. But the results we got
did not satisfy us. Therefore, it is natural to look for other options. But we dont see this as a move against
NATO, he told Anadolu.
Turkey has been incensed by the US refusal to hand over cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara believes
organized the attempted coup. The Turkish government wants Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in
Pennsylvania, to be extradited to face trial at home, but Washington has repeatedly refused, saying it needs clear
evidence that there was a link between Gulen and the attempted coup before it will consider complying with
Turkeys request.
The West has also been highly critical of the Turkish governments post-coup crackdown, which has seen some
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60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service, and education fired, of whom 16,000 have been arrested
and detained.
While he condemned the coup in Turkey, the French Foreign Minister Marc Ayrault said it was vital for the
rule of law to function fully, warning that the crackdown should not be a carte blanche for Erdogan.
Meanwhile, EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini warned Ankara that it could forget about becoming an
EU member if it wanted to bring back the death penalty for those accused of orchestrating the coup.
No country can become an EU member state if it introduces the death penalty, she said. Turkey is an
important part of the Council of Europe and is bound by the European Convention on Human Rights, which is
very clear on the death penalty.
Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a Middle East researcher at Tel Aviv University told RT that Turkey is
experiencing problematic relations with the EU and US due to Washingtons refusal to extradite Gulen and the
EUs half-hearted condemnation of the coup.
These two steps were not acceptable and, in order to show the Europeans and Americans his [displeasure] and
discomfort, he is conducting this rapprochement with Russia."
Cohen Yanarocak also added that Turkeys reconciliation with Russia was forced on Erdogan by the state of
Turkeys economy.
I must admit that because of the Russian sanctions against Turkey in tourism, and fruit and vegetables exports
the Turkish economy is in a very grave situation. He had to rehabilitate the Turkish economy and he had to mend
relations with the Russians, he told RT.
28- Erdogan ultimatum: US has to choose between Turkey & Gulen

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued an ultimatum to the US, saying it must choose between
Turkey and the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara believes was behind the failed July 15
coup attempt.
Sooner or later the US will make a choice [] Either the coup-plotting terrorist FETO [Gulenist Terror
Organization, term used by non-Gulenists] or the democratic country Turkey. The [US] has to make this
choice, Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara on Wednesday, as quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
Those who follow the Pennsylvania-based charlatan who sold his soul to the devil, or Daesh [Arabic pejorative
term for Islamic State/IS], which shed Muslim blood, or the PKK that also has shed blood for 30 years to divide
the country and the nation, will all lose in the end, the Turkish leader warned.
Erdogans statement comes after Turkeys repeated calls to the US for Gulens extradition. The 74-year-old
cleric was a popular preacher and former imam before setting up his own movement. He was a firm ally of
Erdogan as the Turkish leader rose to power, but the two fell out and have become bitter rivals.
Ankara claimed Gulen created a parallel state in Turkey in the form of a network of supporters among Turkish
officials. Erdogan also accused Gulen of masterminding a corruption scandal involving senior government
figures in 2013, and launched a crackdown against his organization, Hizmet. Gulen now lives in self-imposed
exile in the US state of Pennsylvania, facing a life sentence back in Turkey.
Erdogan accuses Gulen of orchestrating the July 15 coup, when a faction of the Turkish military attempted to
topple the government overnight, but failed. The violence left over 260 people dead and many injured. The
government has responded to the coup by launching a massive purge in the countrys military and academic
spheres.
Gulen has fiercely denied accusations that he was behind the coup, and has alleged that the Turkish president
could have staged it himself for his own personal gain a claim which Erdogan has called nonsensical.
I do not see any country that would stand behind [Gulen], this leader of the terrorist gang, especially after [the
night of July 15]. The country that would stand behind this man is no friend to Turkey. It would even be a hostile
act against Turkey, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters the morning after the failed coup. The same
day, President Erdogan publicly demanded Gulen's extradition during a televised government meeting.
The US has repeatedly refused to hand over the cleric, saying Turkey would need to provide evidence, not
allegations against Gulen in order to have him extradited.
We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr Gulen, and obviously we invite the government
of Turkey to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny and the United States will accept
that and look at it and make judgments appropriately, US Secretary of State John Kerry said following Gulens
extradition demands.
The West has also been concerned with the Turkish governments post-coup crackdown, which so far has seen
some 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service, and education detained, suspended or placed under
investigation due to having perceived links to Gulen.
In an effort to bar people who fear prosecution on coup-related charges from fleeing the country, some 50,000
passports have been canceled by the Turkish authorities. Erdogan also signed a decree ordering the closure of
hundreds of institutions associated with Gulen, or run directly by Hizmet, as well as some 130 media outlets. At
the end of July he also promised to reinstate the death penalty in the country.
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In response to these measures, Western politicians have warned Erdogan his attempts to make Turkey an EU
member are doomed if the purges dont stop.
No country can become an EU member state if it introduces the death penalty, EU Foreign Policy Chief
Federica Mogherini said. While EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently told broadcaster France
2 that he believes Turkey, in its current state, is not in a position to become [an EU] member any time soon and
not even over a longer period.
Turkey responded angrily to these remarks, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu lashing out at the EU for
its reaction to the failed coup, while adding that if the West loses Turkey, it will be due to its own mistakes,
not due to the fact that Ankara was seeking allies elsewhere, such as Russia or China.
29- Turkey issues arrest warrant for ex-football star Hakan Sukur over failed coup
Former international football striker Sukur is wanted for questioning by Turkish authorities as part of an ongoing
investigation into the country's failed coup
Sukur, who played for clubs including Inter Milan, Galatasaray and Blackburn Rovers, is accused of
involvement in the failed July 15 coup that attempted to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The state-run Anadolu news agency said the warrant accuses the 44-year-old of "being a member of an armed
terror group."
Police raided Sukur's house in Istanbul and his father Sermet 's home in Sakarya. His father was not found during
the search.
The failed coup, organized by the military, left 290 people dead and injured 1,440 more.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of numerous Turkish cities on July 16 in support of President
Erdogan as the coup unfolded.
Officials accused judges and the coup plotters of being loyal to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Erdogan
says wants to overthrow the government.
Sukur scored 51 goals in 112 appearances for Turkey a national record. He helped his country finish third in
the 2002 World Cup, where he scored the fastest goal in the tournament's history (10.8 seconds) against South
Korea.
After retiring from football in 2007, Sukur entered politics and was elected as an MP for Erdogan's ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP).
He quit in 2013 after a corruption probe that targeted Erdogan and his allies, choosing to side with Gulen.
Sukur had voiced objections to government plans to shut down schools run by Gulen's organization, Hizmet
(Service in Turkish).
He was accused of insulting Erdogan on Twitter in February, but denied his comments were aimed at the
president.
Sukur went on trial in absentia in June, with prosecutors seeking a four-year jail term for the former footballer.
Erdogan has ordered sweeping changes to the military, civil service and education since the attempted coup,
which saw rogue troops commandeer the country's airspace.
Several Turkish diplomats went on the run this week after missing a deadline to return to Ankara following the
coup plot.
30- Can Russia trust Turkey this time?

After months of often profound hostility, the sudden rapprochement between Russia and Turkey has caught even
seasoned observers by surprise. Yet, questions remain about whether its genuine or sustainable.
Weve been down this road before. Whenever Turkeys relations with its Western partners go awry, Ankara
habitually looks to Moscow. Yet, there are elements among the Turkish elite that openly advocate ditching
NATO and the countrys EU pipe dream in favor of a Eurasian alliance with Russia and Iran. Right now, either
they are winning the argument or Turkey is again playing games.
In a perfect world, Russia and Turkey would be natural allies because theyve a lot that unites them. Both are
partially in Europe but have been historically excluded from its political and cultural core for similar reasons.
Russia has been shunned because its regarded as too big, too powerful and too populous to cozily integrate with
the likes of France and Germany, who are also fearful of seeing their own influence diluted. At the same time, in
Turkeys case, numbers and size, as well as its predominately Islamic faith, are other factors that have a major
influence on its relative isolation. Additionally, former colonies of their antecedent empires, the USSR and its
Ottoman equivalent, often remain hugely suspicious of these shrunken successor states.
As we know, this is a far from flawless universe and in it statecraft between Ankara and Moscow has never been
very smooth. Indeed, the relationship has frequently been badly strained. And thats why this weeks rapid
diplomatic offensive has raised eyebrows.
Many Differences
To explain why, we only need to go back a few months. For some years, the Kremlin had been attempting to
build bridges with Turkey. But there were two key reasons why this strategy failed. Firstly, Turkeys NATO
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membership made it part of an American-led military alliance which appears to primarily exist to contain
Russia and, secondly, both governments have long disagreed on events in Damascus. Ankara wants Basher Al-
Assad removed and Moscow has been trying to keep him in power, because it fears the consequences of a
subsequent power vacuum.
Matters took a nasty turn last November when the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 which
was carrying out a mission in Syria. Moscow imposed economic and travel sanctions in reprisal and rhetoric
from both sides became heated. Indeed, some commentators even predicted a possible war. The end result was
that many informed pundits claimed that so long as Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin remained in
charge of their respective countries, there was little hope for resurrecting any form of positive dialogue.
Then events took over. On the night of July 15, a coup detat was attempted in Turkey, driven by a faction in its
military. A force that has, incidentally, has long been stoutly pro-American and hostile to friendship with Russia.
Indeed, in 1960, the Adnan Menderes administration was overthrown by the armed forces when they feared he
was about to abandon NATO for improved ties with the USSR. But this time, the attempted revolt had nothing to
do with Russia.
In the aftermath of the foiled putsch, western leaders notably failed to rally strongly around Erdogan. This is
mostly because of domestic repressions at home against the opposition and the media. But the fact remains that
Erdogan is Turkeys elected - and very popular leader - and he presumably felt he'd receive warmer support from
notional allies. That it hasn't been forthcoming appears to have deeply upset the Turkish premier. Unless, of
course, hes bluffing. And thats the challenge for Moscow here, to figure out whether he is or not.
Playing Games
In Russia, there are two possibilities being widely circulated. Cautious observers fear that Erdogan is playing the
Russian card in order to achieve concessions from the West. And there are two in particular he is after. One is
the implementation of a visa-free travel arrangement agreed in principle with the European Union earlier this
year. The other is the repatriation of Fethullah Gulen, a self-exiled Islamic preacher whom Erdogan holds
responsible for plotting the coup. Gulen resides in America and the US authorities have, so far, refused to hand
him over. Thus, we have a situation where NATOs leader might be harboring an individual who plotted the
downfall of another members democratically-elected government.
On the other hand, Ankara is fully aware that the Americans badly need its cooperation. Turkey is strategically
vital to US interests in the Middle East, both as a base of operations and through the use of its own, highly
competent, military in helping to fulfill US objectives. By appearing to get intimate with Moscow, Erdogan may
wish to concentrate minds in Washington. And in Brussels too, which hardly needs reminding that Turkey is the
only barrier stopping the EU being overrun by migrants.
The other theory is that Turkey is genuine this time. That Erdogan is tired of Western allies refusing to treat
Ankara as an equal and constantly sniping at his leadership. With that in mind, the narrative goes, Turkey may
be ready to seek new partnerships. Of course, this could also be music to Moscows ears.
Putin has, for some time now, being trying to promote the idea of an alternative bloc to curb American
domination of the global political order. With cooperation with China steadily increasing, bringing Turkey into
the mix would be the icing on the cake. Of course, Putin could be playing poker himself here. Russias primary
concern is to maintain its own security by exerting influence in its near abroad and restraining American
attempts to gain more clout and leverage there.
Can Turkey Be Trusted?
On Wednesday and Thursday this week, a pair of events resulted in mixed opinion on the degree to which
Turkey might be batting straight. Its foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, suggested that Ankara may seek other
options outside NATO for defense cooperation. However, he also insisted that a a political transition in Syria
with President Bashar al-Assad (in situ) was not possible, which is contrary to Moscows wishes. At the same
time, Cavusoglu asked Russia to carry out joint operations against ISIS, their common enemy.
Meanwhile, the day before, Erdogan issued an ultimatum to the US, saying it must choose between Turkey and
Gulen. Sooner or later the US will make a choice [] Either the coup-plotting terrorist FETO [Gulenist Terror
Organization, term used by non-Gulenists] or the democratic country Turkey. The [US] has to make this
choice, he said. These comments lend succor to the idea that Ankara is trying to play both sides right this
minute.
According to Vladimir Sotnikov, the director of the Russia-East-West Center for Strategic Studies and Analysis,
the fresh talks with Ankara give the Kremlin a new instrument for influencing the situation in the Middle East
and in other strategically significant regions and it destabilizes the Western coalition against Russia.
Moscow is now in a bind. Does it accept Turkish entreaties at face value or remain skeptical? Because there are
two possible outcomes to this current dialogue: It will either smooth relations between Europe's two
conterminous half-in powers, or become a second betrayal of the country by Erdogan. Whatever the outcome,
its fair to say that its impact will be profound.
164

AJE (Al-Jazeera English)

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1- Turkey: Crowds attack troops after coup attempt
Groups of civilians attacked surrendering troops who took part in a failed coup attempt in Turkey, punching and
kicking soldiers who needed protection by armed police.
As residents of the capital Ankara and the country's biggest city Istanbul woke on Saturday morning to news that
the coup attempt had failed, relief turned to anger at the troops who had brought tanks on to the streets in a bid to
take power.
In Istanbul, troops who had deployed with several tanks on the Bosphorus Bridge on Friday night were attacked
by a large and angry crowd on Saturday morning after handing over their weapons.
Police were forced to intervene and some shot into the air to protect the surrendering soldiers from crowds of
angry men who rained down punches, kicks, and blows from sticks as alleged coup plotters were herded on to
police buses.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his supporters to take to the streets late on Friday to defy the
military faction that was trying to depose him.
Images of chaotic scenes were also shared on social media of troops being disarmed by police at the offices of
the CNN Turk television channel and being attacked by what appeared to be the station's staff.
The army's Acting Chief of Staff Umit Dundar told a news conference that 104 coup plotters had been killed. He
said that 90 others had also been killed, adding that 47 of them were civilians.
2- The people defeated the coup in Turkey

