2016 Trinidadian local elections, Results, Overall
In eight of fourteen councils, one party won all seats up for grabs. Sangre Grande was the only authority in which no one party won an absolute majority of the popular vote. Recounts occurred in six districts at the request of candidates; none changed the outcome.


2016 Tro-Bro Léon
The 2016 Tro-Bro Léon was the 33rd edition of the Tro-Bro Léon cycle race and was held on 17 April 2016. The race was won by Martin Mortensen.


2016 Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio
The 2016 Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio was the 18th running of the women's Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio, a women's bicycle race in Italy. It was the third race of the 2016 UCI Women's World Tour season and was held on 20 March 2016 starting in Gavirate and finishing in Cittiglio. The race was won by the British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead for the second year in a row.


2016 Trofeo Angelo Caffi
The 2016 Trofeo Angelo Caffi was the first edition of the Trofeo Angelo Caffi run at the 2016 Bologna Motor Show. The event featured cars and teams from the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series duelling at a temporary racetrack. The event was won by Alberto Cola who had no previous experience in the car.


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia
The 2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia is a professional tennis tournament played on carpet courts. It is the third edition of the tournament which was part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour. It takes place in Brescia, Italy between November 14 and November 20, 2016.


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw with a protected ranking:


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw as a special exempt:


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia – Doubles
Ilija Bozoljac and Igor Zelenay were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia – Doubles
Mikhail Elgin and Alexander Kudryavtsev won the title after defeating Wesley Koolhof and Matwé Middelkoop 7–6(7–4), 6–3 in the final.


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia – Singles
Igor Sijsling was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2016 Trofeo Città di Brescia – Singles
Luca Vanni won the title after defeating Laurynas Grigelis 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 7–6(10–8) in the final.


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel
The 2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the eleventh edition of the tournament which was part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Bergamo, Italy between 8 and 14 February 2015.


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the main draw as alternates:


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the main draw as a lucky loser:


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel – Doubles
Martin Emmrich and Andreas Siljeström are the defending champions, but Emmrich chose not to participate and Siljeström chose to partner with Mateusz Kowalczyk. Siljeström and Kowalczyk lost in the semifinals to Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski.


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel – Doubles
Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski went on to win the title, defeating Nikola Mektić and Antonio Šančić in the final 6–3, 7–5.


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel – Singles
Benoît Paire is the defending champion, but chose to participate in the 2016 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament instead.


2016 Trofeo Faip–Perrel – Singles
Pierre-Hugues Herbert won the title, defeating Egor Gerasimov in the final 6–3, 7–6(7–5).


2016 Trofeo Laigueglia
The 2016 Trofeo Laigueglia was a one-day road cycling race that took place on 14 February 2016 in and around Laigueglia. It was the 53rd edition of the Trofeo Laigueglia and was rated as a 1.HC event as part of the 2016 UCI Europe Tour. The champion of the 2015 Trofeo Laigueglia, Davide Cimolai, was not selected as part of the Lampre–Merida team.


2016 Trofeo Laigueglia
The race was won by Andrea Fedi (Southeast–Venezuela). He broke away with a small group in the closing kilometres, then attacked on the final climbs. He held off a small chasing group to take a solo win, with Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani–CSF) second and Grega Bole (Nippo–Vini Fantini) third. It was the first professional victory of Fedi's career.


2016 Trofeo Laigueglia, Teams
Eighteen teams were invited to take part in the race. Three of these were UCI WorldTeams; seven were UCI Professional Continental teams; seven were UCI Continental teams; the final team was an Italian national team.


2016 Trofeo de España TCR
The 2016 Trofeo de España TCR is the first season of the TCR Spanish Series. The championship will run as the first class of the Campeonato de España de Resistencia.


2016 Trofeo de España TCR, Calendar and results
The 2016 schedule was announced on 7 January 2016, with one out of five events was scheduled to be held outside Spain, at Lédenon. It was replaced on 12 April 2016 by a round at Navarra. The race format is divided into Endurance and Sprint races: the first one contemplates a two-hour + 1 lap long race, the second one is formed by two 48-minute + 1 lap long races.


2016 Trofeo de España TCR, Championship standings, Drivers' championship
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.


2016 Tromsø IL season
The 2016 season is Tromsø's second season back in the Tippeligaen following their relegation in 2013, their 29th season in the top flight of Norwegian football and their first season with Bård Flovik as their manager.


2016 Tromsø IL season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tromsø IL season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tromsø IL season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tromsø IL season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tromsø IL season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Trophée de France
The 2016 Trophée de France was the fourth event of six in the 2016–17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris on November 11–13. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final.


2016 Trophée de France
The competition, known as the Trophée Éric Bompard since 2004, lost its title sponsor in the summer of 2016 due to a lack of communication from the French Federation of Ice Sports.


2016 Trophée de France, Entries
The ISU published the preliminary assignments on June 30, 2016.


2016 Trophée de France, Entries, Changes to initial assignments
The French organisers decided not to replace Mendoza/Kovalev despite the ISU's rules stating that it is "mandatory" to invite another pair if one withdraws more than 14 days before the event. The pairs' competition ended up with only six entries after a further withdrawal (Esbrat / Novoselov).


