Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, made a statement at the July 15 Commemoration Ceremony held in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Kurtulmuş said, “That night is actually one of the most important nights in Turkish history. Our nation left its mark on the chain of coups on the morning of July 15 and threw the tradition of coups into the dustbin of history.”

The highlights of the statements of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, are as follows:

15 July 2016 has been 10 years since that treacherous coup attempt that we continue to commemorate every year. It is an important anniversary to both remember and learn from such important events. We are obliged to remember what happened that night over and over again, to never calm our anger, and to never lose our will to call to account.

That night is actually one of the most important nights in Turkish history. It was the night when there was betrayal on one side, courage on the other, heroism on the other side, probably the greatest treachery this land has ever seen throughout its history. Our nation left its mark on the chain of coups on the morning of July 15 and threw the tradition of coups into the dustbin of history. The greatest legacy that night left us was the victory of democracy and national will.

Our esteemed President said to our nation in the most difficult and dark hours of the coup, ‘I am here, you too take to the streets. Millions took to the streets when he gave the message: “Resist and put these men in their place.”

We will make the ‘Terror-free Türkiye’ process successful, with God’s permission, and we can reach the final point by preparing the laws in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. In this way, we will create an environment where not a single child of this country will ever pick up a weapon again in the face of terrorism, which we lost 50 years to, and we will literally build a ‘Terror-Free Türkiye’ as one of the most important elements of our national survival.

A modern, democratic, inclusive national constitution understanding should be discussed and I hope that after completing our work on ‘Terror-free Turkey’ in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, we should start the process of making a new constitution as soon as possible with the joint efforts of all political parties.

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi shared important information about the current situation in the fight against FETO in his exclusive interview with A Haber. Emphasizing that it would be incomplete to read July 15 as just a one-night coup attempt, Minister Çiftçi stated that this treacherous attempt was the last and bloodiest link in a long chain of tutelage aiming to stop Türkiye’s march towards full independence.

72 THOUSAND 765 OPERATIONS IN 10 YEARS

Pointing out that the nature of the fight changed with the collapse of FETO’s open structures in the state mechanism, Minister Çiftçi conveyed the current balance sheet of the period extending from 2016 to July 10, 2026 with the following data:

“A total of 72 thousand 765 operations were carried out against the terrorist organization in 10 years. While judicial/administrative proceedings were carried out against 195 thousand 803 suspects within the scope of crimes against national security, 34 thousand 164 people were arrested. After July 15, the necessary administrative procedures were established for a total of 51 thousand 51 personnel within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including 622 civil administrators, 37 thousand 602 police personnel and 9 thousand 70 gendarmerie personnel.”

Evaluating the course of operational graphics over the years, Çiftçi said, “The number of operations reached its peak with 13 thousand in 2017 and 2018, when the open structures of the organization were liquidated. As a result of our struggle, these numbers gradually decreased to 1,712 in 2025 and to 604 in the first six months of 2026. This decrease in the numbers does not mean that the threat is over; the struggle is now more “It means that it has shifted to targeted, intelligence-based, secret and crypto elements,” he said.

“THE NEW TARGET OF THE ORGANIZATION IS NOT SPACE, BUT MIND AND MEMORY”

Stating that FETO is trying to regain the position it has lost in the field and institutions through perception management in the digital world, Çiftçi explained the organization’s propaganda strategy with the concept of “tornado of lies” in international literature:

“The center of gravity of the organization is no longer to take over institutions or to recruit staff; it is the mind and collective memory of our nation. We do not face a conventional lie detector. Their aim is not to make people believe a lie, but to dull our people’s ability to distinguish truth from lies, to create doubt and indifference by building a wall of noise. Whispers such as ‘theatre’ or ‘controlled coup’ produced to blur the truth of July 15 are the product of this strategy.”

Breaking News… President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the program “15 July in its 10th Anniversary: ​​The Will is Ours, the Victory is Ours” program.

Important statements from President Erdoğan!

Highlights from President Erdoğan’s speech:

“On the 10th anniversary of the July 15 bloody coup attempt, we are in our National Garden to commemorate those who fell to the ground and those who were written gloriously in our history. I remember each of our 253 martyrs with mercy and gratitude. We express our gratitude to our veterans one by one.

I welcome all our guests. I send my greetings to our citizens in 81 provinces and everyone who follows us on different platforms.

“THE EPIC WAS WRITTEN ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 15”

Our nation, young and old, men and women, wrote a magnificent epic on the night of July 15. I remember with all due respect the 253 martyrs who fell into the dark earth for the sake of future and independence on that bloody night of betrayal. Those martyrs and veterans who became martyrs so that our heavenly homeland would not be touched by an unprincipled hand. They left their wives and children behind. They wrote a magnificent epic that went down in history against the rain of bullets, helicopters and F-16s. They said victory is from Allah. They said we will not sell it to scoundrels who sold their souls for 1 dollar.

I would like to express my gratitude to every brother who narrowed the streets for the coup plotters. I express again that I am honored to be a member of this great nation.

“THESE ARE SOLD-OUT CHARACTERS WHO STABBED THE NATION IN THE BACK”

Betrayal is an insidious virus that surrounds all cells. This virus knows no boundaries. It destroys all morality, conscience, honor and decency in one fell swoop. When you look at those who betrayed this state throughout history, you see a lot of soulless and dishonorable mankurts. There is no trace of homeland consciousness or national consciousness in them. These are the fierce enemies of the nation and the country. These are sold-out characters who stab the nation in the back.