Turkey knows this enterprise very well. It recognises these scenes. The country remembers well the
consequences and pains of each past coup; in 1960, 1971-1973, 1980 and 1997. The wounds are still fresh in
people's minds.
One thing they all know is that no one, except for a small group of putchists and their collaborators, emerged
victorious from those coups. Even those segments of society that had supported military takeovers of power prior
to them ended up bearing the brunt of each one. They caused pain, squandered lives and blackened the future.
That was why when a faction of the military, believed to be affiliated with the Gulen movement, led by the US-
based scholar Fethullah Gulen - which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey - attempted to stage a coup
against a democratically-elected government, all parties in the parliament and people from all walks of life and
persuasions came forward to reject it.
From a dark night, a bright morning
It was a dark night but it brought a bright new morning for democracy in Turkey.
It was dark because even in today's highly-connected and transparent world, a small group of putchists driven by
a narrow agenda were able to plant bombs in the national parliament, briefly take over TV channels and news
agencies and kill civilians as well as officials.
The bombing of the national parliament and presidential palace has no precedence in Turkish history.
Though we use the word coup to describe what took place yesterday, this is for the sake of convenience. It was,
in fact, more than a coup. Most of what happened yesterday has no parallel in Turkey's previous ignominous
coup d'etats.
It was more like a terrorist campaign conducted by a small group of people aiming to maximise the levels of
horror by hitting their targets indiscriminately. So many people have lost beloved ones as a result.
But this night has led Turkey into a bright day. The people of Turkey proved courageous. They came out on to
the streets and demanded that political disputes be settled through political means and democratic procedures.
The vast majority of people of all political persuasions rejected this violent campaign, and all of the political
parties represented in parliament opposed it.
IN PICTURES: Turkey coup attempt
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called upon people to remain defiant and steadfast in the face of these
"invaders". People positively responded. As a result, the coup attempt hasn't survived even for a day.
Rejecting the coup has now become Turkey's new common denominator. Given the political polarisation of
recent years, yesterday became a rare symbol of national unity for Turkey.
The threat of the Gulen movement
In addition, yesterday's failed coup has revealed the danger posed by the Gulenists. Now the world knows what
Turkey means when it describes this group as a state within a state that poses a threat to Turkey's democracy, its
politics and its people.
Those involved didn't only defy the demands and aspirations of the people, but the decisions of their superiors.
168

The vast majority of the military was not with them.
TIMELINE: How the coup attempt unfolded
One of the factors that probably motivated those involved to undertake this act now is the upcoming Supreme
Military Council meeting on August 1, 2016, which was expected to lead to a major reshuffling in the military's
higher echelons. A long-awaited purge of the Gulenists was anticipated.
In addition to this, there were reports that the judiciary would launch an investigation into the military wing of
the Gulenists. This may have unnerved them, leading them to make hasty decisions about the timing and nature
of this ill-prepared and ill-conceived coup attempt.
It now seems highly likely that the government will engage in a full purge of their network. In fact, a wide
segment of society and the political class is demanding it.
An opportunity for national reconciliation
Now Turkey has an opportunity to use this plot as a means for national reconciliation. There has been a societal
and political consensus in rejecting the attempted coup and the government should take comfort from this.
While remaining committed to deconstructing the Gulenist network, it should also take steps to initiate a
nationwide process of reconciliation. What started as a menace can turn into an opportunity.
This act will also consolidate the rank and file of the Justice and Development Party's (AK party) base as all of
the current and previous elites of the party have shelved their differences and adopted a united stance against it.
The AK party is likely to emerge stronger and more unified.
More than two and half years ago, I argued in one of my pieces for Al Jazeera that "democracy cannot flourish in
Turkey if the Gulen movement's parallel structure is not dismantled". Yesterday's events have confirmed this.
Now that the people have defeated this coup attempt, the politicians should remain vigilant and hold these
perpetrators and their wider networks to account. Anyone supporting democracy in Turkey should support them
as they ensure that such coups have no place in the country's future.
3- Turkey timeline: Here's how the coup attempt unfolded

A section of the Turkish army launched an attempt to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday night.
This is how it unfolded:
19:30 (GMT) - Reports that two major bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul are closed, causing major traffic
congestion. Army units are seen moving through the city. Images circulate on social media of cars and buses
backed up on roads in the city and troops deployed on the Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge.
19:50 - Fighter jets and helicopters are reported in the sky over the capital, Ankara. Helicopters seen over
Istanbul. Reports of gunfire in Ankara.
20:00 - Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announces that unsanctioned "military activity" is under way. He
calls for calm and says government forces will "do what is necessary" to restore order.
21:00 - The chief-of-staff of the Turkish military is among hostages held by coup plotters in Ankara, state-run
news agency Anadolu reports. A correspondent with Turkish state broadcaster TRT tells the Reuters news
agency that troops have stormed the station.
21:15 - Statement read on state-owned TRT says military has "completely taken over the administration of the
country to reinstate constitutional order". A new constitution is to be prepared. The statement accuses the
government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of eroding democracy. A curfew is announced and martial law
is to be imposed across the country. The TRT news anchor who read out the statement will later say that she was
forced at gunpoint to make the announcement.
21:30 - Turkish PM Yildirim denounces the coup attempt on Twitter, saying the uprising will be suppressed
even it it means fatalities. President Erdogan urges the public to take to the streets to protest against the coup.
"We will overcome this," Erdogan says in a video call to a mobile phone held up to a camera by a CNN Turk
presenter. The coup plotters will pay a heavy price, he says.
22:00 - Witnesses report that a military helicopter opened fire over Ankara and tanks are deployed at parliament
buildings in the city. Explosions are reported and a member of parliament says people are sheltering inside the
building. Turkish justice minister says loyalists of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen are behind the attempted
coup.
23:00 - Turkish fighter jet is reported to have shot down a military helicopter used by coup plotters over Ankara.
Anadolu news agency reports that 17 police officers killed.
23:50 - Explosions heard in Istanbul. Prime Minister Yildirim says situation under control in the country, and
blames supporters of the exiled preacher, Gulen. A US-based organisation linked to Gulen denies any
involvement.
00:20 - Erdogan arrives in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport . Speaking to a crowd of supporters outside the airport, the
president says the plotters "have pointed the people's guns against the people" and their attempt to seize power
will fail.
00:30 - Reports of more explosions at parliament buildings in Ankara while troops are reported to have started to
169

surrender in locations in Istanbul. Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala says the coup attempt has been
"neutralised".
00:45 - Soldiers surrender weapons in Istanbul's central Taksim Square after being surrounded by armed police
units loyal to the government.
02:00 - The president's office says at least 60 people killed and around 130 anti-government forces arrested.
Daybreak - Images are broadcast of scores of troops with arms raised surrendering on a bridge in Istanbul. The
government says more than 700 have been arrested and the coup attempt has failed.
4- Turkey attempted coup: 6,000 people detained

6,000 detained after failed coup attempt
General Bekir Ercan Van, commander of base used by US, among those arrested
Top army general General Erdal Ozturk also detained
Erdogan calls on US to extradite Gulen
US says Turkey must provide strong evidence for extradition
At least 6,000 people have been detained in Turkey in relation to a failed coup, with more detentions expected,
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on national television.
"The judicial process on this will continue," Bozdag said on Sunday, shortly before clashes between security
forces and coup plotters broke out at the Sabiha Gken Airport in Istanbul on Sunday evening, and at an air
base in central Turkey.
The number of 6,000 arrests includes 29 generals and 2,839 military personnel, a senior Turkish official told Al
Jazeera.
The top judicial body, the HSYK, dismissed 2,745 judges on Saturday, according to the state-run Anadolu news
agency.
Among those arrested is General Bekir Ercan Van, commander of the Incirlik air base from which US aircraft
launch air strikes on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants in Syria and Iraq (ISIL, also known as ISIS),
an official told Reuters.
The chief military assistant to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Ali Yazici, was also detained on Sunday,
according to broadcaster CNN Turk.
News of the arrests came after Erdogan accused an exiled businessman and cleric, Fethullah Gulen, of
orchestrating the violence and demanded the US extradite him.
Gulen, though, denies any involvement and has publicly condemned the events of Friday and Saturday.
Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington DC, said: "US Secretary of State John Kerry is now
saying the US had neither knowledge nor assisted in the coup attempt. The US understands Erdogan is
suspicious of Gulen.
"If Erdogan wants to extradite him for conspiracy and colluding with the coup [plotters], he [Kerry] said the
Turkish government needs to provide very convincing, solid legal evidence."
The government quickly began a purge of soldiers and judiciary officials allegedly connected to the plot after it
became clear the attempt had failed on Saturday.
"There are still a few important soldiers on the run and being sought. I believe they will be captured shortly," an
official told Reuters.
During the attempted coup, 161 civilians and regular troops lost their lives in Istanbul and Ankara, according to
government figures. More than 100 coup plotters were also killed, the military said.
For his part, Erdogan said Turkey was not seeking revenge.
"We are not after revenge. If they have guns and tanks, we have faith," the president said, speaking at a funeral
on Sunday for some of the civilians killed in the violence.
"Let us think before taking each step. We will act with reason and experience. The Gulen Movement's step
received its response. The putschists are the representatives of Gulen's terrorist organisation."
'One of the masterminds'
A senior Turkish official told Al Jazeera that at least two judges from the constitutional court and 10 judges from
the HSYK had been detained.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that the judges were detained based on "financial
transactions and communications between the individuals in question and the putschists", but added that
detention did not necessarily mean conviction.
Another senior official, also speaking anonymously, told Al Jazeera that a top army general was also being held
over his alleged involvement.
"General Erdal Ozturk, commander of the Third Army, has been detained," he said.
"Our sense is that the would-be junta had made preparations for some time. They had determined which military
officers would take over as governors, heads of government agencies ... but they were forced to rush due to the
upcoming Supreme Military Council meeting," he said.
The official described Ozturk as "one of the masterminds" behind the plan.
170

The coup attempt began at around 19:30 GMT on Friday with the partial closure by troops of two major bridges
over the Bosphorus in Istanbul as tanks moved into the streets and fighter jets were seen in the skies.
A member of the Erdogan's ruling AK Party, Kani Torun, told Al Jazeera that the coup "leaders" helped
thousands to infiltrate "security forces, the army, police and judiciary".
"If you look at this number [6,000 detained], it's big, but not more than 10 or 20 percent," he said. "This cult-like
organisation is like a religious cult. They have their own agenda and they use their own agenda against a
legitimate elected government. This group has always acted secretly."
5- Turkish political parties unite against coup attempt

It was a major display of solidarity when Turkish MPs from all four major political parties gathered at the
damaged parliament only hours after a coup attempt failed to overthrow the government overnight on Friday.
At an extraordinary parliament session early on Saturday, a joint declaration was issued by the ruling Justice and
Development (AK) Party, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the People's Democratic Party
(HDP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), "strongly condemning the coup attempt" that resulted in the
detention of thousands.
The statement said Turkey's handling of "the bloody coup attempt sets an example for the whole world."
"This noble nation, which has protected the Republic of Turkey and its institutions at the risk of their lives,
deserves to be praised and lauded," it added.
At least 290 people died and thousands of civilian and military state employees were detained after rebel soldiers
attempted to use tanks, fighter jets and attack helicopters to overthrow the government overnight on Friday,
killing civilians and security forces.
However, in the early hours on Saturday, dozens of soldiers involved in the coup surrendered in various parts of
Turkey after their attempt failed.
Sezgin Tanrikulu, an MP with the main opposition party CHP, told Al Jazeera that the attempt to overthrow the
government failed because of a combined stance by all of the country's political parties, the civil society, the
public and the media against the coup.
"Now the priority for our country should be to eliminate this mentality of coup that still exists in the minds of
some people in military and civilian institutions," he told Al Jazeera.
Oktay Vural, a senior MP with the right-wing MHP, told Al Jazeera that weapons have no part in politics, and
that the whole nation played a big role in quashing the attempt.
"Coups or terrorist organisations or any other attempt to bring violence into the political arena is fundamentally
rejected by our party," he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party blame exiled Muslim religious leader Fethullah Gulen
and his supporters for orchestrating the attempted coup and demand that the US extradite him.
Erdogan says Gulen supporters within the bureaucracy are running a "parallel state", and trying to undermine the
democratically elected government and the parliament.
Since the attempted coup, the government has cracked down on suspected backers of the plan to topple the
civilian government. As of Sunday night, 6,000 people were arrested over alleged involvement in the failed
coup.
The unity of all opposition parties in the face of the attempted coup was a rarity in a country famous for its tense
political scene, and highly polarised cultural and ideological lines.
Turkey: Crowds attack troops after coup attempt
Despite the fact that the opposition parties have expressed full support of the civilian government and
democracy, they have also urged the government and Erdogan to enhance Turkey's democratic standards.
"This is a wake-up call to make some changes in Turkey," MHP's Vural said.
"Even before the coup, we have warned the government about problems with Turkey's democracy and the rule of
law in the country," he told Al Jazeera.
"We need to assure the separation of powers in Turkey, media freedom and independence of the judiciary
through structural changes. The government should learn from what happened."
'Erdogan's choices'
Erdogan is loyally supported by millions of Turks, who mostly admire him for being a pious Muslim, but also
for raising their living standards and establishing economic stability.
The AK Party took over an economy suffering from inflation and high unemployment in 2002, and transformed
it to a steady one by pushing growth through trade and foreign investment.
However, Turkey's social divisions have grown during the rule of the AK Party, and critics blame Erdogan for
trying to grab more power through legal manoeuvres.
He has never hid the fact that he would like to see a presidential system similar to the US - which would
undoubtedly strengthen his hand - in Turkey.
CHP's Tanrikulu told Al Jazeera that Erdogan has a choice to make on which direction he wants to take the
country.
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"The channels of democracy should always be open and polarising politics that we experience in Turkey recently
should be given up. We should seek to establish a harmony in the society," he said.
"Erdogan has two choices ahead: He can start anew by using this coup attempt to bring the society together, and
strengthen liberal democratic institutions, freedoms and the rule of law. He can stop pressuring the media and
ignoring the opposition," he told Al Jazeera.
Or he can chase his authoritarian ambitions and work to enhance his power, eroding Turkey's democratic
institutions further, Tanrikulu said.
6- Turkey attempted coup: Thousands of police suspended