2016 Trophée des Alpilles
The 2016 Trophée des Alpilles is a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It is the eighth edition of the tournament which is part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour. It was held in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France between 6 and 11 September 2016.


2016 Trophée des Alpilles, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Trophée des Alpilles – Doubles
Ken and Neal Skupski were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, defeating David O'Hare and Joe Salisbury 6–7(5–7), 6–4, [10–5] in the final.


2016 Trophée des Alpilles – Singles
Ivan Dodig was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2016 Trophée des Alpilles – Singles
Daniil Medvedev won the title after defeating Joris De Loore 6–3, 6–3 in the final.


2016 Trophée des Champions
The 2016 Trophée des Champions (English: 2016 Champions Trophy) was the 21st edition of the French super cup. The match was contested by the 2015–16 Ligue 1 and Coupe de France champions Paris Saint-Germain, and the runners-up of Ligue 1, Lyon. The match was played at the Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria.


2016 Trophée des Champions
PSG were the three-time defending champions, having defeated Lyon in the 2015 edition, which was played in Canada.


2016 Troy Trojans football team
The 2016 Troy Trojans football team represented Troy University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Neal Brown and played their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama. The Trojans were members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 10–3, 6–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in a two-way tie for third place. They were invited to the Dollar General Bowl where they defeated Ohio. This was the first 10-win season ever for Troy since joining the FBS in 2001. It was also the first season that Troy had received a Top 25 ranking since joining the FBS in 2001.


2016 Troy Trojans football team, Schedule
Troy announced their 2016 football schedule on March 3, 2016. The 2016 schedule consist of six home and seven away games in the regular season. The Trojans will host Sun Belt foes Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia State, and New Mexico State, and will travel to Georgia Southern, Idaho, South Alabama, and Texas State.


2016 Tshwane riots
The Tshwane riots occurred in the South African city of Pretoria and the surrounding City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality for several days from 20 June 2016, leading to the deaths of at least five people.


2016 Tshwane riots, Riots
The protests were sparked by dissatisfaction with the appointment of Thoko Didiza as the incumbent African National Congress's (ANC) mayoral candidate in the upcoming South African municipal elections of 2016. By 22 June forty people had been arrested for participating in the riots. By the time the riots ended in Tshwane on 23 June a total of 54 people had been arrested. Rioters looted businesses and attacked members of the public including immigrants and small traders. Nineteen busses worth R28-million had been torched in the riots within the first two days of rioting with the worst rioting occurring in the areas of Mamelodi‚ Atteridgeville‚ Mabopane‚ Soshanguve and Hammanskraal.


2016 Tshwane riots, Riots
Minister of State Security David Mahlobo stated that the protests were started by ANC members "who were not satisfied with the processes" that resulted in Didiza being appointed the party's candidate for mayor of Tshwane. The ANC Youth League went on to accuse supporters of ANC member and incumbent Tshwane mayor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, as the people responsible for initiating the riots.


2016 Tshwane riots, Riots
Riots spread to Cape Town by 1 July 2016 with protesters stoning vehicles and torching buses along the N2 highway outside the neighbourhood of Nyanga. The protests in Cape Town were sparked by the announcement that Xolani Sotashe was to be the African National Congress choice as candidate for the mayor of Cape Town.


2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election
The 2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election took place on September 18, 2016, to elect the Governor of Tula Oblast. Election took place concurrently with Federal legislative election and local elections in Single Electoral Day.


2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election, Background
Until 2012, the governor of Tula Oblast was not elected, but was appointed by the president of Russia, with the approval of the Tula Oblast Duma. Direct elections were introduced in 2012.


2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election, Background
In August 2011, Vladimir Gruzdev became governor. His term expired in August 2016 and he could be elected for a second term; however, Gruzdev resigned from office in February 2016, and Alexey Dyumin became the acting governor until election.


2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election, Candidates
Candidates could be nominated by political parties or by self-nomination. To participate in the elections, candidates from the parties had to collect signatures of 7% of municipal deputies and heads of municipalities. Independent candidates, in addition to the municipal filter, still had to collect 2% of the signatures of residents of the region (about 25,000 signatures).


2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election, Candidates
The acting governor, Alexey Dyumin, decided to run for governor as independent candidate, but he was supported by United Russia and Liberal Democratic Party. At the same time, Tula Oblast became the only region in 2016 where the United Russia did not hold a primaries for the selection of a candidate for governor from the party.


2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election, Candidates
According to the law, each candidate had to nominate three candidates for Federation Council, one of whom was to be appointed senator in case of the candidate's victory.


2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election, Results
Alexey Dyumin was elected governor in the first round. After the election, Dyumin appointed Dmitry Savelyev as senator.


2016 Tulane Green Wave football team
The 2016 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Green Wave played their home games at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, and competed in the West Division of American Athletic Conference (AAC). They were led by first-year head coach Willie Fritz. They finished the season 4–8, 1–7 in American Athletic play to finish in last place in the West Division.


2016 Tulane Green Wave football team, Schedule
Tulane announced its 2016 football schedule on February 9, 2016. The 2016 schedule consists of 6 home and away games in the regular season. The Green Wave will host AAC foes Memphis, Navy, SMU, and Temple, and will travel to UCF, UConn, Houston, and Tulsa.


