Turkey, Three Months After the Failed Coup

Three months ago, on July 25, a group of generals, officers, and soldiers from the Turkish army attempted a coup against the government by occupying Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, blocking the Bosphorus Bridge, attacking the parliament headquarters, deploying several F-16 fighter jets, and taking over the national radio and television building. This coup failed hours later due to the response of supporters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in major city squares and airports, the reaction of parts of the military that were not aligned with the coup plotters, the failure of the coup plotters to detain Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, and the lack of public support for the coup. Mr. Erdoğan called on the people to take to the streets in a phone call to CNN Türk, stating: 'I invite our nation to the main squares of the cities and airports. The nation should gather in the squares and airports and not allow a small group that came with tanks and cannons to do whatever they want with the people there.' A few hours after the coup began, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived at Istanbul Airport and took charge of neutralizing the coup and restoring government authority in the country. In the days following the failed coup on July 25, dozens of generals and hundreds of officers and soldiers were arrested, and the Turkish parliament declared a state of emergency for three months at the government's request. The President, the government, and the military have significantly more powers under the state of emergency, and so far, over 70,000 people have been arrested on charges of collaborating with, participating in, or supporting the coup plotters, with about 30,000 officially detained by the Turkish judiciary. Additionally, over 100,000 employees from government institutions, the military, universities, banks, etc., have been dismissed or suspended. The government and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have accused Fethullah Gülen, an opposition cleric residing in the U.S., of orchestrating and leading the coup and have requested the U.S. to extradite Mr. Gülen back to Turkey as soon as possible. Three months have passed since this failed coup, and during this period, Turkey's political, social, and economic landscape has transformed. The state of emergency has been extended for another three months, and the government has stated that arrests and purges will continue with full force. In this special program on Radio Farda, we will discuss what has happened and what lies ahead with three analysts on Turkish affairs: Touraj Atabaki, a senior researcher at the International Institute of Social History in the Netherlands; Qadir Golkarian, a faculty member at the Near East University in Cyprus; and Hamin Sidi, a political analyst focusing on Kurdish issues who resides in Kondon.