“A MAN DIES ONCE, BUT DIES LIKE A MAN”

Each of our martyrs has a different story. Every son of the country has a different story. A person dies once, but he dies like a man. We will continue to stand tall like Elif. From Gaza to Lebanon, from Somalia to Syria, from Arakan to Sudan, wherever there is an oppressed or a victim in tears, we will continue to support them. Wherever there is an oppressed person, a victim in tears and humbled, we will continue to support.

The eyes of the world are on us. The oppressed and victimized look to Türkiye with great hope. We will build a great and powerful Türkiye together.

Halit Şener (45), a veteran from Konya, who was injured with a bullet that hit his left leg as a result of FETO soldiers opening fire on the people waiting in front of the General Staff on the night of July 15, told SABAH about that dark night. Saying that this betrayal will not be forgotten even if 10 years have passed, not 10 years, Şener said, “If I had sat at home that night, I would never have forgiven myself. This nation, who took to the streets with Turkish flags in their hands, showed once again the indivisible integrity of the homeland. While standing against the traitors, no one thought about their own lives even for a moment. All we thought about was that our homeland should not be divided, our flag should not come down, our call to prayer should not be heard. Thank God, all the plans of the traitors should be brought to their own feet.” “We got around,” he said. Halit Şener received the news of the July 15 coup attempt by FETO traitors while he was visiting a friend’s house in Konya. Şener left his pregnant wife at home and set out for Ankara, taking a friend with him. Şener, who went in front of the General Staff Headquarters in Ankara, was shot in his left leg as a result of fire opened by coup soldiers. Şener, who received treatment first in Ankara and then in Konya, continues his life with crutches today. Halit Şener, who has artery, nerve and muscle loss in his leg and has to use crutches for life, says that this is not a matter of sadness but a source of pride for him.

‘I WOULDN’T FORGIVE MYSELF IF I HAD SIT AT HOME THAT NIGHT’
Gazi Şener said, “Even if not 10 years but 100 years have passed, we will not forget this betrayal, we will not let it be forgotten. We did not win this country easily. Our ancestors sacrificed their lives against the enemy on the fronts. We have been shot and maimed for this country, how many? I am even proud of this stick I carry. If I had stayed at home that night, I would not have forgiven myself. This nation, who took to the streets with Turkish flags in their hands, once again showed the indivisible integrity of the country. To the traitors. “While standing against it, no one thought about their own lives even for a moment. All we thought about was that our country should not be divided, our flag should not be lowered, and our call to prayer should not be stopped. Thank God, we have foiled all the plans of the traitors, and may God not let our country experience these days again.”

One of the heroes who marched to martyrdom on the night of July 15 was Oğuzhan Yaşar from Erzurum. He was only 23 years old and in the prime of his life. In the words of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he was “a 1.95 tall sapling”.

He was doing his military service. He was at his home in Ankara during his leave. As soon as he heard President Erdoğan’s call, he went out without thinking. He was seriously injured by a bomb thrown in front of the Presidential Complex. He fought for his life in the hospital for 19 days and drank the syrup of martyrdom.

In his statement to SABAH, father Ahmet Yaşar said, “The night of July 15 was the night of resurrection of Türkiye. May God never grant that night to the Turkish nation, to my Anatolia again. My son said, ‘Dad, this is a big blow. The men are firing bullets, but we will resist it. No matter what happens,’ he said. And he hung up the phone. Doctors are intervening for my martyr. The shrapnel burned my martyr’s brain, I wanted to give my brain, but he accepted. They did not. My son drank the martyrdom on the 19th day. I hope we will never experience July 15 again. “How did you raise this sapling?” I said. Three coffins were changed, but only a special coffin could carry my son. May our lives be sacrificed for this country.

ANNE YAŞAR: WE WILL HAVE A DESTINATION IN THE JUDGMENT
His mother, Necmiye Yaşar, said, “I applied his henna while sending him off to the military, but that day was his destiny. I gave him a martyr for the country. My tears did not stop. Didn’t those who did this have children? What kind of conscience is this? Can someone who rains bullets on people be a Muslim? My son sent me to Erzurum 2 days before he was martyred. He hugged me at the terminal. He looked at me for a long time. It was as if he was born into it. I couldn’t go to Ankara after that day. This happened to us. “We will settle accounts with those who made us suffer. Thank our country. I only hope that they will not get away with these treasons. I have always felt bad when July 15th approaches for 10 years,” he said.

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli stated the following in his July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day message shared on MHP’s NSosyal account:

“July 15 is one of the last links of the struggle for independence that the Turkish nation has waged throughout history. July 15 is a multi-layered invasion attempt that aims to collapse the Republic of Turkey from within, usurp national sovereignty and chain the will of the Turkish nation. Therefore, reading July 15 correctly is a national obligation not only in terms of understanding the past but also in terms of protecting the future. On July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day, we salute our beloved martyrs. I commemorate them with gratitude and respect. I pray for health, well-being and long lives for our veterans. May God protect our nation from all kinds of discord and our state from all kinds of attacks.

JULY 15 IS ONE OF THE LAST RINGS OF THE INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE OF THE TURKISH NATION THROUGHOUT HISTORY. pic.twitter.com/BCDRGG7Fpk

— MHP (@MHP_Bilgi) July 14, 2026