2016 Tulane Green Wave football team, Schedule
The team will play four non–conference games, two of which are home games against Louisiana–Lafayette from the Sun Belt Conference and Southern from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and two road game against Massachusetts (UMass) and travel to Wake Forest from the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2016 Tulane Green Wave football team, Game summaries, UCF
The game, originally scheduled for a 7:30 pm kickoff on October 6 to be televised on ESPNU, was moved to November 5 due to Hurricane Matthew. The game was moved to November 5 because both teams, coincidentally, had scheduled bye weeks for that week.


2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
The 2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Hurricane played their home games at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and competed in the West Division of American Athletic Conference (AAC). They were led by second-year head coach Philip Montgomery. They finished the season 10–3, 6–2 in America Athletic play to finish in second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Miami Beach Bowl where they defeated Central Michigan.


2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team, Before the season, Transfers out / departures
QB Jabe Burgess transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in January 2016. RB Kyle McLaughlin transferred to Missouri Southern. OT Mildren Montgomery transferred to Texas Southern. WR Blake Kitrell transferred to Washburn. DB J. R. Reed transferred to Georgia.


2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team, Schedule
Tulsa announced its 2016 football schedule on February 9, 2016. The 2016 schedule consists of 6 home and away games in the regular season. The Golden Hurricane will host AAC foes Cincinnati, East Carolina, SMU, and Tulane, and will travel to Houston, Memphis, Navy, and Central Florida (UCF).


2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team, Schedule
The team will play four non–conference games, two of which are home games against North Carolina A&T from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and San Jose State from the Mountain West Conference, and two road game against Fresno State from the Mountain West Conference and travel to Ohio State.


2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's soccer team
The 2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's soccer team will represent the University of Tulsa during the 2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It will be the program's 37th season.


2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's soccer team, Before the season, Transfers out / departures
Adrian Smart transferred to Bloomfield College. Jordan Speed transferred to Midwestern State. Geoffrey Dee transferred to Louisville. Aymar Sigue transferred to Penn State. Zach Jackson transferred to Furman. Tony Doellefeld transferred to Belmont. Kyle Daledovich transferred to South Dakota Mines.


2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's soccer team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tulsa, Oklahoma mayoral election
The 2016 Tulsa mayoral election was held on June 28, 2016 to elect the mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Incumbent mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. lost re-election outright to city councilor G. T. Bynum, eliminating the possibility of a runoff.


2016 Tumeremo massacre
The Tumeremo massacre occurred on 8 March 2016, in which 28 miners were murdered and kidnapped in the town of Tumeremo, located in the state of Bolívar, Venezuela. On the night of 4 March 2016, they were in the Atenas mine, on the border between the municipalities of Sifontes and Roscio, a poor area where, like most of the southeast of the country, the main economic activity is mining.


2016 Tumeremo massacre, Attack
According to anonymous witnesses, the Banda del Topo ("Mole gang") arrived at the mine, allegedly with the aid and complicity of unidentified security forces, and may have dispersed hundreds of miners with the ambush, with dozens falling and dying in the stampede. The bodies were allegedly put in a truck and moved across the Guayana Esequiba border. Some say that parts of the victims were dismembered to intimidate the survivors.


2016 Tumeremo massacre, Attack
However, the commission formed by the National Armed Forces and the CICPC assured that there was no evidence of any massacre or confrontation, and the governor of Bolívar state, Francisco Rangel Gómez, assured that "there is not a single thing to show that they have died or been massacred." The Venezuelan Ombudsman commissioned local investigations, and the Public Ministry authorised three prosecutors for the incident.


2016 Tumeremo massacre, Victims
The remains of at least four of the disappeared miners were later found in the middle of the country, and seemed to have been shot, Venezuelan Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Díaz said, but they had no identification.


2016 Tumeremo massacre, Victims
Ortega Díaz reported late on the night of 14 March 2016 that the search efforts for the disappeared miners had concluded with the discovery of 17 bodies total.


2016 Tumeremo massacre, Victims
Subsequently, the Ombudsman, Tarek William Saab, announced on 15 March 2016 that the remains of 17 miners found in a mass grave in Tumeremo were wounded by firearms. He met with local and military authorities that began investigating the massacre and also indicated that officials of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces and security forces of Bolívar state were continuing to search a sector of the Hoja de Lata mine.


2016 Tumeremo massacre, Responses
President Nicolás Maduro said that investigations into the disappearance of the 28 miners in the town of Tumeremo would be undertaken to the fullest extent and those responsible for the crime will be punished, blaming a paramilitary group for the attack.


2016 Tumeremo massacre, Responses
Lester Toledo, a Voluntad Popular leader, criticised Rangel, explaining that "[i]t is a national shame, because it is a humanitarian issue: 28 people disappeared and Governor Francisco Rangel Gómez didn't travel to Tumeremo to face the relatives." Toledo was one of many opposition politicians who asked for the governor's resignation due to the mismanagement of the case of the disappeared miners.


