Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 17 July 2017

Turks commemorate 1 year since failed coup with huge march

By ZEYNEP BILGINSOY and people who died on July al unity march.”
SUZAN FRASER - 15, 2016 resisting the coup. “The July 15 coup at-
Associated Press He inaugurated a hollow, tempt is not the first attack
ISTANBUL (AP) — President globe-shaped monument against our country, and it
Recep Tayyip Erdogan featuring the names of won’t be the last,” he said,
vowed to “rip the heads the victims near the foot referring to a series of ter-
off” of terror groups and of the bridge, before fly- ror attacks that also hit the
coup-plotters who tried ing to Ankara to attend a country. “For that reason,
to end his more than de- special session in parlia- we’ll first rip the heads off
cade-long rule on Satur- ment at the exact moment of these traitors.”
day, as Turkey marked the it was bombed a year ago. The bridge was the scene
anniversary of the country’s He also opened a second of clashes between civil-
crushed military coup with memorial opposite the ians and soldiers in tanks. At
a series of rallies and other grounds of his palace in least 30 people died there
commemorative events. Ankara. and more than 2,000 were
Accompanied by his family “Exactly a year ago today, injured across Turkey in the
and the families of the vic- around this hour, a treach- struggle. Thirty-five coup Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accompanied by his
tims of the coup, Erdogan erous attempt took place,” plotters were also killed. wife Emine waves to his supporters as he arrives to commemo-
joined a massive, flag-wav- Erdogan told tens of thou- Photographs of the 250 rate the one year anniversary of the July 15, 2016 failed coup
ing crowd near the iconic sands of people in Istan- “martyrs” were displayed attempt, in Istanbul, Saturday, July 15, 2017.
July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge in bul who converged at the on monitors and their Associated Press
Istanbul to remember 250 bridge following a “nation- names announced. Erdo- gan paid tribute to the security forces.
victims saying they fought Turkey blames U.S.-based
with their “bare hands” cleric Fethullah Gulen for
and “their faith” against orchestrating the coup
the heavily armed coup- and infiltrating state institu-
plotters. tions. Gulen denies the al-
Erdogan also told the legations.
crowd that he wants hun- In the aftermath of the
dreds of people who are on coup attempt, Turkey de-
trial for plotting last year’s clared a state of emergen-
failed coup to appear in cy that has been in place
court wearing the same ever since, which has al-
type of outfit — similar to lowed the government
those that were worn by to rule by decree and to
detainees at Guantanamo dismiss tens of thousands
Bay. He also reiterated that of people from their jobs.
he would approve a bill re- More than 50,000 people
instating the death penalty have also been arrested
if parliament proposed it. for alleged links to Gulen
Turkish soldiers attempted and other groups.
to overthrow the govern- Addressing thousands of
ment and the president us- people outside of the par-
ing tanks, warplanes and liament’s building, Erdogan
helicopters on July 15, 2016. said the country’s high-
The coup plotters declared est security advisory body
their seizure of power on would on Monday consider
the state broadcaster, further extending the state
bombed the country’s par- of emergency. He said
liament and other key lo- the failed coup had al-
cations, and raided an Ae- lowed Turkey to distinguish
gean resort where Erdogan its friends from its foes but
had been on vacation. But would not name the coun-
Erdogan had already left tries saying he wanted to
and the coup attempt was avoid “a serious interna-
put down by civilians and tional crisis.”q