The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely following the fate of Taner Balat, whose family reported him missing in Greece.

Diplomatic sources stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken the necessary steps regarding the situation of Taner Balat, who has not been heard from since he went to Greece approximately 9 months ago, and said:

“Our Embassy in Athens requested information about the fate of our missing citizen named Taner Balat from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs in two separate notes in 2025 and 2026. In the response note, the Greek side stated that they did not have any information about Taner Balat; the family of our missing citizen was also informed about the issue.”

Sources stated that Türkiye’s Consulate General in Komotini also made attempts with the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region Police Department regarding the situation of the missing citizen, but as a result of these, no information could be obtained.

Sources stated that Türkiye’s Consulate General in Komotini ensured that the missing announcement published about Balat in the Kumçiftliği (Orestiada) region appeared in the local press and that news about the issue was also published in the local press, adding, “The missing announcement was also conveyed to the institutions and organizations of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority (Rodop, Xanthi and Meriç provinces) and the Elected Muftis of Komotini and Xanthi, and was shared in the villages and neighborhoods.” He stated that “no result could be reached.”

Sources stated that although the Consulate General of Komotini contacted the prisons and immigration centers in its area of ​​duty at regular intervals and requested information, concrete information could not be obtained, and that the family was regularly informed during this process.

Diplomatic sources said, “As a result of the missing persons declarations brought to attention by our Consulate General in Komotini before all minority institutions and organizations, no clue could be found about the fate of the person in question.” he stated.

According to the statement made by the Directorate of Communications, media representatives from the USA, England, France, Italy, Spain, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Korea, Morocco, Ethiopia, Poland, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Nigeria, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania and TRNC will attend the program.

The program, which will be held on July 15-17, aims for foreign press members to examine the events related to the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, closely observe Türkiye’s struggle for democracy, and obtain comprehensive information about the fight against FETO.

In the Ankara leg of the program, participants will first visit TRT and be informed about what happened in the TRT building during the coup attempt.

Afterwards, the 15 July Democracy Museum located in the Presidential Complex will be visited.

International media representatives will also attend the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day 10th Anniversary Commemoration Program and follow the commemoration events on-site.

The program will continue with visits to Istanbul. Participants will visit the 15 July Memory Museum after the presentation and information program to be held at the Governorship of Istanbul.

The program aims to contribute to the international public obtaining more comprehensive and direct information about July 15 and to raise international awareness about Türkiye’s struggle for democracy.

AK Party General Secretary Eyyüp Kadir İnan shared a post on his NSosyal account on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the coup attempt carried out by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) on July 15, 2016.

AK Party Secretary General İnan said, “On the night of July 15, 2016, there were those who waited for the result to choose their side, those who could not stand openly on the side of democracy, those who preferred silence in the face of guns pointed at the will of the nation, those who made calculations by saying ‘Something is happening in Türkiye, let’s wait.’ While they were watching the advance of tanks, the fire opened by planes in our skies, the bombing of our Gazi Parliament, our dear nation had already made its decision. Our nation did not wait that night. It did not hesitate. “He did not calculate the consequences. He took to the streets upon the call of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and risked his life to protect his homeland, flag, independence and future.” made his assessment.

Reminding that 10 years have passed since the coup attempt, İnan said:

“Those who made calculations about Türkiye’s future that night are waiting for what Türkiye will say on global issues today. Those who watched the developments in Ankara from afar that night are waiting for Ankara’s will today. We showed those who tried to include Türkiye in their own calculations on July 15 that this nation will not be an extra in any scenario. We declared to the whole world that calculations cannot be made through this nation, this nation’s will cannot be directed, and no games can be played with Turkey. Those who are waiting for the outcome while the uprising continues 10 years ago, today “He is waiting for Türkiye’s decisions.”

On the night of July 15, 2016, there were those who were waiting for the result to choose their side, those who could not openly stand on the side of democracy, those who preferred silence in the face of guns pointed at the will of the nation, and those who made calculations by saying “Something is happening in Türkiye, let’s wait.”