2016 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council election
The 2016 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2016 Tunisian Athletics Championships
The 2016 Tunisian Athletics Championships was the year's national championship in outdoor track and field for Tunisia. It was held from 15–17 July at the Stade Olympique de Radès in Radès.


2016 Tunisian Athletics Championships
Several events were contested separately from the main championships: the combined track and field events were held on 16–17 April, the 10,000 metres on 21 May, and the road walking events in Korba, Tunisia on 20 March.


2016 Tunisian Athletics Championships
Nada Cheroudi broke the Tunisian national record in the women's heptathlon with a score of  	5658 points. Mouna Jaidi dominated the women's throws, taking three of the four titles on offer. At the team level, the National Guard Sports Club won with 13 titles, followed by the Kairouan Municipal Athletics Club on 12 titles.


2016 Tunisian protests
In January 2016, protests erupted in the Kasserine region of Tunisia over unemployment. These unemployment rates were 30% in the region as compared to the national 15.3%. In particular, there was high youth unemployment. The protests consisted of violence against the police and marching on Tunis. The incidents continued for a week injuring 59 officers and 40 protestors until the government imposed a curfew.


2016 Turin municipal election
Municipal elections were held in Turin, northern Italy, in May 2016. Chiara Appendino, the candidate of the Five Star Movement, was elected after defeating former mayor Piero Fassino in the runoff.


2016 Turin municipal election, Voting system
The voting system is used for all mayoral elections in Italy, in the city with a population higher than 15,000 inhabitants. Under this system voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. This gives a result whereby the winning candidate may be able to claim majority support, although it is not guaranteed.


2016 Turin municipal election, Voting system
The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally.


2016 Turin municipal election, Parties and candidates
This is a list of the parties (and their respective leaders) which will participate in the election.


2016 Turin municipal election, Results
According to the Italian electoral law of 1993 for the Municipalities, if a defeated candidate for mayor obtains over 3% of votes, he/she is automatically elected communal councillor (on this case: Fassino, Morano, Napoli, Rosso and Airaudo). The candidate elected mayor votes on communal council, but is not a member of it.


2016 Turkish Basketball Cup
The 2016 Turkish Basketball Cup, for sponsorship reasons the FIAT Turkish Cup, is the 31st edition of Turkey's professional national cup competition for men's basketball teams. The tournament was held at the Bursa Atatürk Sport Hall in Bursa, Turkey. It was held from February 17 to February 21.


2016 Turkish Basketball Cup, Awards, MVP by Match
For or each game a Most Valuable Player honour was handed out by the TBF this tournament.


2016 Turkish Basketball Presidential Cup
The 2016 Turkish Basketball Presidential Cup was the 32nd edition of the Turkish Basketball Presidential Cup. The game was played by the Turkish Basketball League and Turkish Basketball Cup champions Fenerbahçe and the Turkish League runners-up Anadolu Efes.


2016 Turkish Basketball Presidential Cup
Anadolu Efes made its 20th appearance, while Fenerbahçe played in its 13th President's Cup and won its 6th title.


2016 Turkish Basketball Presidential Cup, Match details
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was in the attendance for the game. By halftime, Anadolu Efes was looking at a 37–29 deficit. By the end of the game, the difference was stayed the same and Anadolu Efes never really came close to Fenerbahçe. Bobby Dixon, who scored 19 points was named the President's Cup MVP.


2016 Turkish Super Cup
The 2016 Turkish Super Cup (Turkish: TFF Süper Kupa) was the 43rd edition of the Turkish Super Cup since its establishment as Presidential Cup in 1966, the annual Turkish football season-opening match contested by the winners of the previous season's top league and cup competitions (or cup runner-up in case the league- and cup-winning club is the same). It took place on 13 August 2016 at the Torku Arena in Konya, and was contested between Beşiktaş, the 2015–16 Süper Lig winners, and Galatasaray, the 2015–16 Turkish Cup winners.