Turkey has suspended nearly 8,000 police across the country, widening a major purge on suspected supporters of
a failed army coup aimed at overthrowing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The interior ministry said 8,777 people had been removed from their posts, including 7,899 members of the
police and security forces, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.
Erdogan has pledged that the "cleansing" of state institutions will continue, saying a cancer had spread like a
"virus" and needed to be eradicated.
Speaking to supporters on Sunday after attending funerals of civilians killed in the violence, Erdogan also
said his government would consider reinstating the death penalty, which Turkey abolished in 2004 as part of
reforms aimed at joining the European Union.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that more than 7,500 suspects had been detained in connection
with the coup attempt.
"So far 7,543 suspects have been detained. The numbers may change. It includes 100 police, 6,038 soldiers, 755
judges and prosecutors and 650 civilians," Yildirim said, adding that 316 of the detainees had been remanded in
custody.
READ MORE: Thousands on the streets to show support for Erdogan
The detained suspected military coup plotters included 103 generals and admirals, state media said, while nearly
3,000 judges and prosecutors were dismissed in the wake of the weekend's events.
Separately, 30 governors and more than 50 high-ranking civil servants were also removed from their posts on
Monday, according to local media.
"The government's response to the failed coup is widening," Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from the
capital, Ankara, said.
"At the beginning it was army officers - the rank and file, as well as generals who were detained; then it was
judges and the judiciary, including the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court; and now the policemen," Khodr
said.
"It seems the government doesn't want to take any chances."
'Exactly what we feared'
The swift rounding-up of judges and armed forces, as well as the dismissal of police, came under fire in
Brussels, with EU officials calling on the Turkish government to respect the rule of law.
Punishment against the coup plotters must not include "measures that could lead to an authoritarian state",
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told journalists on Monday.
READ MORE: 6,000 people detained after failed coup
His view was echoed by Johannes Hahn, the European commissioner dealing with Turkey's EU membership bid,
who expressed concerns that the Turkish government was exploiting the failed coup to target internal opponents.
"It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and
to be used at a certain stage," Hahn said on Monday.
"I'm very concerned. It is exactly what we feared."
Inside Turkey, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) also said the response must be conducted
within the rule of law, adding that the plotters and those who helped them must be tried in the courts.
In a statement on Monday, the CHP also said the military must not be portrayed as the enemy.
Failed coup
The coup attempt became apparent late on Friday when, in dramatic scenes, tanks blocked bridges in Istanbul,
jets were seen in the skies over at least two cities, and the parliament and the headquarters of the intelligence
services were strafed with gunfire from attack helicopters.
Giving new figures, Yildirim said on Monday that 208 people were killed by the coup bid, including 145
civilians, 60 police and three soldiers. And 1,491 were wounded, he added.
Erdogan has blamed a high-profile former ally who has since become a bitter rival, Fethullah Gulen, for the
attempt.
Gulen, who lives in exile in the US state of Pennsylvania, has denied any involvement. Turkey is expected to
officially seek his extradition.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said he had no evidence that Gulen was behind the plot and urged Turkish
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authorities to compile evidence as quickly as possible so the US could decide whether Gulen should be sent back
to Turkey.
7- Erdogan supporters on the streets of Turkey

Tens of thousands of demonstrators came out on the streets of Turkey's capital Ankara and other cities to show
support for the President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
On Sunday he told crowds of supporters, called to the streets by the government and by mosques across the
country, that parliament must consider their demands to apply the death penalty for the plotters.
"We cannot ignore this demand," he told a chanting crowd outside his house in Istanbul late on Sunday. "In
democracies, whatever the people say has to happen."
He called on Turks to stay on the streets throughout the week, and late into Sunday night his supporters thronged
squares and streets, honking horns and waving flags.
Turkey gave up the death penalty in 2004 as part of a programme of reforms required to become a candidate to
join the EU. Germany said on Monday that Turkey would lose its EU status if it reinstated the death penalty.
Yildirim said Turkey should not act hastily over the death penalty but could not ignore the demands of its
people.
8- Turkey: Coup 'silence' and pointing fingers at the West

Istanbul, Turkey - Ties between Turkey and its major allies could come under extreme strain after perceived
lack of condemnation by the West as Friday's bloody coup unfolded.
Turkish officials have admonished what they say was official silence from world powers as rogue soldiers took
to the streets and aircraft bombed key institutions on Friday night through to the early hours of Saturday. The
attempted coup left more than 260 dead.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government are unlikely to
forget any time soon.
The United States and EU nations have increased their criticism of Turkey's moves domestically and
internationally in recent years.
Turkey failed coup: Erdogan supporters on the streets
Many in the AKP's electoral base, already deeply sceptical of Western intentions, will see this alleged inaction as
further proof of their animosity, and the government won't have trouble convincing them that fewer ties with the
West is a better thing.
"Every terrorism incident and this coup attempt can be traced and linked to international power centres," Aziz
Babuscu, an AKP parliamentarian from Istanbul, told Al Jazeera. "There is no need to name the international
power centres ... This is not the first time Turkey has been targeted by these centres in recent years."
Babuscu said he believed it was too early to say how the Turkish government would react to this perceived lack
of support, but added the stance of countries the government considered as allies was crystal clear.
"They developed a term for us during Ottoman times and called us the 'sick man of Europe'. They would love for
us to fit that definition even now," Babuscu said. "These international centres of power find it impossible to
stomach a Turkey that is a regional leader."
Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday at an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels the US was quick
to respond to the coup attempt.
"We stand squarely on the side of the elected leadership in Turkey, which President Obama and I both stated in
the course of events in the early hours as they were unfolding that night," said Kerry.
"But we also firmly urge the government of Turkey to maintain calm and stability throughout the country and
uphold the highest standards of respect for the nation's democratic institutions and the rule of law."
Turkey: Government launches purge after attempted coup
Retired Turkish diplomat Yalim Eralp, who has served as Turkey's ambassador to NATO, Washington, and the
United Nations, warned that emotional responses by Ankara would be detrimental.
"No government in the world will issue a statement while a coup is under way. It doesn't matter if it is in Turkey
or anywhere else. I don't think the Turkish government should be offended by this," Eralp told Al Jazeera.
On Saturday, Labour Minister Suleyman Soylu accused the United States of being directly involved in the coup
attempt during an appearance on local television.
According to Eralp, accusing Washington of involvement is a grave error and a diplomatic faux pas.
"I hope the Turkish government reacts sensibly," said Eralp. "However, my experience tells me that no Turkish
government tries to see whether its own shortcomings resulted in a certain situation. They always and always try
to put the blame on others."
The people defeated the coup in Turkey
Turkey's relations with the West, particularly the United States, have not been amicable for a few years now.
The divergent approach to the conflict in Syria and in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL) group has created a serious rift between Ankara and Washington.
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US support for the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing the People's Protection Units
(YPG) in northern Syria to aid in the fight against ISIL has angered Ankara immensely.
Turkey sees the PYD as the extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and, therefore, a "terrorist" entity
as well. The United States and the European Union also define the PKK as a "terrorist group", but don't extend it
to the PYD.
The same tensions exist with the EU. Last week Turkey strongly objected to a photo exhibit inside the European
Parliament, which contained images of YPG fighters.
Previously Ankara was ferocious in its condemnation of Brussels in March for allowing a group sympathetic to
the PKK to set up a tent as a Turkey-EU summit was about to begin to finalise a vital deal on migrant movement.
But what is likely to cause the most friction between Ankara and Washington for the foreseeable future is the
extradition status of Turkish Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Erdogan and the AKP see Gulen, who has been living in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since
1999, as the main force behind the attempted coup.
Ankara has tried to extradite him since 2013 when the former Erdogan ally - who turned into the president's
main foe after elements in the police and judiciary alleged to be his followers launched a major corruption probe
into Erdogan's inner circle, including some ministers.
Ankara accuses Gulen of orchestrating a movement seeking to infiltrate Turkish state mechanisms and topple the
government from within.
The United States has so far refused to extradite Gulen, but Kerry said Washington would consider an
extradition if compelling evidence was presented.
Turks pessimistic about future after coup attempt
Kerry also warned that public insinuations about US involvement in the attempted coup would harm bilateral
relations.
Eser Karakas, an economics professor at Istanbul University, said Turkey's future is anchored to good ties with
the United States and the European Union.
"I don't know who is behind the coup, but I do know that blaming the US will cause great damage to Turkey. For
a more democratic, freer, richer and safer Turkey, Ankara needs to remain part of the Western alliance," Karakas
told Al Jazeera.
9- President Erdogan: Ready to reinstate the death penalty

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is ready to reinstate the death penalty if the Turkish people
demand it and parliament approves the necessary legislation.
Erdogan spoke early on Tuesday to thousands of supporters outside his Istanbul residence who were chanting for
Turkey to restore capital punishment following the failed coup.
"Today, is there no capital punishment in America? In Russia? In China? In countries around the world? Only in
European Union countries is there no capital punishment," Erdogan said.
The president added Turkey is "a democratic state run by rule of law", and "you cannot put aside the people's
demands".
Parliament is expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

European Union officials had warned that long-stalled talks on Turkey's bid to join the EU would end if Ankara
restores the death penalty.
Turkey abolished capital punishment in 2004 under reforms aimed at obtaining European Union membership.
Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Ankara, said leaders of the EU will be closely watching the death
penalty discussion in Turkey.
"We do know when it comes to Turkey's accession to the European Union, there has been a very clear message
given to President Erdogan. The German Chancellor Merkel in a phone call said if the death penalty gets
reinstated here, then that will no longer happen."
Turkey: Coup 'silence' and pointing fingers at the West
Howard Eissenstat of St Lawrence University told Al Jazeera the president does not appear concerned about
following the dictates of the West post-coup attempt.
"Erdogan isn't particularly interested at joining the EU at this point Were he to reinstate the death penalty, that
in and of itself alone would be enough to scuttle any EU membership," Eissenstat said.
Thousands of alleged coup plotters have been rounded up since Friday's failed putsch, in which more than 260
people were killed.
10- Turkish pilots who downed Russian jet detained

Two Turkish pilots who played a role in the downing of a Russian jet in November are in custody over the July
15 failed coup in Turkey, a Turkish official said.
The downing of the Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border last November sparked an unprecedented diplomatic
174

crisis between Turkey and Russia, which ended last month when the two countries agreed to restore ties.
"Two pilots who were part of the operation to down the Russian Su-24 in November 2015 are in custody," a
Turkish official told AFP late on Monday.
When asked about the issue by the Turkish media, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said there were reports of the
pilots being detained but they were "yet to be confirmed".
READ MORE: Turkey says US given evidence of Gulen's role in coup
The official talking to AFP insisted that the military pilots have been arrested over links to the coup and not
because of the attack on the Russian plane.
But, Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek argued that the pilots, who are allegedly supporters of the US-based Muslim
cleric Fettullah Gulen, may have shot the Russian plane as part of a conspiracy to harm the Turkish government.
The Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blame Gulen's movement, which they refer to as
the "parallel state", and his supporters within the army for trying to stage the failed coup.
Talking to CNN Turk in the aftermath of the coup attempt, Gokcek said: "The parallels are responsible for the
tension between Russia and us. That incident [the downing of the Russian plane] was orchestrated by a pilot who
belongs to the parallel state.
"I say this one hundred percent. We were not voicing this before, we were gulping this down," he said.
"But, now I say this, as Melih Gokcek, these rascals caused the rift between Russia and us.
"Why? Because they wanted to isolate us in world politics. Yesterday I had a guest from Russia, an adviser for
Putin. He agrees with me."
READ MORE: Erdogan supporters on the streets of Turkey
Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 17, describing
the attempted coup as unacceptable and voicing hope for a speedy return to stability.
The two men are expected to meet in the first week of August, in their first face-to-face meeting since the
rapprochement.
A faction in the Turkish military attempted to stage a coup late on Friday night. In dramatic scenes, tanks
blocked bridges in Istanbul, jets were seen in the skies over at least two cities, and the parliament and the
headquarters of the intelligence services were strafed with gunfire from attack helicopters.
At least 290 people were killed and more than 1,400 wounded. Erdogan has blamed his former ally who has
since become a bitter rival, Fethullah Gulen, for the attempt.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that more than 7,500 suspects had been detained in connection
to the coup attempt.
11- Erdogan: Will do everything for stability of Turkey

In a wide-ranging interview with Talk to Al Jazeera, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that
Turkish democracy is not under threat, but said there could be more arrests in the wake of last week's failed coup
attempt.
"We will remain inside a democratic parliamentary system, we will never step back from it," he told Al Jazeera's
Jamal Elshayyal, speaking through a translator, from inside the presidential palace in Ankara.
"However, whatever is necessary for the nation's peace and stability will be done," he said.
Erdogan expressed doubts that the coup attempt was completely over, saying: "I don't think we have come to the
end of it yet."
He later declared a three-month state of emergency in a televised address saying it "has the sole purpose of
taking the necessary measures, in the face of the terrorist threat that our country is facing," and vowed the "virus
in the military will be cleansed".
In his interview with Al Jazeera, Erdogan described the attempted coup as "a crime against the Turkish state",
adding that the government was making sure "every step is taken within the law".
READ MORE: Turkey attempted coup - thousands of police suspended
Following Friday night's failed coup, the Turkish government's purge of state institutions has already affected
about 60,000 people including soldiers, judges, civil servants, police and teachers who have been detained,
suspended or face investigation.
Rights organisations and Turkey's allies have voiced concern that these measures go too far, while some claim
that Erdogan is using the failed coup to legitimise a crackdown on opposition.
READ MORE: Turkey - United against a coup, divided on the future
Erdogan told Al Jazeera that Turkeys government's response of a high number of arrests was not different to the
response of other countries facing security threats.
"For example, in the face of terrorist acts, France took numerous steps and certain stands," he said.
"Did they not detain people en masse? Did they not arrest people in very high numbers? We cannot deny those
situations."
Erdogan maintained his claim that US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his movement were behind the coup
attempt and said it would be a big mistake if the US decided not to extradite him. Gulen, who lives in exile in the
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US state of Pennsylvania, has denied any involvement.
The Turkish president, however, said he did not want to strain Turkey's relations with the US as a result of the
extradition request.
"We need to be more sensitive," he said. "Relations between our countries are based on interests, not feelings.
We are strategic partners."
The Turkish president said he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the failed coup attempt,
though he declined to name any.
Erdogan also reiterated Turkey would consider reinstating the death penalty after the failed attempt to overthrow
his government.
"I will approve capital punishment if it's passed by parliament," he said.
Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 under reforms aimed at obtaining European Union membership.
Reinstatement would create further issues between the EU and Ankara in the already stalled membership talks.
But Erdogan insisted that Turkey's decision on capital punishment should not affect its relations with the EU.
"If the EU respects democracy it will accept people's will," he said. "The world is not simply the European
Union. Do you have capital punishment in the US, Russia, China and in many other countries? Yes."
WATCH MORE: Turkey: Witch-hunt or precautionary measures?
Highlighted excerpts from Erdogan's interview:
On how he found out about the coup attempt: "It was my brother-in-law who gave me first the news. Initially
my reaction was disbelief ... I had a conversation with the head of the national intelligence agency, I was already
with the minister of energy on site and we decided to take a number of steps. One of the first steps involved my
family and me taking a helicopter from where we were to Dalaman, and from Dalaman to come to Istanbul by
plane."
On arriving in Istanbul: "When we arrived in Istanbul, of course there were some difficult moments there as
well ... We had F-16 jets flying in low altitude, faster than the speed of sound; that was of course an effort to
instill fear in the hearts of tens of thousands of people who were assembled there, and then we sat down with a
number of colleagues in positions of authority and we planned the aftermath, what was going to follow."
On telling people to take to the streets: "During that press briefing I advised people not to panic, nobody
should panic, and I invited the people to take to the streets, to take to the square, that it would be the right thing
to do, because within a democratic parliamentary system when you have a president of the republic elected to
office with 52 percent of the vote and the government that received 50 percent of the vote, in this type of a
country, this sort of a coup or an attempted coup, would be best answered by the presence of the people on the
street answering to those who want to impose their will on their decisions."
On potential foreign involvement in the failed coup: "There might be other countries involved as well; the
Gulenist terror organisation also has another superior mind, if you will, and a time will come when those
connections will be deciphered. We have to be patient ... But I don't think it will take long. The judiciary is
acting and I think all of those connections will come to the light of day."
On critics accusing him of a media crackdown: "I have never been against media; there have been numerous
insults and libels against me and my family and those outlets are still broadcasting. But in this incident even they
said they were on the side of the president, because [a pro-coup] direction would doom them and be the end of
them."
On reinstating the death penalty: "If parliament makes that decision, then the duty of the authorities in power
is to pave the way for this punishment to be reintroduced. The people have voiced this demand. They took to the
streets and kept saying 'capital punishment, capital punishment, capital punishment'."
12- Turkey declares 'state of emergency' after failed coup