They are tanks…

— Eyyüp Kadir İnan (@eyupkadirinan) July 14, 2026

SELA WILL BE READ IN ALL MOSQUES

Within the scope of the programs to be carried out under the coordination of the General Directorate of Religious Services, Hatm-i Sharif for the martyrs of July 15 will be recited in all mosques and sela will be recited simultaneously in all mosques at 00.13 on the night connecting July 15 to July 16.

“OUR WILL IS OURS VICTORY” PROGRAM FROM THE DIRECTORATE OF COMMUNICATIONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

According to the statement made by the Presidency, in addition to the main events in Ankara and Istanbul, the nation’s struggle for democracy will be brought together with citizens in different venues with photo exhibitions, digital experience areas, commemorative marches, visual shows and memory projects. The center of the commemoration programs will be the Capital National Garden on July 15. In the program, which will be organized under the auspices of the Presidency and expected to be attended by approximately 20 thousand people, the determination of the nation against the treacherous coup attempt and the will to defend the national will will be strongly emphasized once again. During the events, the beloved martyrs will be remembered with mercy, the gratitude towards the veterans will be expressed, and the common memory will be kept alive with the events prepared to commemorate the tenth anniversary. Within the scope of the train wrapping work with the theme of “Our Will, Our Victory”, which is one of the projects to be implemented in this context, 10 trains prepared in cooperation with the Directorate of Communications and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure will travel on different routes of Türkiye throughout the week. Thus, millions of passengers will encounter visuals telling the epic of democracy and the message of national unity throughout their journey. Prepared within the scope of the commemoration programs, “Memory and Remembrance: July 15 Photography Exhibition” will host its visitors today at Esenboğa, Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen, İzmir Adnan Menderes, Antalya and Gaziantep airports. The exhibition, prepared in cooperation with the Presidential Directorate of Communications and the 15 July Association, will include photographs reflecting the nation’s resistance against the coup attempt and its struggle for democracy. Memory projects to be carried out in Istanbul will also offer different experiences to visitors. The Silent Witness Installation opened in Üsküdar Square will keep the memory of 253 martyrs alive. In the area where a Turkish flag will be placed on behalf of each martyr, their name, date of birth and hometown information will be included. The installation aims to convey the sacrifice made by the nation to future generations.

“OUR WILL, VICTORY IS OURS” DIGITAL TIME TUNNEL WILL BE ESTABLISHED IN KIZILAY SQUARE

The Memory Tree Experience Area, which will be established in Üsküdar and Taksim squares on July 15, will offer visitors an interactive memory experience. Citizens will be able to share their feelings, thoughts and messages about the martyrs through touch screens, and all transmitted messages will be brought together in a common digital memory. Thus, visitors will become active participants who not only watch the commemoration programs but also contribute to the formation of social memory. The “The Will is Ours, the Victory is Ours” digital timeline, which will be established in the capital, can be visited in Kızılay Square on 15-16 July. The experience area, prepared with sound, light and digital technologies, will convey to visitors the process from the first moments of the coup attempt to the victory of the national will, while also revealing the developments Türkiye has made in the field of defense industry and technology in the last 10 years. July 15 Martyrs Bridge, one of the symbolic places of the struggle for democracy, will be one of the important stops of the commemoration programs this year. The Democracy and Martyrs’ Commemoration March, which will be held on July 15 at 10:00, will start from Zincirlikuyu with the participation of approximately 5 thousand people and end at the July 15 Martyrs Bridge Martyrdom.

A simultaneous operation was organized in 81 provinces to capture 968 suspects for whom action was taken in order to expose the secret structure of FETO/PDY and to destroy the connections of the organization. In this context; 5 separate operations were organized by the Ankara Provincial Police Department Anti-Terrorism Branch Directorate under the coordination of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

A BLOW TO THE CURRENT STRUCTURE

In the first of the operations, 47 of the 57 suspects for whom a detention order was issued were taken into custody, considering that they were operating within the current structure of the FETO/PDY armed terrorist organization and continuing their organizational activities.

In the second operation targeting FETO’s public and private marriage structure; Within the scope of the investigation, 33 of the 45 people who were considered to continue their activities within the organization were detained in simultaneous operations.