2016 Turkish Super Cup
Played in front of a crowd of 33,700, the Galatasaray defeated Beşiktaş 3–0 on penalties after 1–1 tie in 120 minutes. Galatasaray's victory marked their 15th Turkish Super Cup triumph.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
The 15 July 2016 coup d'état attempt (Turkish: 15 Temmuz darbe girişimi) was attempted in Turkey against state institutions, including the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The attempt was carried out by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that organized themselves as the Peace at Home Council whose members have never been identified. They attempted to seize control of several places in Ankara, Istanbul, Marmaris and elsewhere, such as the Asian side entrance of the Bosphorus Bridge, but failed to do so after forces loyal to the state defeated them.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
The Council cited an erosion of secularism, elimination of democratic rule, disregard for human rights, and Turkey's loss of credibility in the international arena as reasons for the coup. The government said the coup leaders were linked to the Gülen movement, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the Republic of Turkey and led by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish businessman and scholar who lives in Pennsylvania. The Turkish government alleged that Gülen was behind the coup (which Gülen denied) and that the United States was harboring him. Events surrounding the coup attempt and the purges in its aftermath reflect a complex power struggle between Islamist elites in Turkey.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
During the coup attempt, over 300 people were killed and more than 2,100 were injured. Many government buildings, including the Turkish Parliament and the Presidential Palace, were bombed from the air. Mass arrests followed, with at least 40,000 detained, including at least 10,000 soldiers and, for reasons that remain unclear, 2,745 judges. 15,000 education staff were also suspended and the licenses of 21,000 teachers working at private institutions were revoked after the government stated they were loyal to Gülen. More than 77,000 people have been arrested and over 160,000 fired from their jobs, on reports of connections to Gülen.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
Reactions to the event were largely against the coup attempt, both domestically and internationally. The main opposition parties in Turkey condemned the attempt, while several international leaders—such as those of the United States, NATO, the European Union, and neighboring countries—called for "respect of the democratic institutions in Turkey and its elected officials." International organizations expressed themselves against the coup as well. The United Nations Security Council, however, did not denounce the coup after disagreements over the phrasing of a statement. Unlike some Middle Eastern governments that supported the coup or others that waited to see the outcome of the coup, Iran initially opposed the coup and advised Erdogan to defeat the coup plotters.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the head of United States Central Command, chief General Joseph Votel, was "siding with coup plotters", after Votel criticized the Turkish government for arresting the Pentagon's contacts in Turkey.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
In March 2017, Germany's intelligence chief said Germany was unconvinced by Erdoğan's statement that Fethullah Gülen was behind the failed coup attempt. The same month, the British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee said some Gulenists were involved in the coup d'état attempt but found no hard evidence that Fethullah Gülen masterminded the failed coup and found no evidence to justify the UK designating the Gülen movement as a "terrorist organization".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, Kemalism
It is widely reported that Kemalist ideology played little or no role in motivating the 15 July 2016 coup attempt, unlike all previous political interventions in the history of Turkey's military coups. Since the establishment of multiparty democracy in Turkey in 1946, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), together with the judiciary, have viewed themselves as guardians of Kemalist ideals and the secular Turkish nationalist state established under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk against political parties that have promoted a larger role for Islam and minorities in public life.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, Kemalism
The military and judiciary have regularly intervened in politics to block or ban popular parties representing conservative Muslim Turks, attempting to relax the restrictions on traditional religious practices, such as women's wearing of headscarves. The military has toppled four elected governments: by coups in 1960 and 1980, and by military decisions in 1971 and 1997. The military has also banned several major political parties. In 1998, Erdoğan, the mayor of Istanbul, was banned for life from politics and jailed because he had read a certain poem several years before, at a public meeting.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, Kemalism
In 2007, the military expressed its opposition to the election of Abdullah Gül, of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), as president, by issuing an e-memorandum. Still, Gül was eventually elected when the AKP won both a referendum on the matter. Also, a snap election, and the party returned with a larger majority in the parliament.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, AKP–Gülen alliance and "Ergenekon"
As opposed to previous political interventions by the Turkish military, Turkey's AKP government and pro-state media maintain that the 15 July 2016 coup attempt was not motivated by allegiance to Kemalist ideology, but rather to the vast political, economic, and religious network led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen. Between 2007 and 2012, high-profile Kemalists, including high-ranking officers of the Turkish Armed Forces, faced a series of trials and purges, under reports of involvement in a secret society codenamed "Ergenekon."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, AKP–Gülen alliance and "Ergenekon"
Supported by Islamist (both pro-Gülen and pro-Erdoğan) prosecutors, security officials, and media, the purges allowed lower-rank Islamist officers to assume high-ranking military positions. They were seen as a bid by Turkey's civilian leaders under President Erdoğan to establish dominance over the military. In these trials in 2013 – viewed as "sensational" and "one of the biggest in recent Turkish history" – 275 people, including senior military officers, journalists, lawyers, and academics, were said to be involved in the so-called "Ergenekon" conspiracy, reportedly plotting a coup in 2003/04 against then–Prime Minister Erdoğan. Additionally, some military officers were said to be involved in a separate reported plot, Sledgehammer. Simultaneously, Erdoğan promoted lower-ranking officers up the chain of command, ensuring that the military chief of staff was loyal to him and thereby demoralizing the army.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, AKP–Gülen alliance and "Ergenekon"