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that the country will be placed under a "state of
emergency" for three months, in response to the failed coup.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Erdogan said the decision was made following a meeting with members of
the national security council.
The state of emergency was needed "in order to remove swiftly all the elements of the terrorist organisation
involved in the coup attempt," he said at the presidential palace in Ankara.
READ MORE: The lessons to be learned from Turkey's failed coup
"I would like to underline that the declaration of the state of emergency has the sole purpose of taking the
necessary measures, in the face of the terrorist threat that our country is facing," he said, vowing that the "virus
in the military will be cleansed".
In an interview with Al Jazeera earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan has expressed doubts the coup attempt was
entirely over.
"I don't think we have come to the end of it," he said.
Presidential power
Turkey has accused the group of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup.
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Gulen has strongly denied links to the coup.
According to the Turkish constitution, a state of emergency is allowed up to six months.
Article 120 of the constitution allows a state of emergency to be imposed "at a time of serious deterioration of
public order because of acts of violence".
Turkey had in 2002 lifted its last state of emergency, which had been imposed in provinces in the southeast for
the fight against Kurdish armed groups in 1987.
Under a state of emergency in Turkey, the president can largely rule by decree.
Curfews could be enforced, and gatherings and protests could be banned without official consent, under the
declaration.
Media could also be restricted, while security personnel could conduct searches of persons, vehicles or properties
and confiscate potential evidence.
But the interior ministry said that the order "will not affect civilians", according to Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker,
who was reporting from Ankara.
In his televised address, Erdogan also tried to reassure the public that military powers will not be expanded,
adding that Turkey would emerge as a "stronger nation" following the coup attempt.
13- Turkey: United against a coup, divided on the future

Istanbul, Turkey - As tanks rolled on to the streets and fighter jets took the skies of Turkey's major cities during
last Friday's attempted coup, the regular clashes between police and working-class residents of Istanbul's Gazi
district came to an abrupt halt.
The minority Alevi neighbourhood has a long a history of anti-government protest and intense police
crackdowns. Fierce confrontations between residents and security forces have been a common occurrence for
years.
Armoured police jeeps patrol the main streets of the neighbourhood at all hours and residents have long
complained about a lack of social services, minority persecution, and systematic police violence. However, on an
evening when supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stared down tanks and clashed with soldiers trying
to topple the civilian government, Gazi experienced a sudden yet temporary return to calm.
Locals describe scenes of a police force, which actively confronted the mutiny from a faction of the army around
the country, immediately retreating to their barracks where they hunkered down behind water-cannon trucks.
Turkey declares 'state of emergency' after failed coup
It is not that people here embraced the attempted coup, or have any support for military rule. In this notorious
hub of left-wing activity, where sympathy for the banned Revolutionary Peoples Party (DHKP-C) is common,
people fear the army more than most.
"We are not pro-coup, we are against it," says Arif Kavak, a 29-year old who has lived in Gazi all his life and
works in advertising. The skinny, bearded man who sports a tattoo of Ali ibn Abi Talib and his sword on his
right arm sits on a patio with three friends, smoking and thumbing through one of the DHKP-C magazines that
litter the tables of the local cafe.
They discuss how friends jailed for their activities with DHKP-C, a group with a long history of bombings in
Turkey, were singled out and moved to isolation on Friday as soldiers announced they were seizing key state
institutions and infrastructure.
"[The coup attempt] was worrying because we always experience the worst of it," Kavak emphasises, referring
to the military's history of violently suppressing left-wing groups and working-class communities when it has
come to power.
Still, he and his friends give vivid descriptions of mobs of pro-government supporters attacking residents of the
fiercely anti-Erdogan neighbourhood since a widespread purge began in the wake of the failed military
insurrection.
As Erdogan calls on his supporters to stay on the streets and members of the government have suggested citizens
arm themselves to prevent another coup attempt, Kavak says he has joined a local neighbourhood defence
committee to confront the attacking pro-government mobs.
Turkey: Work travel ban on academics after failed coup
Clashes between Erdogan's supporters and Alevi communities across the country have flared since Saturday.
According to Ertugrul Kurkcu, a national parliamentarian and leading member of the HDP- the socialist, Pro-
Kurdish party, minority communities across the country have started establishing volunteer neighbourhood
protection groups.
"People are now setting up self-defence units to protect against AKP mobs," he says, referring to supporters of
the ruling party. "The most vulnerable groups are women, Alevis and Kurds," he adds.
At the same time, Taksim Square has become the new hub for emboldened Erdogan supporters and a
government-mobilised anti-coup movement. Every night since Friday, throngs of people gather in a square,
where a military junta massacred striking workers in 1977, to call on the government to punish those who
attempted to return the army to power.
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Next to a large stage where Erdogan pledges to reinstate the death penalty for leading coup plotters, his picture
hangs from buildings that, just three years ago, were draped in opposition banners and surrounded by the
barricades from the mass Gezi park protest movement that he crushed.
Sitting on the edge of Taksim as people start gathering for an evening protest, 40-year-old Omer Bas clutches a
Turkish flag in his right hand. Originally from the southeastern city of Siirt, he now lives in Istanbul's deeply
religious neighbourhood of Esenler and describes joining his neighbours on the streets on Friday after heeding
the president's Face Time call to do so.
"We came out to the resist the Gulenist organisation's junta," he says, referring to the movement the government
accuses of organising the faction of military that attempted the coup.
Fethullah Gulen, leader of the Gulen movement who lives in self-imposed exile in the US, was once a strong ally
of Erdogan. Yet their fallout has led to spiralling polarisation between Erdogan's government and a movement
that has a significant membership in the army, police, civil service, media, and academy.
Bas endorses the message coming from members of the government for people to arm themselves in the current
political climate, and says he has had a gun since living in Turkey's majority Kurdish southeast. "I got it to
protect my family from terrorist acts," he adds, referring negatively to the Kurdish national struggle.
For Bas, there is no choice but to stay on the streets as long as the government calls on its supporters to do so.
"We know what happened with Egypt," he says ominously, referring to the 2013 coup that toppled that country's
first democratically elected government.
Turkey blocks WikiLeaks over release of AK Party emails
Draped in a Turkish flag, Abdul Sawed - a scruffy-faced 18-year old - sits next to Bas and depicts Erdogan as a
father-of-the-nation figure. He sees the fight to secure his own future dramatically playing out in Erdogan's
purge that has spread from the army into the police force, judiciary, civil service and academy.
On the one hand, he frames the current political struggle in terms of ensuring the survival of democracy, yet he
focuses on nationalist and religious qualities of the president and his government.
"If President Erdogan falls, then Turkey falls and Islam falls," he says decisively.
Despite the nationalist and populist tones in the rhetoric of those taking to the streets, others supporting the
protests highlight both their religious values and a desire to preserve the democratic process as a reason for their
support for Erdogan.
"Erdogan is one of the people, put there by the people," says 51-year-old Serap Kuguk, who makes a point of
identifying herself as Muslim first and Turkish second. Sitting in her hole-in-the-wall downtown cosmetics shop,
the conservatively dressed, cheery shop owner extolls the governing AK party's civic accomplishments.
"No one has built as many roads and bridges as he has," she argues.
Kuguk is from a generation that has seen several coups in its lifetime but, like many, she believed that chapter of
Turkish history was over. "I would have never guessed that something like this would happen today."
If there is one consensus in the country, it is that the military no longer has a place in politics, and that coups are
a part of Turkey's past, not its future.
Turkey failed coup: Erdogan supporters on the streets
Sipping tea and chain smoking at a sidewalk cafe in the liberal, secular, upper-class neighbourhood of Cihangir,
one of Turkey's contemporary-establishment dissidents doesn't mince words when condemning the attempted
coup - or Turkey's president.
"Our low-level democracy is the result of a history of military coups," contends Ahmet Sik.
Sik spent four-and-a-half years in a Turkish prison for his unflattering, then unpublished, manuscript of a book
about the Gulenist movement at a time when Erdogan and Gulen were still allies.
He was visiting a friend in prison when he first heard the news of Friday's attempted military overthrow and
describes how an immediate feeling of pessimism came over him.
"The current government is against a republican era of human rights, but even that is better than what the
military brings," he maintains.
Sik's sentiments are common for Erdogan's opponents across the political spectrum, and even hard-line secular
nationalists express doubt about the military's attempted return to state power.
"A coup is an event that throws back the country 50 years," says Zeynap Banderma, a 22-year-old university
history student in Ankara, who is originally from Istanbul. She describes how the army killed a friend of hers
when he took to the streets of the capital on Friday, but is unwilling to blame the soldier who shot him.
Banderma is from a younger generation in Turkey that has never witnessed a successful military takeover, but
she is from a staunchly nationalist, middle-class family and embraces the notion of the army's secularist
values. For her, the army is the guardian of the nation. She loathes Erdogan and conceptually believes the army
could play a role in bringing down his government. Still, sitting a few tables over from Sik, she describes last
Friday as a dangerous farce and notes that realistically, the era of the military shaping politics is over.
The lessons to be learned from Turkey's failed coup
Alongside a common sense of social and political unity in opposing the army's attempt to wrestle power from
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Turkey's elected officials, Kurkcu paints a picture of a country whose multiple deep divisions have come to the
surface since Friday. He notes that it was only Erdogan's supporters who first took to the streets and continue to
remain there, while his opponents fear their participation would be manipulated into being presented as an
endorsement of the government's policies.
For him, the current power struggle in Turkey is best expressed as a dichotomy between a bloody attempt at
military rule and a broad, expanding and violent purge.
"There is a saying in Turkish that you have a choice between being killed by 40 knives or pulled apart by 40
mules."
14- The legacy of the coup attempt in Turkey

Ayse Sozen Usluer is the head of the Foreign Relations Department at the Turkish Presidency.
When military vehicles blocked the entrance to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul on July 15, Erol Olcak was at
home with his family.
Soon Turkish citizens realised that this was a coup attempt, and the only way thwart it was to take to the streets
and express the will of the people.
Olcak, living near the bridge, took his 16-year-old son and rushed out the bridge to resist the military forces.
They had no guns, and nothing to shield them from any attack.
It was with profound sadness and shock that we learned he was killed by the traitors within the first hours of the
coup attempt, only because he stood for what he believed in: freedom, democracy and the will of the people.
Olcak was not only a close friend of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but also a strategic and important figure
in his political movement for more than 20 years.
As the party publicist, he prepared all the election campaigns that were pivotal for the Justice and Development
Party's (AK party) success.
He was creative and bold, planning one of the best campaigns in the political history of Turkey. So why would
Erdogan let him die?
A conspiracy?
This is a very surprising question, and it may sound preposterous. But there is a conspiracy theory being
circulating in the social media that it was Erdogan who initiated the coup against himself.
Even putting these words on paper feels ridiculous but some international media have already picked up on it.
Why he would do that, you might ask. Well, according to this claim, he'd do that to consolidate more power; as
if he is not a leader who has not lost a single election in the past 15 years.
For a deeper understanding, we should remember what happened on that fateful night. A faction within the
Turkish Armed Forces broke the order of command chain and attempted a military coup in Turkey.
Istanbul and Ankara were the focus: in Istanbul, the Asian entrances of the Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet
bridges were blocked by military vehicles, and the Ataturk International Airport and Istanbul Police Force
headquarters were surrounded.
In Ankara, strategic security institutions such as the headquarters of the National Intelligence Organization,
Police Force and the Special Forces were bombed. The headquarters of the Turkish army chief of staff was under
siege.
OPINION: Turkey coup attempt - What happened that night?
The attacks included civilian targets as well. The Turkish state broadcaster TRT offices in Istanbul and Ankara
were raided, and a statement declaring the coup was read live on TV, stating that the military had seized power,
and martial law and curfew would be enforced throughout the country.
The Turksat satellite and Turkish Telekom offices were also attacked. Turksat was bombed so that television
broadcasts to the entire country could be cut. The coup plotters had only one aim: to cut off all the
communication channels of the entire country.
The president and the prime minister appeared on national TV channels, defying the attempt and calling citizens
out to the streets to resist it.
People's resistance
By then people had already started to gather in protest. Just as Olcak, who was one of the first to reach the
bridge, nobody had any weapons - just their bodies and voices against the coup attempt.
The peaceful resistance was, however, met with gunfire and bombings. At the end of this tragic night, the
country lost 241 civilians, and 1,537 more were injured.
The conspiracy theorists also refer to the people who took to the streets as Erdogan's "sheep".
One wonders how these mere "sheep" could have stood up against tanks and would not move one inch when
helicopters kept firing from above.
Or how President Erdogan could let fighter jets bomb the parliament while there were many MPs from all parties
inside.
The failure of the international media
While such baseless and illogical claims found expansive coverage in the international media, what actually
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happened that night seems to not interest them as much.
The brutality of the coup attempt, bombings of strategic institutions of this country, and loss of innocent lives
remain largely untold.
Most failed to stand with Turkish democracy and its people, rather preferring to follow a "wait and see" policy.
OPINION: The lessons to be learned from Turkey's failed coup
Instead of a straightforward and unequivocal condemnation of the coup attempt, what we mostly see is
politicised comments and baseless accusations.
There are even opinion pieces implying that a military coup would be better than the rule of democratically
elected officials, while little was said about the true perpetrators of the coup and the terrorist network lying
behind it.
Thankfully, all the Turkish media - regardless of their political stance - resisted the coup, broadcasting the truth
and keeping the citizens aware and alert of the threat our country faced.
The stance of most international media, on the other hand, comes across as a big insult to the Turkish people
who repelled a brutal coup attempt.
In the end, the peaceful resistance of ordinary people proved to be stronger than bombs and guns.
Erol Olcak and his son were among the first martyrs of this coup. Their memories and sacrifice will always be
remembered and cherished.
People are still in the streets and squares, continuing the resistance, proving the martyrs did not die in vain.
What began as a dark and tragic night ended up as the day when ordinary citizens saved their country and
democracy.
Ayse Sozen Usluer is the head of the Foreign Relations Department at the Turkish Presidency.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial
policy.
15- Turkey: Arrest warrants issued for 42 journalists