In the efforts carried out to capture the fugitive suspects for whom an arrest warrant was issued for FETO membership, 9 out of 11 suspects were caught.

In the investigation into the Security Secret Structure of FETO, carried out by the Ankara Provincial Police Department’s Organized Crime Branch Directorate under the coordination of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office; 70 of the 80 personnel who were found to be actively working at different ranks in the General Directorate of Security, who organized the organization meetings and acted together with the organization manager, gave conversations to groups in the absence of the private imam, and were reported to be “Deputy Police Private”, were detained.

7 of the 12 suspects, 4 of whom were active public officials, who were determined to have used FETO’s organizational communication program ByLock, carried out under the coordination of the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, were detained. Thus, 166 of the 205 suspects for whom detention orders were issued in 5 operations in Ankara were detained. It was reported that investigations to capture the other suspects are being carried out in a multifaceted and meticulous manner.

DESCRIBED

78 suspects were detained in the operation carried out simultaneously in 13 provinces centered in Istanbul.

It was determined that the organization, which was determined to be trying to recruit new employees by dividing Istanbul into so-called regions and assigning so-called responsible people, held organizational meetings via internet-based applications for the purpose of organizational secrecy, and directed university students to training camps in countries that do not require visas in order to keep them within the organization and recruit new employees.

During the searches carried out at the suspects’ addresses, 1 million 69 thousand 310 TL, 78 thousand 800 American dollars, 6 thousand 330 euros, 130 pounds sterling, 765 grams of gold and many digital materials were seized.

SUPPORT TO THE ORGANIZATION UNDER THE NAME OF Qurban Donation
In addition, secret witness statements about the suspects, who were determined to have collected money under the name of charity and donations, made money transfers and maintained organizational communication in Istanbul, Yalova, Kırklareli and Tekirdağ, digital data, evidence regarding contact with the secret structure of the organization, sending money under the name of sacrifice, scholarship and donation, and consecutive call records from pay phones were also included in the file.

“THE WILL OF OUR NATION…”
In the joint statement shared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice regarding the operation; “While the provinces with the highest number of suspects within the scope of the operation are Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul, studies on the current structures, secret structures and related elements of the organization are carried out meticulously in our other provinces. As the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, under the leadership of our President, we will continue our fight with determination in strong coordination with our Police and Gendarmerie Agencies, Chief Public Prosecutor’s Offices and all relevant institutions. No terrorist organization and no focus of tutelage is against the will of our beloved nation and the survival of our state.” “And we will not allow him to attack our legal system.”

The teacher and poet brother of police officer Hurşit Uzel, who was martyred in the bomb attack on Gölbaşı Special Operations Department, broke hearts with the letter he wrote on the 10th anniversary of his brother’s martyrdom. Hüseyin Uzel, the teacher and poet brother of police officer Hurşit Uzel, who was martyred for the sake of the country in the Gölbaşı Special Operations Department, which was bombed in the treacherous coup attempt of FETO, explained both the indescribable pain his family experienced and the traces left behind by a hero in the letter he wrote for his brother. Stating that his brother’s friends, who were transferred from Batman to Konya, were martyred in a terrorist attack 3 days later, Hüseyin Uzel said in his letter, “You said you missed the martyrdom by three days. No, brother… My Lord was saving you for another day. The fateful night of the country. That night when tanks took to the streets and war planes bombed his own nation. In other words, he was saving it for July 15.”

‘YOU ARE IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE’
In the letter, Hüseyin Uzel stated that Hurşit Uzel said, “Don’t cry, mother. Martyrdom is not a position to be sad about. If I were given martyrdom today, I would accept it without hesitation” after his mother cried over the news of a martyr he watched on television. “We were able to contact in the first hours of the night of July 15. However, we did not receive any news afterwards. The phones were unanswered. ‘My beautiful brother, where are you?’ I texted. There was no answer. It came into me. I said, ‘You are in the most beautiful place.’ “Then, with the sad news, we learned that my brother was martyred,” he said.