The AKP's alliance with Gülen started to collapse during 2013 as Gülenists targeted the AKP using corruption charges. After the split, Erdoğan decided it would be advantageous to rehabilitate the army. The "Ergenekon" convictions were overturned in April 2016 by the Court of Cassation, which ruled that the existence of the network was unproven.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, Role of corruption
In 2013, law enforcement efforts to fight corruption, which had led to the 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, were faulted by Erdoğan. The anti-corruption efforts were a source of tension between the Gülenists and the AKP. In political analysis in the months prior to the coup attempt, the incidence of corruption was reported to be "rife" in Turkey. Following the coup attempt, some coup leaders cited corruption as a reason for their actions.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, Immunity bill
On 13 July, less than two days before the coup was launched, Erdoğan signed a bill giving Turkish soldiers immunity from prosecution while taking part in domestic operations. The bill requires cases against commanders to be approved by the prime minister, while district governors may sign cases against lower-ranking soldiers. The immunity bill was seen as part of the détente between the government and the armed forces. The latter has increasingly been taking over military operations in Kurdish-inhabited areas from police and paramilitary units.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Background, Immunity bill
on which the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a report in February 2017 detailing how operations by the Turkish infantry, artillery, tanks and possibly aircraft drove up to half a million people from their homes over a 17-month period from July 2015 to the end of 2016. Investigators for the United Nations verified a variety of human rights abuses by the security forces, among them extrajudicial killings, summary killings, disappearances, torture, rape, violence against women and the prevention of access to medical care, food and water.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
On 15 July 2016, as reported just before 23:00 EEST (UTC+3), military jets were witnessed flying over Ankara, and both the Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul were closed.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said military action was being "taken outside the chain of command" and it was an "illegal attempt" to seize power by "part of the military". He further said that those involved "will pay the highest price." Local media also reported tanks in Istanbul's Atatürk Airport. It was reported that Internet users within Turkey were blocked from accessing Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Twitter later stated that it had "no reason to think we've been fully blocked". Some hostages were taken at military headquarters, including the Turkish Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
At around 21:00, the coupists had invited Salih Zeki Çolak, the commander of the Turkish Land Forces to the military headquarters. When he arrived, he was immediately apprehended. Abidin Ünal, head of the Turkish Air Force, who had been attending a wedding in Istanbul, was abducted from there by soldiers who descended from a helicopter. The coupists then tried to force Akar to sign the coup declaration, almost strangling him using a belt in the process. He refused and was then taken to the Akıncı Air Base and other commanders at the headquarters. The military also entered the Justice and Development Party's offices in Istanbul and asked people to leave.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
Early reports said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was safe in Marmaris, south-west Turkey, where he had been on holiday.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
From around 23:00 to midnight, helicopters bombed the police special forces headquarters and police air force headquarters in Gölbaşı, just outside of Ankara. The attacks left 42 dead and 43 injured. Türksat headquarters in Gölbaşı was also attacked, killing two security personnel.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
At around 23:50, soldiers occupied Taksim Square in central Istanbul.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
At 00:02, it was reported by Reuters that soldiers were inside the buildings of the state broadcaster, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), in Ankara. During the coup attempt, soldiers forced anchor Tijen Karaş to read out a statement saying that "the democratic and secular rule of law has been eroded by the current government" and that Turkey was now led by the Peace at Home Council who would "ensure the safety of the population."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
The statement read in part: "Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and general security that was damaged. [ ...] All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue." The plotters said they had "done so to preserve democratic order, and that the rule of law must remain a priority". The statement also ordered temporary martial rule, and said a new constitution would be prepared "as soon as possible". TRT was then taken off air.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
Reuters reported on 15 July that an EU source described the coup as "well orchestrated," and predicted that "given the scale of the operation, it is difficult to imagine they will stop short of prevailing." Another EU diplomat said that the Turkish ambassador in his capital was shocked and "taking it very seriously".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Attempted takeover
The Peace at Home Council was reportedly chaired by Muharrem Köse.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
The Turkish Presidential office said President Erdoğan was on holiday inside Turkey and safe and condemned the coup attempt to attack democracy. A presidential source also said Erdoğan and his government were still in power. The first messages from Erdoğan were transmitted at around 00:23 At about 01:00, Erdoğan did a FaceTime interview with CNN Türk, in which he called upon his supporters to take to the streets in defiance of the military-imposed curfew, saying "There is no power higher than the power of the people. Let them do what they will at public squares and airports."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş appeared on live television, saying Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is still in charge of the government. The mayor of Ankara, Melih Gökçek of the AKP, encouraged people to go out to the city's streets in defiance, despite a curfew imposed by the military. Erdoğan's plane took off from Dalaman Airport near Marmaris at 23:47, but had to wait in the air south of Atatürk for the airport to be secured. His plane landed at 02:50