Turkish authorities issued warrants for the detention of 42 journalists on Monday, private broadcaster NTV
reported.
Well known commentator and former parliamentarian Nazli Ilicak was among those for whom a warrant was
issued, NTV said.
Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police,
judges, teachers, civil servants and others in the week since a failed coup attempt.
Of the 13,000 people detained in the purge of people the government says were involved in the attempt, about
6,000 have been arrested, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late on Saturday.
READ MORE: Coup plotters 'acted early' in fear of arrests
Some 37,500 civil servants and police officers have so far been suspended, including many from the education
ministry.
On Saturday, Erdogan issued a decree to close 2,341 institutions - including schools, charities, unions and
medical centres.
The decree, which local media noted as being the first taken under the powers of a recently-declared state of
emergency, also extended the legal time a person can be detained to 30 days.
The rapid pace of arrests has drawn criticism from many of Turkey's Western allies, who say they see the
country going down an increasingly authoritarian road.
16- The West fails the 'coup test' in Turkey

Ayse Yircali is the executive director of Istanbul based think-tank Center for Public Policy and Democracy
Studies.
Sabiha Senyucel is the research director of Istanbul based think-tank Center for Public Policy and Democracy
Studies.
The days of July 15 and 16 have marked one of the most critical and significant landmarks in the history of
Turkey.
The nation was threatened with an extremely serious assault as a group from within the Turkish Armed Forces
attempted a coup on that Friday evening.
The coup attempt targeted the whole nation, not just the president and the government. The public, political
leaders, parliamentarians, mainstream media, security personnel, and top military officials resisting the coup
planners stood tall and strong.
What did the Western media miss?
Many in the Western media and their analyses failed to show respect and extend credit to the society of Turkey,
undermining the critical fact that these people will not accept a regime change by force any more.
A predominant part of American and European media outlets gave the initial signs of failing objectivity during
the first 24 hours of the coup. Their accounts of events in the first few hours were full of vague and distant
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messages.
There was a clear shortcoming in following and reporting the stream of events, such as the instant emergence of
thousands of people to stand against the coup and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's departure from his holiday
location and his safe arrival in Istanbul.
Instead, CNN International chose to portray Erdogan as "Turkey's beleaguered president" right at the moment
when he was inviting everyone to the streets and announcing that he would soon meet them in the squares.
Meanwhile, an MSNBC reporter published a - now deleted - tweet saying a "Senior US military source tells
NBC News that Erdogan, refused landing rights in ?stanbul, is reported to be seeking asylum in Germany."
It was no surprise that this quote was retweeted by hundreds as breaking news, some of who are regarded as
experts on Turkey.
However, soon after, this news was falsified as Erdogan addressed the nation in front of cameras in Istanbul.
OPINION: Turkey and the US - What's the problem?
This kind of reporting by MSNBC, a mainstream American news outlet, can fairly be regarded as an example of
irresponsible reporting at least, displaying the leader of the country as on the run, which is known to have a
tremendously discouraging effect on people to give up their stance during such times.
As more detailed accounts followed the following morning, the majority of Western analysis consolidated
around one position: falling short of supporting the democratic legitimacy of the people, but rather preferring to
put emphasis on stability.
A prompt analysis published on a Fox News opinion page on July 16 declaring that "Turkey's last hope dies" is a
good representation of disappointment on the part of at least some Western actors that the coup actually failed.
Rather than giving a full account of what was happening on the streets, they chose to portray the events as a fight
between Erdogan supporters and opponents.
Another example that brought criticism was an article on the BBC website that chose "Recep Tayyip Erdogan:
Turkey's ruthless president" as its headline.
This, along with many other examples, floundered in informing the world that people in Turkey were giving out
an ornamental resistance to an illegal, undemocratic attack on their freedom.
Disregard for the public
A common trait in all these news and analyses is an open undermining of the social movement that has been
detrimental to the coup attempt, failure to portray a clear account of developments, avoiding political
positioning, and a subtle treatment of Turkey and the Turkish government with negative future scenarios.
A top-notch example solidifying the disrespect towards the Turkish citizens came from The New York Times,
which in the following days called the Erdogan supporters "sheep". This seems to have wrapped up the Western
bias and orientalist stance in the eyes of the people of Turkey.
The newspaper published a clarification a couple days later, and said it was a quote from an interviewee in
Istanbul. However, that only matters slightly since the NYT had not refrained from titling this article as such in
its tweet in the first place.
Furthermore, the same newspaper has also published an opinion that did not refrain from calling people fighting
the coup on the streets "violent mobs who responded to Erdogan's call".
These are among the numerous striking examples that have raised concern and criticism in public opinion in
Turkey.
Objective and well-intended efforts of reporting and analysing should of course be applauded and set apart, and
fortunately there are at least a few examples of these.
However, the rest have taken their place in records by their prejudice, double standards and insincerity.
Hopefully, self-criticism will prevail, and the free and independent media in the West will show a more nuanced
approach in the coming days.
The stance of Western political leadership has also fallen short of satisfactory reaction as their statements were
late, vague and weak.
OPINION: Turkey coup attempt - What happened that night?
They failed to portray a solid condemnation of the coup attempt in early messages.
And in later ones, there was - like in the media - an underestimation of the nation's solidarity and a weaker- than-
expected support for the elected government and parliament.
Furthermore, the most problematic common reaction of Western politicians was the inexplicable impatience in
jumping to bleak conclusions regarding the measures taken by the government, followed by nonsensical
warnings towards Turkey.
What lies ahead?
The early warnings of Turkey's Western friends regarding rule of law, freedoms and human rights are not
overlooked in the public sphere anyhow.
The government now has a huge responsibility to put an end to this crisis and take steps to preserve the spirit of
solidarity.
Capital punishment will mostly be discussed by political parties, but so far no political leader has shown a strong
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willingness to introduce it, which, in our opinion, would be a detrimental turn for Turkey's democracy and the
public psyche.
Reform is necessary in all branches of the state and there is an urgent need for reconstruction in justice and
military institutions. A new constitution is now a must - more than ever.
If there is only one thing to underline boldly from this tragic experience, it should be the evolution of the social
dynamic in Turkey that has come to a point where it will no longer tolerate the extermination of its will and
freedom by force.
This is the most significant bottom line that the rest of the world should see and read carefully while commenting
on Turkey.
Ayse Yircali is the executive director of Istanbul based think-tank Center for Public Policy and Democracy
Studies (PODEM).
Sabiha Senyucel is the research director of Istanbul based think-tank Center for Public Policy and
Democracy Studies (PODEM).
policies.
17-Turkey: The night of the ordinary heroes

Mevlut Cavusoglu is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.
At around 10pm on Friday, July 15, members of a sleeper cell belonging to a fringe terror cult tried to stage a
coup in Turkey, attempting to depose the democratically elected government.
This coup was staged by a clique inside the Turkish Armed Forces linked with the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist
Organisation.
The rogue officers went on to fire at police stations with fighter jets, killing dozens of police officers tasked with
protecting the people.
The F16s hijacked by members of the terror cult dropped bombs on the Turkish parliament while the legislature
was still in session.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hulusi Akar and several other high-ranking generals were kidnapped
by their own personal security details.
Attacks on all facets of democratic institutions took place nearly simultaneously.
Miraculous moment
At this point, something miraculous and unprecedented happened.
The citizens of Turkey responded, realising that their democracy was in danger.
As news of the coup spread via social media, the people stopped what they were doing and took to the streets.
By the time President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned to Istanbul's Ataturk airport, hundreds of thousands of
ordinary citizens had poured out into the streets, confronting soldiers armed with heavy artillery, tanks and
assault rifles.
Ordered to put down any resistance, participants in the coup fired from helicopters on crowds of civilians.
As waves of civilians were cut down in the streets, many more were infuriated by videos of the blatant disregard
for the lives of their countrymen.
Social media accelerated the spread of news, and within hours millions of Turks filled the city centres
demanding that soldiers return to their barracks.
Five hours into the attempted coup, tanks that had been sent into the streets to intimidate the people were
surrounded by masses of Turks furious at the attempt to interfere with democratic order.
Soldiers who had fired on innocent civilians put down their arms and surrendered. The coup had failed.
Democracy was protected by ordinary citizens who had gathered to oppose the coup.
OPINION: The legacy of the coup attempt in Turkey
All political parties in the Turkish parliament were united in their condemnation for the failed coup by issuing a
joint declaration.
Once again, Turkish democracy had proved its credentials.
The key role of the Turkish media in opposing the coup attempt is striking.
Tragically, 246 Turkish citizens lost their lives during this violent terror campaign - of those, 179 innocent
civilians who just stood bravely in front of the tanks and reclaimed their democratic rights.
More than 2,000 Turkish citizens were wounded. Those taking place in the coup attempt will be prosecuted and
tried in accordance with law.
The coup plotter
The statements of those under arrest and the information from multiple agencies prove that this terrorist coup
attempt was staged by the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation.
For more than 30 years Fethullah Gulen has encouraged his followers to infiltrate the military and judiciary in
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Turkey.
Hidden camera footage from 1997 reveals Gulen telling his followers to "avoid detection and infiltrate" all levels
of the state down to its "capillaries".
OPINION: The West fails the 'coup test' in Turkey
Cloaking this sinister and heinous agenda, Gulen has formed a broad network of schools, NGOs and businesses,
and covertly infiltrated into public offices to overthrow the democratically elected government in Turkey.
Gulen, who has already been sought by Turkish officials to stand trial on several counts of conspiracy, resides in
southern Pennsylvania, USA.
The US has not yet extradited him to Turkey to stand trial, and continues to renew his residency permit.
Turkish people are appalled at the US' insistence in harbouring him. We, as the Turkish government demand his
return to face justice.
His extradition to Turkey is the strongest expectation of the people of Turkey from the US. The position of the
US on this vital matter is what it may shape the future relations of the two key allies.
The Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation continues to obtain financing for its subversive activities through
operating charter schools in the US.
Gulen's activities have jeopardised the stability and constitutional order of NATO ally Turkey.
Any support rendered to Gulen and his terrorist organisation does not comply with the spirit of cooperation
between Turkey and the US.
We expect the US authorities to show solidarity with its NATO ally Turkey and take immediate action in
restricting the activities of Gulen as well as his network, and extradite him to Turkey.
Mevlut Cavusoglu is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.
policies.
18- Turkey shuts scores of media outlets, sacks generals
The Turkish government has issued a new decree ordering the closure of scores of media organisations as it
widened its crackdown in the wake of a failed coup attempt earlier this month.
According to the government decree, which was published in the official gazette of the republic late on
Wednesday, three news agencies, 16 television channels, 23 radio stations, 45 daily newspapers, 15 magazines
and 29 publishing houses have been ordered to shut down.
Among them are Zaman Newspaper, Samanyolu News Channel and Cihan News Agency, which have
previously been accused of supporting the movement of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric and businessman
blamed by the Turkish government for the failed coup bid on July 15.
A total of 1,684 members of the armed forces, including 127 generals and 32 admirals, were also being
dismissed from the Turkish military as result of their alleged connections to the Gulen movement, according to
the decree, the second to be issued under the powers of the state of emergency.
Interior ministry takes over key security force
In one of the most significant institutional changes since the coup attempt, the decree also announced that the
gendarmerie and the coast guard would in future fall under the interior ministry and not the army.
The gendarmerie, which is responsible for public order in rural areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police
forces, as well as assuring internal security and general border control, had always been part of the military. Its
removal is seen as a blow to the armed forces' clout.
The decree will now move to parliament, which is dominated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
Justice and Development Party (AKP). The legislature has oversight powers on such decrees, adopted as part of
the state of emergency which entered into force on Thursday.
The new decree will come in to affect on July 29, according to Turkey's state owned Anadolu Agency.
READ MORE: Turkey in shake-up of security forces after failed coup
Last week, Erdogan issued another decree to close 2,341 institutions - including schools, charities, unions and
medical centres - which are suspected to have connections to Gulen's movement.
Since the failed coup attempt, 15,846 people, including soldiers, judges, prosecutors and civil service workers,
have been detained. Of them, a total of 8,133 have been charged, according to the latest interior ministry figures.
The rapid pace of arrests since the failed coup has worried many of Turkey's allies, who say they see the country
going down an increasingly authoritarian road.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday expressed deep concerns about the ongoing wave of arrests
in Turkey following the attempted coup.
In a phone conversation, Ban told Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that "credible evidence" must be
presented swiftly so that the detainees' legal status could be determined by a court of law.
Ban has spoken out repeatedly on the need for Turkey to respect freedom of speech and assembly and to uphold
due process.
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The UN chief "trusts that the government and people of Turkey will transform this moment of uncertainty into a
moment of unity, preserving Turkey's democracy," Ban's spokesman Farhan Haq said..
Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, on the other hand, warned that the crackdown and purge unleashed
after the coup attempt was not over.
"The investigation is continuing. There are people who are being searched for. There could be new
apprehensions, arrests and detentions," Yildirim told Sky News, according to the network's translation of his
remarks.
"The process is not completed yet," he added.
Turkey to close all army high schools
The Turkish government is also set to issue another decree to close down military high schools and restructure
war academies in the wake of the failed coup attempt.
After the publication of the new decree on Thursday, all military high schools will be shut, and all cadets will be
transferred to regular state schools, Al Jazeera Turk reported on Wednesday citing government sources.
A total of 8,651 soldiers took part in the failed coup attempt and 1,214 of these soldiers were "military students",
according to the Turkish military.
READ MORE: Arrest warrants issued for 42 journalists in Turkey
Immediately after the failed coup attempt, a total of 62 students at Kuleli Military School, the oldest such
establishment in Istanbul, were arrested by Turkish authorities.
The cadets, aged between 14 and 17, were accused of having connections to the movement of US-based cleric
and businessman Fethullah Gulen, who Erdogan blames for the failed coup bid.
Their relatives have since denied the youths were willing participants in the coup attempt, saying they were
summoned to school from vacation by commanders who duped them into taking part in the rebellion and
deployed them on to Istanbul's streets.
But, Turkish authorities continue to believe that the military's educational institutions are mostly controlled and
occupied by Gulen supporters.
"Government officials told us that some military cadets may not be connected to the Gulen organisation, but,
they said at this stage it would be impossible for them to determine who is connected and who is not," said Al
Jazeera Turk's Didem Ozel Tumer.
"They believe the [Gulen] organisation has been distributing answer keys for the military schools' entrance
exam."
READ MORE: Turkey investigates those who say coup attempt was hoax
Turkish war academies, which offer university level education to prospective military officials, will also be
affected by the new decree, expected to be issued on Thursday.
After the shake-up, these academies will continue to exist, but they will fall under the defence ministry and not
the army, according to the Turkish pro-government daily Star.
19- Coups work only for autocracies, not democracies

