On the evening of July 15, 2016, factions within Turkey’s military launched an attempted coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Tanks rolled onto the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, critical bridges were closed, parliament was bombed, and police headquarters came under attack. The violent uprising left more than 250 people dead, many of them civilians who took to the streets to resist the soldiers.
Eyewitness accounts from that night describe scenes of chaos and bravery. Unarmed protesters, waving Turkish flags and reciting prayers, confronted tanks and soldiers. Among them was Vahide Sefkatlioglu, whose right leg was severed by a tank as she stood on a barricaded road in Istanbul. She underwent dozens of surgeries and lost her husband during the ordeal. Another witness, Asalet Aran, lost her husband who was killed while trying to block military movements. She now raises five daughters alone and credits the fallen with preserving the country’s future.
The Turkish government has attributed the coup attempt to followers of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric and former ally of Erdogan whose religious and educational movement allegedly infiltrated state institutions. Gulen has denied involvement. Since the coup, Ankara has pursued suspected Gulenists aggressively, both domestically and internationally.
Opposition parties, despite their broader criticism of Erdogan’s rule, also condemned the military intervention, underscoring the attempt’s lack of popular support across political lines. For Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), the failed coup has been framed as a defining moment that unified the nation in defense of democracy and sovereignty. Annual commemorations are held throughout Turkey and abroad.
However, critics argue the coup attempt paved the way for a profound political overhaul marked by authoritarian consolidation. Lisel Hintz, professor of international relations at SOAS University of London, said the event provided Erdogan with justification for a sweeping crackdown that undermined democratic institutions. A two-year state of emergency followed the coup, during which over 100,000 public officials were dismissed and tens of thousands arrested. The military, traditionally viewed as protector of Turkey’s secular republic, underwent extensive restructuring, while judges, academics, and civil servants were purged.
The government rejects accusations that measures taken after July 2016 weakened Turkey’s democracy. Istanbul’s governor, Davut Gul, appointed by Erdogan, described the purges as necessary steps to dismantle what he called Gulen’s “networks” within the state. “Bombs fell on the heads of this nation,” he said, emphasizing the sacrifices made that night. “If bombs rained down on the British parliament, what would the British do?”
A decade on, the failed coup continues to shape Turkey’s political landscape, remembered both as a moment of popular resistance and as a catalyst for far-reaching changes in governance and civil rights.