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
The First Army General Command in Istanbul stated in a news conference that the TSK did not support the coup and the perpetrators represented a tiny faction that were on the verge of being brought under control. Istanbul Atatürk Airport was closed; all flights from the airport were cancelled. There was an explosion in the TRT broadcasting headquarters and gunfire was reported in Ankara. Soon after, it was stormed by a crowd of civilians and police, with four soldiers inside reportedly being "neutralized". The channel went back on air and Karaş, who had previously announced the coup, said live that she had been held hostage and forced to read the declaration of the coup at gunpoint.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
By 01:00, it was reported that the military had pulled its forces from the Atatürk airport and people were coming inside, but by 01:13, it was reported that tanks were inside the airport and gunfire was heard.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
Tanks opened fire near the Turkish Parliament Building. The parliamentary building was also hit from the air. Injuries were reported among protesters following gunfire on Bosphorus Bridge.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
A helicopter belonging to the pro-coup forces was shot down by a Turkish military F-16 fighter jet. There were also reports of pro-state jets flying over Ankara to "neutralize" helicopters used by those behind the coup.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
At 03:08, a military helicopter opened fire on the Turkish parliament. At 03:10, Turkish Armed Forces stated on their website that they had complete control over the country. However, at 03:12, Yıldırım made a statement saying that the situation was under control and that a no-fly zone was declared over Ankara and that military planes that still flew would be shot down.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
It was reported that the Turkish parliament had been bombed again at 03:23 and 03:33. A helicopter belonging to the pro-coup forces was also seen flying by it. Half an hour following the report of 12 deaths and 2 injuries in the parliament, soldiers entered CNN Türk's headquarters and forced the studio to go off air. After an hour of interruption by the pro-coup soldiers, CNN Türk resumed its broadcast. Later, İsmail Kahraman said a bomb exploded at a corner of the public relations building inside the parliament, with no deaths but several injuries among police officers.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
At around 04:00 two or three helicopters attacked Erdogan's hotel. According to eyewitness accounts, ten to fifteen heavily armed men landed and started firing. In the ensuing conflict, two policemen were killed and 8 were injured.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Government response and conflict
The Doğan News Agency reported that in Istanbul several individuals were injured after soldiers fired on a group of people attempting to cross the Bosphorus Bridge in protest of the attempted coup.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, Soldiers' escape to Greece in helicopter
On Saturday 16 July 2016, at 00:42 EEST (UTC+3), a Turkish Black Hawk helicopter sent a distress signal and requested permission from Greek authorities for an emergency landing, and landed eight minutes later (00:50) at the Dimokritos airport in Alexandroupoli, in Greece, while two Greek F-16s observed the procedure and escorted it to the airport. The first reports said that the passengers were seven military personnel and a civilian. Later, it turned out that all were military personnel (two majors, four captains and two non-commissioned officers).