Ahmed al-Burai is a lecturer at Istanbul Aydin University. He worked with BBC World Service Trust and LA
Times in Gaza.
"The government is in control," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a crowd of people gathered upon
his call in Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport in the early hours of Saturday, July 16.
He added "We are not going to compromise ... we will continue to cleanse the virus from all state institutions."
Without hesitation, in the following days, the Turkish government vehemently embarked on an unprecedented
massive crackdown to purge the military of mutineers.
PAGELOADEDSUCCESSFULLY
Erdogan pledged a conclusive army overhaul. However, the operation toll surpassed 50,000 civil servants,
including judges, prosecutors, academics, deans, and journalists.
Some were suspended, others were asked to resign, while the rest were immediately taken into custody.
Moreover, eight top-level officials in the Turkish parliament have been suspended, while two others were
rotated.
All are believed to have direct links to the self-exiled cleric in the United States, Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed
for orchestrating the foiled coup on July 15.
Maintaining the historic national unity
Indisputably, in the aftermath of such a brutal coup that has claimed the lives of more than 265 innocent people,
destabilised a democratic sovereign state, unprecedentedly attacked its parliament and presidential compound,
and provoked horror among its citizens, precise deterrent measures have to be decisively taken.
The purge procedures should be cautiously carried out, primarily to maintain the historic national unity that was
uprightly manifested during the anti-coup public resistance.
It also needs to mobilise public opinion solely against that rogue faction of the army that instigated the coup
endeavour. Otherwise, an excessive operation may backfire and the purge may lead to social unrest against the
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government.
Robert Fisk, the Middle East correspondent of The Independent, wrote an article titled "Turkey's coup may have
failed - but history shows it won't be long before another one succeeds".
Although his deductive reasoning seems to be no more than misgivings about Turkey's "man who would recreate
the Ottoman Empire", Fisk completely lost his objectivity when he designated Erdogan as one of the "potentates
and dictators" who changed the constitution for his own benefit and restarted his wicked conflict with the Kurds"
and went on "denying the 1915 Armenian genocide" - one needs to wonder whether this has anything to do with
the military coup.
Nonetheless, this shall not preclude one from pondering how realistically Fisk is foreseeing the future.
Double standards
Internationally, the ongoing crackdown has fuelled growing criticism. Amnesty International called upon the
Turkish government to show restraint and respect to human rights, as the sheer figures of detentions and
suspensions are alarming.
Turkey was also warned by European leaders that it could face international isolation and even a probable
suspension of its membership of NATO if Erdogan overplays his hand after the botched coup.
On the other hand, Turkey expectedly declared a state of emergency for three months, ignoring the European
Union's warnings, resulting in mounting bashful criticisms against it.
But people forget that it was France which also declared a state of emergency for six months in the aftermath of
the November 13 attacks in Paris.
Yet Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz was acutely critical of Turkey's imposing the state of emergency,
claiming that it would lead to strengthening authoritarianism.
Division over the death penalty
The straw that will break the camel's back is Turkey's mulling over reinstating the death penalty, which might
jeopardise Turkey's EU accession efforts.
Constitutionally the step necessitates the approval of 367 politicians in the Turkish parliament. Legislators must
also approve the enforcement of capital punishment verdicts retroactively.
Article 15 of the Turkish constitution stipulates that even under the conditions of war, martial law or state of
emergency, crimes and punishments cannot be imposed retrospectively. Thus, the perpetrators of the purported
coup attempt would be legally exempt.
That wouldn't extinguish the rage of the families of martyrs. Also, it wouldn't satisfy Erdogan, who is
unequivocally determined to severely punish the putschists.
OPINION: Turkey - the night of the ordinary hero
Even with the promised support of the 40 MPs of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), along with the votes
of the 317 MPs of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), they won't be able to secure constitution
amendment simply because both the main opposition Republican People's Party and the pro-Kurdish People's
Democratic Party (HDP) proclaimed their reluctance to introduce capital punishment.
The available democratic tool is to call for a national referendum, and that requires the approval of 330 MPs - a
figure that seems conceivably feasible.
Should the referendum fail, another snap election would be inevitably the last democratic resort to guarantee the
threshold necessary for a constitutional change.
Latest developments in the aftermath of the coup attempt, the expected colossal retreat in the popularity of the
HDP, the rift among the leaders of MHP, and the public momentum that is impatiently eager to punish traitors,
would possibly secure a landslide victory for the AKP in any coming election.
Turkey is not a banana republic, and as far as it holds on to its promising democracy, Fisk and people like him
need not to worry. They are rather advised to change the set of history books they have recently read.
Ahmed al-Burai is a lecturer at Istanbul Aydin University. He worked with BBC World Service Trust and the
LA Times in Gaza. He is currently based in Istanbul and is mainly interested in Middle East issues.
The views expressed in this article are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial
policy.
20- Erdogan to West: 'Mind your own business'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Western leaders for failing to show solidarity with
Ankara over a failed coup attempt, saying countries who worry more about the fate of the perpetrators than
democracy cannot be Turkey's friends.
Speaking at the presidential palace in Ankara late on Friday, Erdogan said Western leaders who were criticising
the Turkish government's reaction to the July 15 coup attempt should "mind their own business".
"When five to 10 people die in a terror attack, you [Western countries] set the world on fire," he said.
"But when there is a coup attempt against the president of the Turkish Republic, who always protects the
democratic parliamentary system and who was elected with 52 percent of the general vote, instead of siding with
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the government you side with the perpetrators."
Since the failed coup attempt, more than 18,000 people, including soldiers, judges, prosecutors and civil service
workers, have been detained in Turkey.
Turkey: Witch-hunt or precautionary measures?
Of them, more than 8,000 have been charged, according to the latest interior ministry figures. Scores of media
organisations have also been ordered to shut down.
The rapid pace of arrests since the failed coup has worried many of Turkey's allies, with some saying they see
the country, which is currently under a state of emergency, going down an increasingly authoritarian road.
Dropping of 'insult' lawsuits
During his speech at the presidential palace, Erdogan also announced that he was withdrawing, as a one-off
gesture, all lawsuits filed against people for insulting him, a move he said was triggered by "feelings of unity
against the coup attempt".
"I forgive them," he said.
Earlier on Friday, Erdogan also criticised the head of the US general command for suggesting that crackdowns in
the Turkish military after the failed coup attempt had harmed the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).
READ MORE: Turkey shuts scores of media outlets
"I am concerned that it will impact the level of cooperation and collaboration that we have with Turkey which
has been excellent, frankly," General Joseph Votel said on Thursday, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in
Colorado, US.
"Know your place," Erdogan said in response on Friday, using one of his favourite expressions of anger.
The US general [Joseph Votel] stands on the coup plotters' side with his words. He disclosed himself via his
statements," Erdogan said, as he repeated calls for the US to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based
cleric and businessman blamed by Turkey for the coup attempt.
Following Erdogan's comments, Votel issued a statement denying he was supporting the coup plotters.
"Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and
completely inaccurate," Votel said in his statement.
"Turkey has been an extraordinary and vital partner in the region for many years. We appreciate Turkey's
continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight."
21- More government ministers to head Turkey's military

The deputy prime ministers and justice, foreign and interior ministers added to the Supreme Military Council
The president and prime minister enabled to issue direct orders to the commanders of the army, air force and
navy
Nearly 1,400 army personnel dismissed
The military commands put directly under the defence ministry
All military hospitals put under the health ministry
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stacked a top military council with more government ministers
among other tough measures against the country's military establishment in the wake of a July 15 failed coup.
Erdogan issued the third decree on Sunday since declaring a three-month state of emergency, putting deputy
prime ministers and justice, foreign and interior ministers in the Supreme Military Council - the body that makes
decisions on military affairs and appointments.
The document also gave the president and prime minister the authority to issue direct orders to the commanders
of the army, air force and navy.
Erdogan also dismissed 1,389 personnel from the army, including his chief military adviser, the Chief of General
Staff's charge d'affaires and the defence minister's chief secretary, for suspected links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-
based businessman he blames for a failed coup attempt.
The decree puts the military commands directly under the defence ministry and puts all military hospitals under
the authority of the health ministry.
Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Istanbul, said that the latest reforms were stripping the military of
"any autonomy it might have enjoyed ahead of the failed coup attempt".
"The Supreme Military Council is a very important body. It meets a couple of times a year and once a year it
recommends who should be promoted, who should go for retirement in the higher ranks of the military," he said.
READ MORE: Erdogan to West - 'Mind your own business'
In an interview on Saturday with private A Haber television, Erdogan said he also wanted to put the country's
MIT intelligence agency and the chief of general staff's headquarters under the presidency.
"If we can pass this small constitution package with (the opposition parties), then the chief of general staff and
MIT will be tied to the president," Erdogan told A Haber.
The package would need to be brought to parliament for a vote.
The president has blamed intelligence failures for the failed coup and said he was unhappy with information he
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received from the MIT and its chief Hakan Fidan on the night of the coup, complaining that valuable time had
been lost.
Erdogan also said a three-month state of emergency declared in the wake of the coup could be extended.
"If things do not return to normal in the state of emergency then, like France, we could extend it," Erdogan said,
referring to a similar move in France after a string of attacks there.
The president said that until now 18,699 people had been detained since the coup, with 10,137 of them placed
under arrest.
Thousands of the detained have now been released, with an Istanbul court freeing 758 soldiers late on Friday,
adding to another 3,500 former suspects already freed.
Gulen was a one-time ally of Erdogan but the two fell out in recent years over a number of policy issues and
personal clashes, according to officials, reports and insider accounts.
The government has vowed to "cleanse" the civil service of Gulen's supporters.
Pro-Erdogan rally
On Sunday, thousands of people gathered in the German city of Cologne to denounce the failed coup and show
support for Erdogan.
Germany is home to roughly three million people with Turkish roots.
As Sunday's rally got under way, organisers played the Turkish and German national anthems and held a minute
of silence for people killed in the attempted coup.
22- Turkey detains 11 involved in bid to 'kidnap' Erdogan

Turkish special forces have captured 11 soldiers suspected of being involved in a bid to seize President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan during last month's failed coup attempt, the state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.
The 11 soldiers were caught in the Ula district of Mugla province after Turkish special forces, supported by
helicopters and drones, were sent to the area after a tip-off from a local, state-run media said on Monday.
Gunfire broke out as the special forces clashed with the fugitives, but there were no reports of any casualties.
The soldiers were part of a group that launched an attack on a hotel where Erdogan was holidaying on the night
of July 15 in the southwestern resort of Marmaris.
Erdogan, having been tipped off that he was in danger, had fled the hotel by the time they arrived.
A total of 37 soldiers were reportedly involved in the operation to seize Erdogan in Marmaris and 25 of them had
been caught earlier, according to state media.
Their capture came after Turkey dismissed nearly 1,400 more members of its armed forces and sacked a top
military council with government ministers on Sunday in moves to tighten control of the military after the coup.
On Monday, Erdogan said that 18,699 people had been detained since the coup, with 10,137 of them placed
under arrest.
Thousands of the detained have now been released, with an Istanbul court freeing 758 soldiers late on Friday,
adding to another 3,500 former suspects already freed.
Turkish authorities have blamed Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric, for the coup attempt. Gulen has
denied the charges.
Gulen was a one-time ally of Erdogan but the two fell out in recent years over a number of policy issues and
personal clashes, according to officials, reports and insider accounts.
The government has since vowed to "cleanse" the civil service of his supporters.
23- In Turkey, democratic transparency defeats esoterism

Yasin Aktay is an AK party member of the parliament and head of the Turkish Group of Inter-Parliamentarian
Union.
On July 4, a criminal judge in Turkey, Ilhan Karagoz - also known as one of the disciples of Fethullah Gulen in
the judiciary - issued a court decision stating that Gulen was "The Mahdi".
The Mahdi is the name given to a holy leader who, according to some Muslims, will be sent by God to guide
humanity, calling them to follow Islam before the end of the world.
Karagoz incorporated himself in this fiction by designating himself as the so-called harbinger of Mahdi, as is
written in some religious narratives.
Moreover, he issued a call for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, together with all cabinet and parliamentary
members, hundreds of mayors, journalists and businessmen, to be taken into custody.
Karagoz has now been taken into custody, yet his scandalous verdict clearly demonstrates the extent of this
Gulenist esoteric group's conception of the world - and it helps us anticipate what Turkey would be like, should
such a coup attempt succeed.
The night of the coup attempt
On July 15, Gulen unleashed his pawns - his disciples had been infiltrating into the Turkish army since the 1970s
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- against Turkish democracy. These pawns attempted to seize the government by brute force.
Millions of civilians flooded the streets to prevent the nefarious objectives of the coup plotters and forced them
to surrender with their mere unarmed solidarity. That night, the putschists killed hundreds of civilians.
Fortunately, at the end of the day, they lost and people saved the democracy.
The Turkish nation, with all its elements - including the staunch critics of the Justice and Development Party
(AK party) - united against the insidious coup attempt. Almost all segments of society echoed the same message
to the whole world. Yet this event bears the characteristics of a litmus test for global media coverage.
We are already accustomed to widespread criticism, particularly aimed at Erdogan, parroting his so-called
authoritarianism. There was no change on this occasion.
OPINION: The strategic consequences of Turkey's failed coup
Once again, he had his share of being the target of unjust assault even before any serious condemnation of the
bloody coup attempt. Pedantic criticism of Erdogan's - potential - attitude towards coup plotters accompanied
whispered expressions of condemnation of the coup.
Reactions from the global community in this sense have helped to reveal Westerners' sincerity and consistency
on embracing democracy. Once again their attitude reflects a crude repetition of orientalism, in the same way
they reacted against General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's coup in Egypt back in 2013.
According to them, eastern - particularly Muslim - societies lack pluralism, civil society and personal liberties.
There is nothing to learn - especially on the concept of democracy - from the easterners.
How do the Gulenists work?
Another source of confusion in the minds of obsessive opponents is the lack of understanding of the Gulenist
organisation. It is also the main reason behind the sniff at the heroic victory of the Turkish nation against coup
plotters.
Although the Gulenist organisation might be quite alien to some Westerners, at least they should take into
account the details of how Gulen started this organisation and the methods he used to covertly infiltrate into
bureaucratic institutions.
The most remarkable thing about their organisational structure is the peculiar hierarchy they adopt. In their
idiosyncratic chain of hierarchy, an elementary school teacher might possess the authority to give orders to an
army general.
Day by day, confessions of the plotters revealed the scope of the decade-long underhand project of Gulen and
shed light on his final treason.
One criticism to deal with the failed coup attempt centres on the number of people taken into custody or
dismissed from public service and other institutions.
Recalling how the Gulenists boasted about the number of their followers gives an insight into the number of
people involved in the plot.
OPINION: People defeated the coup in Turkey
For years, Gulenists were boasting of having millions of supporters. This attempt was clearly organised by
hundreds, including the allies in various departments of the government.
Some experts estimate that had the Gulenists not attempted to overthrow the government, they would have
controlled 90 percent of the command echelon of the Turkish military by 2023. Consequently, such a large-scale
bloody attempt would inevitably involve thousands.
Were Gulen and Erdogan allies?
Gulen has always worked in harmony with various Turkish governments. He has never missed any opportunity
that would brace his organisation. He was always careful not to clash with any government, let alone have any
critical stance against previous coups.
His pragmatism continued during the rule of the AK party. Obviously Gulenists exploited the AK party's reforms
and the democratisation initiatives with the aim of increasing their power within the bureaucratic and civil
society circles.
OPINION: Coups work only for autocracies, not democracies
Moreover, Erdogan's governments were not categorically against religiosity. Freedom of religious expression
was fully guaranteed, and religiosity was no longer an obstacle to being in public service.
The ostensible alliance between Erdogan and Gulen made it easier for the latter to deeply penetrate into the
government.
Erdogan was initially neutral towards the Gulenists. Nevertheless, after realising that they were following a
different agenda, respecting an autotelic chain of hierarchy and increasingly posing a threat to the legitimate
bureaucratic hierarchy, the government started to take measures to avoid what it termed as a "parallel state".
Extreme threat
Various analyses in the aftermath of the coup attempt have been quite different from previous ones targeting
Erdogan or the AK party. Those who have directed the sharpest arrows of criticism at Erdogan since day one
should realise the extent of the threat that Turkey has faced.
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Social media is vibrant with the recordings of the putschists' atrocities and people's unprecedented resistance in
the name of protecting democracy and the very legitimate ground of politics.
Turkey is now taking serious measures to consolidate its government against any other attempt that could
endanger its future.
This momentous campaign is run both by the ruling and opposition parties. Hence, before reformulating obsolete
arguments, journalists need to have a far better insight into the actuality of the cause celebre in Turkey.
Yasin Aktay is a Justice and Development Party member of the parliament and head of the Turkish Group of
Inter-Parliamentary Union.
policy.
24- Turkey's Erdogan: The West is taking sides with coup

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised unnamed Western countries for what he said was support
for the July 15 attempted coup, which left more than 270 people dead and nearly 70,000 others suspended from
their jobs.
"The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups," Erdogan said, speaking at an event for foreign
investors in the capital, Ankara, on Tuesday.
READ MORE - Erdogan to West: 'Mind your own business'
He repeated a complaint that no foreign leader had visited Turkey after the failed coup, while France and
Belgium received visits in solidarity after attacks there.
"Those we considered friends are siding with coup plotters and terrorists," he said.
During his speech, Erdogan also singled out Germany for criticism, after a German court ruled against allowing
him to appear on a video link to address a crowd of about 30,000 supporters and anti-coup demonstrators in
Cologne over the weekend.
Turkey had sent Germany more than 4,000 files on wanted "terrorists", but Germany did nothing, Erdogan
added.
'Coup instigator'
The Turkish government says the coup was instigated by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former
Erdogan ally who has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.
Turkey has demanded his extradition, but Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, saying
the extradition process must take its course.
Erdogan complained about the request for evidence, saying: "We did not request documents for terrorists that
you wanted returned."
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag sent a second document to the US on Tuesday seeking Gulen's arrest, according to
the state-run Anadolu news agency.
The minister said the second letter explained why there was an urgent need for the arrest.
TIMELINE: Here's how the coup attempt unfolded
The government has launched a sweeping crackdown on Gulen's movement, which it characterises as a
"terrorist" organisation and which runs schools, charities and businesses internationally.
"They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question 'why is it
urgent'," Anadolu quoted Bozdag as telling reporters in parliament, adding that Turkey had intelligence
indicating Gulen might leave for a third country.
"I hope that the United States decides in Turkey's favour, in line with democracy and the rule of law, and returns
this leader of a terror organisation to Turkey," he said.
The minister said that if Gulen left the US, it would be with the full knowledge of US authorities.
25- Could Turkey turn its back to the West?

Atilla Yesilada is an Istanbul-based partner of independent think tank GlobalSource Partners.
Turkey's post-coup crackdown is slowly reaching every nook and cranny of the society, from soldiers, to
academics and journalists to neurosurgeons.
The latest tally indicates that more than 60,000 people have been sacked or suspended, while about 11,000 have
been arrested and 19,000 detained for investigation for potential links to the presumed perpetrator of the coup,
Fethullah Gulen and his religious order, the Gulenists, or the Hizmet network.
Uncertain times
A danger lurks around the corner. The Justice and Development Party's (AKP) effort to cleanse the society of
Gulenists is causing a deterioration in relations with the United States and the European Union, which might lead
to a confidence crisis among investors and creditors.
There is little doubt among Turkish citizens that the Gulenists organised and largely executed the putsch.
Ankara demands his speedy extradition from the US. Yet, the American mind, wherein the church and the state
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comfortable and peacefully co-exist, refuses to countenance the possibility that a moderate Islamist preacher who
has served as a paragon of education and interfaith dialogue most of his life could orchestrate a rebellion against
the state, much less erect a parallel, clerical state within the secular one.
It looks like Ankara's demand for extradition will be stymied or take years to process.
While the AKP government didn't spell out what its retaliation for the US' foot-dragging would be, re-evaluating
its relationship with NATO or barring coalition jets from the Incirlik airbase is widely discussed in the pro-AKP
press.
The EU is deeply concerned about the human rights violations that are occurring with increasing frequency in
the process of the purge, such as the arrest of journalists and the alleged mistreatment of coup-plotting officers
under custody.
The EU authorities also told Ankara in no uncertain terms that the reintroduction of capital punishment of
putschists would trigger immediate suspension of accession talks.
The talk in pro-AKP press is to abandon EU membership dreams permanently, and to craft a strategic alliance
with Russia, which has already normalised relations after Erdogan's apology for the downed jet; and is trying to
ply Turkey away from the West with lucrative energy deals like the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline project.
A strategic alliance with Russia?
Turkish frustration with the West's reluctance to appreciate her plight is comprehensible, but engaging in tit-for-
tat competitive diplomacy with the US and EU would be prohibitively costly.
It is to be hoped that the most market savvy member of the cabinet, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek and
visits from allied capitals explain the cost of escalating conflict to Ankara.
A strategic alliance with Russia is not cost-free. The Kremlin made it clear that the price for full political
normalisation would be for Turkey to revise its policy towards Syria.
In other words Ankara will have to cease its aid to moderate rebels, in which case Bashar al-Assad would easily
capture Aleppo and the Idlib province.
Not only would such a course of action infuriate AKP's constituency at home, which has been honed to hate
Assad, but it would also complicate the burgeoning alliance with the Gulf kingdoms, deepening Turkey's
isolation in the Muslim world.
The biggest threat from an escalation of conflict with the West would be a blow to Turkey's extremely fragile
balance of payments.
Adding its $30bn current account deficit and $180bn foreign currency debt which comes due within a year,
Turkey needs new foreign capital equal to roughly 28 percent of its GDP - one of the highest ratios among
developing nations. That means it needs to borrow roughly $210bn a year to stay solvent.
That foreign capital comes almost entirely as loans, short-term bonds or "hot money", which is capital invested
in Turkish lira denominated bonds and equities. And almost all of these funds originate from Western banks or
funds.
An incomplete affair
Despite major terror attacks, the loss of tourism revenues and the coup attempt, foreign creditors and investors
stood bravely by Turkey, partly encouraged by the global risk appetite for emerging markets assets.
But, it is hard to imagine such support being sustained, when Ankara has a public and near-permanent rift with
the US and EU. It is also possible that the US and EU authorities might whisper to banks that it might not be
wise to lend to Turkey.
Without a fresh supply of loans, and financial investors abandoning its bond and equity markets, Turkish lira
could weaken precipitously; heavily indebted Turkish companies could not be able to service their foreign debts;
and Turkish banks could not be able to extend loans at home. Recession and double-digit inflation could ensue in
the upcoming months.
Turkey can't abandon the Western alliance, because over the years it has developed an umbilical cord to Western
capital and goods markets.
This reality is starkly obvious to anyone outside Ankara to see. Whether Turkey's coup-shaken politicians
appreciate this reality remains to be seen, but until they do, Turkey's "normalisation" will be an incomplete
affair.
Atilla Yesilada is an Istanbul-based partner of independent think-tank GlobalSource Partners.
policy.
26- What's behind the Turkey-Russia reset?

Dimitar Bechev is a visiting scholar at Harvard University, and a senior fellow at Al Sharq Forum.
Are Russia and Turkey about to mend ties and put behind them the spat over the downed SU-24 fighter plane?
Judging by the meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on August 9, the
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answer appears to be "yes".
We have already seen a build-up of reconciliatory gestures. The Turkish president's Russia Day greeting on June
12, his "sympathy and condolences" to the family of the killed pilot on June 27, the follow-up telephone
conversation with Putin on June 29, and most importantly, Putin's call to express his support for Erdogan right
after the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.
As Ankara blames the self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen for both orchestrating the takeover attempt and sparking
off the crisis with Russia, as a gesture of goodwill the pilots involved in the November 2015 shoot-down have
now been detained by the Turkish authorities .
And last but not least, deputy prime ministers Mehmet Simsek and Arkady Dvorkovich restarted talks on the
Turkish Stream pipeline project in Moscow.
Ongoing recalibration
Ankara was recalibrating its foreign policy even before the July 15 coup attempt. The reset with Israel was
followed by tentative overtures to Egypt.
Moreover, there has been speculation that Turkey is also seeking communication with the Damascus regime.
Russia and Iran 's expressed support for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in the aftermath
of the coup attempt may improve chances for such (cautious) re-engagement with Syria, but one should not bank
on a U-turn.
Surely Russia is in a league of its own. It remains a top economic partner for Turkey. Turkey's tourism,
agriculture and the otherwise thriving construction sector have been badly hurt by the sanctions that Moscow
imposed in response to the shoot-down of its military jet.
OPINION: Why Turkey is mending ties with old foes
In all likelihood, it was the Turkish business community in Russia that provided the backchannel talks to mend
the ties between the two governments, and work out a formula for normalisation without losing face.
Though it is probably too late to salvage the tourist season, Russia's decision to lift the ban on one airliner's
flights and tour operators had a partial relief in resort towns along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.
Historical record
It appears that the current rift with the West pushes Turkey closer to Russia. The US is blamed for failing to
cooperate with the Turkish authorities for the extradition of Gulen - the alleged mastermind of the coup attempt.
Many in Turkey see the US as the chief culprit. The majority of Turks also berate the EU's reluctance to stand by
Erdogan as he faced a life-threatening situation, and criticise Europe's exclusive focus on the clampdown that
followed , ostensibly targeted against the "parallel state".
The historical record shows that any time relations with Western allies are strained, Ankara tilts to Moscow. This
happened after the 2003 war in Iraq; between 1997 and 1999 when the EU refused to invite Turkey for
membership talks; following the invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and so forth.
We might be heading for another such moment but, as ever, there is a caveat. Turkey still needs NATO's
protection to hedge against Russia's rising power near its borders.
OPINION: Could Turkey turn its back to the West?
Nevertheless, Russia appears to benefit from the rapprochement as well. In a sense, the Su-24 incident was an
opportune moment for Putin.
He seized on the chance to demonise the Turkish leadership as "accomplices of terrorists" back-stabbing Russia.
Changing Syria game
The focus on Erdogan diverted attention from Putin's ongoing efforts to strike a deal on Syria with the US and its
allies. US President Barack Obama was no longer the arch-villain that the pro-Kremlin media made him out to
be at the peak of the Ukraine crisis in 2014.
But Russia has always been wary of a bog-down scenario. Having announced a pull-out from Syria in March,
Moscow has its air force locked in in a fierce campaign against rebels in Aleppo.
The downing of a military transport helicopter on August 1 was Russia's biggest loss since the beginning of their
military operations.
Even if Aleppo falls, Russia needs a deal on Syria's transition - sooner rather than later - if it wants to avoid
mission creep. Having Turkey on board is a necessary, albeit not a sufficient condition.
Cooperation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) is also on top of the
agenda.
OPINION: Why the West must embrace Turkey, not push it away
For all their differences, Russia and Turkey find themselves in the same boat. The June bomb attack at Istanbul's
Ataturk airport has been attributed to radicals from Russia and other former Soviet republics.
Ideally, Turkey would also like Russia to scale down its support for the Syrian Kurds. In reality, it lacks the
leverage needed to sway the Kremlin.
Russia and Turkey will find it difficult to make headway on the energy front as well. There is a good chance that
one of Turkish Stream's four planned strings, each with capacity of 15.75 billion cubic metres (bcm), will be
built to supply the Turkish market.
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But before talks move on, Gazprom needs to offer an attractive discount. Ankara will continue to drive a hard
bargain, knowing it holds most of the trump cards.
It is only rational for Russia and Turkey to de-escalate tensions and reset ties. But we are back to the marriage of
convenience, not a newly flourished love affair.
Dimitar Bechev is a visiting scholar at Harvard University, and a senior fellow at Al Sharq Forum.
policy.
27- Turkish military attaches 'missing' in Greece go missing

Two Turkish military attaches, both working at the Turkish embassy in Greece, are missing after being called
back to Ankara as part of investigations into a failed military coup attempt, according to Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu.
"Two Turkish military attaches based in Greece fled to Italy and Turkish authorities will contact Italian officials
for their return", Cavusoglu told Turkish broadcaster NTV on Thursday.
The Turkish embassy in Athens confirmed to Al Jazeera that two of their military attaches, Staff-colonel Ilhan
Yasitli and Colonel Halis Tunc, are missing with their families, following an investigation about their alleged
links to Fethullah Gulen and his network.
The Turkish government accuses the US-based cleric and businessman of masterminding last month's failed
coup attempt.
READ MORE: Turkey's coup attempt captured in dramatic images
Earlier on Thursday, a Turkish official talking to Reuters news agency claimed that a Turkish military attache in
Bosnia was also missing, but this claim was swiftly denied by Turkey's embassy in the country.
"Turkey's military attache in Bosnia was not called to Ankara, he is doing his business as usual," a press officer
from the embassy said on Thursday, adding that there was only one Turkish military attache in Bosnia.
A total of 160 members of the military wanted in connection with the July 15 failed coup are still at large,
including nine generals, according to Turkish officials.
Cavusoglu said that a military attache based in Kuwait had tried to escape through Saudi Arabia, but had been
sent back, as well as two generals based in Afghanistan who had been caught in Dubai by UAE authorities and
returned to Turkey.
A rear admiral is also 'missing'
A Turkish rear admiral on a NATO assignment in the United States has claimed asylum in the country after
Ankara sought his detention following the failed July 15 coup attempt, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news
agency said on Wednesday without giving its source.
Anadolu did not say whether the US had accepted Rear Admiral Mustafa Zeki Ugurlu's claim, which comes at a
time of strained relations between Washington and Ankara.
Foreign Minister Cavusoglu later told Turkish broadcaster NTV that Ankara was still waiting for an answer from
US officials about the rear admiral.
Ugurlu, who had been stationed at NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, is the subject
of a detention order in Turkey and has been expelled from the armed forces, Anadolu reported.
Ugurlu had not been heard from since July 22 when he left the base, it said.
Five employees of Turkey's embassy in the Netherlands were also recalled on suspicion of involvement with the
Gulen movement, the Turkish charge d'affaires told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper this week.
"It wasn't the cook or the servants," Kurtulus Aykan, acting head of Turkey's mission to the Netherlands, was
quoted as saying, according to Reuters.
"These were high-ranking staff members. Talented people with whom I had an excellent working relationship. I
suspected nothing. That's the talent of this movement. They infiltrate silently."
Cavusoglu has previously said that about 300 members of the foreign ministry have been suspended since the
coup plot, including two ambassadors. He said on Thursday that two officials in Bangladesh fled to New York,
and another official had fled to Japan through Moscow.
"We will return these traitors to Turkey," Cavusoglu said.
28- Turkey seeks Hakan Sukur's arrest in coup probe

Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for Hakan Sukur, a former international football star and parliament
member, as part of an investigation into the failed July 15 coup attempt, according to state media.
Sukur was accused on Friday by prosecutors in Sakarya, a province east of Istanbul, of being a member of the
organisation of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Turkey of orchestrating the coup plot.
His arrest is sought on charges of "membership of an armed terror group", the state-run Anadolu news agency
said, referring to what Turkey calls the Fethullahist Terror Organisation.
Gulen denies that such a group exists and accusations that he was the mastermind behind the coup attempt.
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Anadolu said a similar warrant had been issued for Selmet Sukur, father of Hakan Sukur.
The report said neither of them had been found at their Istanbul and Sakarya residences after the warrant was
issued.
It said Sukur and his family had left Turkey last year.
He is currently believed to be in the United States.
Sukur was one of the stars of Turkey's third-place performance in the 2002 football World Cup and a renowned
name in the country, where the sport is highly popular.
A striker whose football career stretched from 1987 to 2007, Sukur was by far the most prolific goalscorer in the
history of the Turkish national side, finding the net 51 times in 112 appearances.
He was a forward player for the Istanbul team Galatasaray but also had stints abroad for Inter Milan, Parma and
Blackburn Rovers.
His goal after only 11 seconds of play against South Korea in 2002 remains the fastest goal in World Cup
history.
After football, Sukur went into politics and was elected an MP for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2011.
However, he resigned in 2013 after a corruption investigation targeted Erdogan and his inner circle, siding with
the network of Gulen, who in recent years has become Erdogan's arch-enemy from once being a close ally.
Sukur had voiced objections to the government's move to shut down schools run by Gulen's organisation,
Hizmet, which means service in Turkish.
He had gone on trial in absentia in June on charges of insulting Erdogan on social media.
29- Turkish prosecutors formally ask US for Gulen's arrest

Turkish prosecutors have formally requested the US government for the temporary arrest of exiled cleric
Fethullah Gulen, over his alleged involvement in the attempted coup on July 15, Turkey's state-run Anadolu
news agency reported.
The request filed on Saturday by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office says it has determined the coup
was staged upon orders by Gulen, and that he be arrested prior to the submission of a formal extradition request,
the report said.
Turkey's Justice Ministry passed on the letter to the US, which accuses Gulen of 10 charges including attempting
to overthrow the government, according to reports.
The news comes as Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that US Vice President Joe Biden will visit
Turkey, the first by a Western leader since the failed coup.
The White House said Biden's visit will take place on August 24.
A delegation from the US Justice Department will also arrive on August 22 to discuss the extradition.
On Saturday, Yildirim appeared to rule out any compromise on the demand for Gulen to face trial in Turkey.
"Improving our relations with the United States depends on the extradition of Gulen, and on that issue there is no
room for negotiation," Yildirim said, according to CNN Turk.
The US has asked the Turkish government for evidence of Gulen's involvement, and has said that the extradition
process must be allowed to take its course.
Earlier in August, an Istanbul-based court issued an arrest warrant against Gulen.
Gulen has repeatedly denied the government's accusation and has denounced the arrest warrant as "yet another
example of President Erdogan's drive for authoritarianism".
In the past, he has been accused of being the leader of an organisation that illegally tapped into the conversations
of Erdogan and Ahmet Davutoglu, the former prime minister.
Turkey has designated Gulen's network, which runs charities, schools and businesses across the world, as a
"terrorist organisation" and has launched a widespread crackdown on suspected members since the failed coup
attempt.
Since the July 15, around 26,000 people have been detained or arrested, mostly from the military, on suspicion
of being involved in the failed putsch.
30- How will the military shake-up affect Turkey's future?

Turkish authorities have launched an unprecedented shake-up of the country's security forces after a section of
the army attempted to overthrow the government on July 15, turning their weapons on the very people they were
sworn to protect.
Soldiers involved in the coup killed hundreds of civilians who had taken to the streets to protect Turkey's elected
government, shattering the country's deep-seated trust and admiration for the armed forces in a matter of hours.
"Because we fear others, we create an institution of violence to protect us, but then we fear the very institution
we have created for protection," said Metin Gurcan, a security analyst who served as an adviser to the Turkish
Armed Forces in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Iraq between 2002 and 2008.
"This implies the need to have protection both 'by' and 'from' the military," he told Al Jazeera.
193

To solve this dilemma, the Turkish government has initiated a revolutionary civilianisation process, aimed at
bringing the military under civilian control and ending the autonomy previously enjoyed by the Turkish Armed
Forces. The changes, which began to be rolled out on July 27 under the terms of a state-of-emergency decree,
would decrease the army's scope of influence in politics and society.
With the initial dismissal of more than 1,000 ranking officers, the state had formally discharged nearly 44
percent of land force generals, 42 percent of air force generals and 58 percent of navy admirals. By July 31, the
total number of soldiers dismissed had surpassed 3,000, while the number of soldiers of various ranks detained
stood at around 8,000.
Then, the Gendarmerie Command and Coast Guard Command were brought under the control of the Interior
Ministry, while the land force, navy and air forces were brought under the control of the Defence Ministry.
Later, in another state-of-emergency decree, all of Turkey's military schools were shut down, and an inclusive
new national defence university was founded to take their place.
The Turkish public, especially supporters of the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has largely
applauded the purge in the military. But these rapid and fundamental changes to the structure, purpose and scope
of the Turkish Armed Forces - an institution that for decades has been viewed as the foremost protector of
Turkish democracy - also rang alarm bells for some.
"These reforms will certainly help to bring an end to military tutelage in Turkey," said Tarik Celenk, a retired
major and the founder of Ekopolitik, a conservative think-tank.
"But we also need to be careful about the risks of civilian tutelage," he told Al Jazeera.
OPINION: Could Turkey turn its back to the West?
The Turkish military, which staged three coups between 1960 and 1980 and pressured former Prime Minister
Necmettin Erbakan out of power in 1997, has played a very active role in Turkish political life for decades. In
the early 2000s, the army slowly began to civilianise under pressure from both the AK party and the European
Union, although it still remained mostly autonomous.
"The AK party brought stability to the political system, which in turn gave civilians power and prominence over
the military," said Gurcan, who wrote his PhD dissertation on changes to the Turkish military over the past
decade.
"At the same time, Turkey diminished or ended military representation in civilian government bodies, introduced
greater transparency in defence spending and policy-making, and improved parliamentary oversight of the
military while on its reform pathway towards EU membership."
This process of civilianisation reached its peak with the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer trials, in which scores of
officers from the Turkish Armed Forces were put on trial and jailed for attempting to topple the government.
In the beginning, these cases were seen as the most serious attempt yet to liberate Turkey from an overly
controlling, meddling and dangerous military elite. But later, as both cases collapsed - with the revelation that
most of the evidence against the defendants had been fabricated - they came to be seen as little more than a
witch-hunt against the secular enemies of Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally, who has been blamed for last
month's coup attempt.
READ MORE: Turkey court overturns Ergenekon 'coup plot' convictions
Now, even the Turkish government, which gave its full support to prosecutors at the time, accepts that the
Ergenekon-Sledgehammer trials were used by Gulenist elements within the judiciary to cull secular personnel
from the armed forces.
Amid this backdrop, some secular Turks who view the military as the ultimate protector of Turkey's "secular
identity" have expressed concerns about the current civilianisation process of the armed forces. They fear it
could pave the way for another cull of secular military staff, in a similar vein to Ergenekon and Sledgehammer.
"At the moment, there are two prominent factions in Turkish society: people who value secularism and
principles of Kemalism the most, and people who value religion," Celenk said.
"A considerable amount of tension exists between these two groups. They have been suspicious of each other
since the first AK party government took power in 2002. They may have come together to fight against Gulen,
but they did not actually solve their issues. They only postponed facing them."
After last month's failed coup attempt, several military personnel dismissed as a result of the Ergenekon and
Sledgehammer trials were reinstated in their military roles - but this was not enough to convince secular Turks
that stripping the army of its autonomy is the best course of action.
"The attempted coup has not only created a fault line between the military and society, it also increased the
visible split between the pro-AKP masses and Turkey's secularist circles," Gurcan said, noting that two
competing narratives over the question of "who prevented the coup" have emerged, pitting the secular elite and
civilian masses against each other.
"The first narrative focuses on the idea that the people prevented the coup, while the army was sitting in the
shadows," he said. "This narrative has been taken up predominantly by the mobilised pro-AK-Party and Islamist
masses. Their objective is to bring the military under fully-fledged civilian control."
194

INSIDE STORY: Is Turkey undergoing a shift in foreign policy?
The second narrative is that "the military itself resisted the coup plotters, and those Kemalists and secularists
within the military prevented the coup", he added. This camp is mainly led by ex-officers who were arrested and
tried in the Ergenekon-Sledgehammer cases, Gurcan said, as well as some drawn from secularist and
nationalist circles.
"They argue that the military should reset to its default factory settings, which are Kemalism, secularism, and the
other founding principles of the Republic. Their objective is to re-establish military autonomy with a new
ideological outlook," he said.
"Because of this, Turkish civilian-military relations have become a new domain for political conflict on the
nature and extent of secularism, Kemalism, and religion, which is not good."
Celenk noted that rapidly reforming the military following the coup attempt may "deepen divisions" within
society.
"The [failure of the] coup attempt was a chance for reconciliation," he said. "But if the government does not seek
to reach a consensus with the secularists regarding the future of the Turkish Armed Forces, we may witness
further polarisation."
The government has a responsibility to prevent the two sides from becoming embroiled in an open conflict over
such an important institution as the military, he said.
OPINION: What's behind the Turkey-Russia reset?
The implications of this process will affect much more than just Turkish domestic politics, particularly as Turkey
continues its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK).
For its part, the government insists that the purge and subsequent reforms to the army will only increase Turkey's
military prowess.
Removing rogue elements from the security forces will make it easier for Turkey to address national security
threats, including ISIL and the PKK," a senior government official told Al Jazeera.
"We will be able to make sure that each part of the system receives orders from their official superiors instead of
their superiors within FETO [Fethullah Gulen Terror Organisation]," he added.
195

Master Thesis Declaration
"I hereby declare that I have written the submitted thesis independently. All passages, which
were quoted literally or analogously from published or unpublished works, I have identified
as such. All sources and aids that I have used for this thesis are clearly mentioned. This thesis
has not been submitted with the same content or substantial parts to any other examination
board.
I understand that the University reserves the right to revise my work for plagiarized content
and that the discovery of plagiarized content can lead to the nullity of the work, the
withdrawing of its recognition and to my deregistration. "
Ziad Almust
________________________ ________________________
Place, Date Signature
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DW Akademie / Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg

International Media Studies (M. A.)

Media Coverage of International Media Broadcasters

First Supervisor : Dr. Nina Denk

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ VI

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... VIII

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................... IX

1.1 STATE OF RESEARCH ........................................................................................................... 2

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT ....................................................................................................... 3

1.3 OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................................. 4

1.4 THESIS STRUCTURE .............................................................................................................. 5

2. HISTORY OF TURKEY ............................................................................................................. 7

3. MEDIA THEORIES ENSURING TRANSPARENCY TO MEDIA COVERAGE OF

4. ROLES AND STANDARDS OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BROADCASTERS .. 39

5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 44

6. RESULTS AND FINDINGS .................................................................................................... 59

7. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................ 82

APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 103

MASTER THESIS DECLARATION ..................................................................................... 196

FIGURE 13: A COMPARISON OF THE USE OF MULTIMEDIA BY THE TESTED BROADCASTERS 61

FIGURE 17: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF TURKISH EUROPEAN OR AMERICAN

FIGURE 18: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF SUPPORT FOR ERDOGAN SUBCATEGORY 67

FIGURE 20: A COMPARISON OF IMAGE OF ERDOGAN SUBCATEGORY RESULTS IN EACH IB 70

FIGURE 22: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF IMAGE OF CIVILIANS SUBCATEGORY IN

FIGURE 23: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF IMAGE OF DEAD PEOPLE SUBCATEGORY

FIGURE 24: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF IMPARTIALITY SUBCATEGORY IN EACH

FIGURE 27: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF SUGGESTIONS FOR RESOLUTIONS

FIGURE 28: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF TITLE OF ARTICLE SUBCATEGORY IN

FIGURE 29: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF PERSONAL OPINION SUBCATEGORY IN

FIGURE 30: A COMPARISON OF THE FINDINGS OF DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

TABLE 1: INTERACTIVITY WITH USER ........................................................................................................... 63

TABLE 3: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'SUPPORT FOR ERDOGAN' SUBCATEGORY OF THE

TABLE 4: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'SUPPORT FOR COUP PLOTTERS' SUBCATEGORY OF

TABLE 5: A COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF 'IMAGE OF ERDOGAN' SUBCATEGORY ................... 71

FWW First World War

1.1 State of research

know. In: CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/18/middleeast/turkey-failed-coup-

1.2 Problem statement

http://www.defenddemocracy.press/russia-debates-turkey/, retrieved on 25. October

1.4 Thesis structure

2.1 The origin of the Ottoman Empire

2.2 The golden age

2.3.1 The Balkan War

In: Academia Edu.

2.3.2 The Ottoman Empire in the First World War

2.3.3 The end of the empire (Lausanne Peace Treaty)

2.5 Multi-party system / Democrat Party

2.5.1 Democrat Party

content/uploads/2011/08/HIST351-9.1.5-Mustafa-Kemal-Ataturk.pdf, retrieved on 14.

Formation of Multi Party System, 1983-1950. In: Core.

2.6 History of coups in Turkey

2.6.1 Turkish coup in 1960

Independent Publishing Platform, p. 18.

2.6.2 Turkish Memorandum in 1971

Gramscian Perspective. https://thegwpost.com/2012/09/04/the-1960-coup-in-turkey-

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/darbe.htm, retrieved on 18. Nov 2016.

2.6.4 Turkish coup in 1997

that ended years of conflict but resulted in brutal suppression.

Memory, Violence, and Trauma. Germany: Springer VS, pp. 81-84.

2.6.5 Turkish coup in 2016

or Islamist Rule. In: ABC News. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-18/turkey-coup-

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23925035, retrieved on 20. Nov 2016.

Independent Publishing Platform.