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, Soldiers' escape to Greece in helicopter
They had removed the badges and insignia from their uniforms, making it impossible to know their rank. All were arrested after landing for illegal entry into the country. They were transferred to the local police station, while the Greek authorities at the airport guarded the helicopter. The eight passengers all requested political asylum in Greece as they believed they would not get a fair trial in Turkey. On 21 September 2016, Greece denied three out of the eight asylum.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, Soldiers' escape to Greece in helicopter
The men's lawyer Stavroula Tomara said they would be appealing the decision and said they had the "impression that the decision has been predetermined, and that the interview was conducted just as a formality." On 11 October 2016, four more of the eight were denied asylum. Two of the men who had previously been denied asylum applied for a re-evaluation but their applications were also rejected.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, After Erdoğan's arrival in Istanbul
After Erdoğan flew into Istanbul, he made a televised speech inside the airport at around 04:00, whilst thousands gathered outside. He addressed a crowd of supporters in the airport, at about 06:30 He said, "In Turkey, armed forces are not governing the state or leading the state. They cannot." He blamed "those in Pennsylvania" (a reference to Fethullah Gülen, who lives in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, and his Hizmet Movement) for the coup attempt. Erdoğan also said he had plans to "clean up" the army, saying that "This uprising is a gift from God to us."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, After Erdoğan's arrival in Istanbul
State-run Anadolu Agency named former Colonel Muharrem Köse, who in March 2016 was dishonorably discharged for reported association with Gülen, as the suspected leader of the coup. However, the Alliance for Shared Values, a non-profit organization associated with Gülen, released a statement reiterating that it condemns any military intervention in domestic politics, and saying Erdoğan's allegations against the movement were "highly irresponsible". Gülen himself said in a brief statement just before midnight: "As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, After Erdoğan's arrival in Istanbul
Reuters reported that in early hours of 16 July, the coup appeared to have "crumbled" as crowds defied pro-coup military orders and gathered in major squares of Istanbul and Ankara to oppose it. Reuters also reported pro-coup soldiers surrendering to the police in Taksim Square, Istanbul. It was reported that by 05:18, Atatürk airport had completely been recaptured by the government whilst the police had surrounded the coupists inside the Turkish army headquarters, calling for them to surrender. Between 06:00–08:00 a skirmish took place there. In Akar's absence, Ümit Dündar, head of the First Army, was appointed Acting Chief of Staff.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, After Erdoğan's arrival in Istanbul
In the early hours of the morning of 16 July, soldiers blocking the Bosphorus Bridge surrendered to the police. According to the government-run Anadolu Agency, this consisted of a group of 50 soldiers. Some of these soldiers were lynched by civilians despite the police's efforts, who fired into the air to protect the surrendering soldiers.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Events, Shift in control of theatre of operations, After Erdoğan's arrival in Istanbul
Meanwhile, in the headquarters of the Turkish Army, 700 unarmed soldiers surrendered as the police conducted an operation into the building while 150 armed soldiers were kept inside by the police. The coupists in the TRT building in Istanbul surrendered in the early morning as well. Chief of Staff Akar, held hostage at the Akıncı Air Base in Ankara, was also rescued by pro-state forces.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
One of the primary reasons that the coup failed was chaos among the plotters' ranks. Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) head Hakan Fidan discovered the coup plot, and the plotters were forced to execute the coup five hours ahead of schedule. One of the main organizers, General Semih Terzi, was shot dead by loyalist Sgt. Maj. Ömer Halisdemir at the onset, demoralizing and disrupting command and control of the rebels. These two incidents resulted in the coup being carried out in an uncoordinated manner.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
The highest ranking staff officers opposed the coup, and publicly ordered all personnel to return to their barracks. Acting outside the military chain of command, the rebels lacked the coordination and resources to achieve their goals. The conscripted soldiers that the rebels mobilized were uninformed of their mission's true purpose and became demoralized. Many surrendered rather than shoot demonstrators. The commander of the First Army in Istanbul, General Ümit Dündar, personally called Erdoğan to warn him of the plot, persuading him to evacuate his hotel ahead of the plotters, and helped to secure Istanbul for Erdoğan to land. The MİT also mobilized its anti-aircraft guns, which the plotters were unaware existed, deterring rebel jets and commando teams.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
Equally important to the coup's failure, according to military strategist Edward N. Luttwak, was the inability of the rebels to neutralize Erdoğan and other high ranking government officials, either by killing or detaining them. A unit of special forces was sent via helicopter to kill or capture the president, but missed because he had been evacuated by his security detail just minutes before. Once Erdoğan landed at Atatürk International Airport (which had been recaptured from the rebels by his supporters), the coup was doomed.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
According to a military source, several rebel F-16s targeted Erdoğan's presidential jet en route to Istanbul, but they did not fire. A senior Turkish counter-terrorism official later stated that the jets did not fire because the fighter jet pilots were told by President Erdoğan's pilot over the radio that the (flight of the) Gulfstream IV was a Turkish Airlines flight.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
According to Naunihal Singh, author of Seizing Power, the coup attempt also failed because the plotters failed to secure control of the media and shape the narrative. Successful coups require that the rebels control the mass media. This allows even small rebel contingents to portray themselves as fully in control, and their victory as inevitable. Consequently, they convince the public, along with neutral and even loyalist soldiers, to defect to them or not resist. The rebels failed to properly broadcast their messages effectively across the media that they controlled. They failed to capture Türksat, Turkey's main cable and satellite communications company, and failed to gain control of the country's television and mobile phone networks. This allowed Erdoğan to make his Facetime call, and to speak on television.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
Other scholars of civil-military relations, like Drew H. Kinney, have said reports like Luttwak and Singh's miss the point of their own analysis: civil resistance thwarted the coup. Luttwak argues that wayward elements of the Turkish armed forces could not silence Erdoğan. Singh says that the rebels could not project success because they couldn't control the message. Kinney states that neither of these reasons on their own matter, but rather it's their effect—civil disobedience—that is important. We might find that "[Gülen's movement] ... [ might] have had nothing to do with the attempted takeover in July, but civilians [nevertheless] definitely played a role in thwarting the coup," writes Kinney. "... [ A]n unhappy civilian populace mobilized to face down the military."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
Erdoğan wasn't censored (Luttwak's point) and was therefore able to use FaceTime to mobilize resistance, which in turn hindered the conspirators' ability to project success (Singh's point). The result is civilian resistance to soldiers, i.e., people power. The reason Singh, Luttwak, and other scholars of civil-military relations miss this is, according to Kinney, because they "usually do not study extra-military reasons for coup failures/successes," but rather put a premium on "the inner-workings of the [military] operation." In short, they blame the military for its failure rather than acknowledge the power of the masses and their successes.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
Pro -state forces sent text messages to every Turkish citizen calling for them to protest against the coup attempt. Throughout the night sela prayers were repeatedly called from mosque minarets across the country to encourage people to resist the coup plotters. While the sela is usually called from minarets to inform the public of a funeral, they are also traditionally performed to notify of a significant event, in this case "to rally people".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
The coup plotters initiated their operation hours ahead of the planned time when they understood that their plans had been compromised. Had the coup been launched at its original time, the middle of the night, much of the population would have been asleep. The streets would have been mostly empty.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Reasons for failure
Reports have emerged, neither confirmed nor denied by Russia or Turkey that the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate intercepted signals on an imminent coup passed on to loyal Turkish operatives. The intercepted plans revealed several helicopters with commandos were on the way to Marmaris's coastal resort, where Erdoğan stayed, capturing or killing him. Pre -warned, Erdoğan left quickly to avoid them.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
An extensive purge of the Turkish civil service began in the wake of the coup attempt, with President Erdoğan warning his opponents that "they will pay a heavy price for this." The New York Times along with some other Western media such as The Economist, described the purges as a "counter-coup", with the Times expecting the president to "become more vengeful and obsessed with control than ever, exploiting the crisis not just to punish mutinous soldiers but to further quash whatever dissent is left in Turkey,". As of 20 July 2016, the purge already had seen over 45,000 military officials, police officers, judges, governors and civil servants arrested or suspended, including 2,700 judges, 15,000 teachers, and every university dean in the country.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
163 generals and admirals were detained, around 45% of the Turkish military's total.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
On 18 July 2016, United States State Secretary John Kerry urged Turkish authorities to halt the increasing crackdown on its citizens, indicating that the crackdown was meant to "suppress dissent." French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault voiced concern, warning against a "political system which turns away from democracy" in response to the purges.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
On 17 August 2016, Turkey started releasing what was expected to eventually amount to about 38,000 prison inmates, to make more space in the penal system for  detainees, numbering about 35,000, who were arrested or detained after being involved in or suspected of association, with the 2016 failed coup.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
On 28 September 2016, Turkish justice minister Bekir Bozdağ said 70,000 people had been processed and 32,000 were formally arrested.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
Major General Cahit Bakir, who commanded Turkish forces under NATO in Afghanistan, and Brigadier General Sener Topuc, responsible for education and aid in Afghanistan, were detained by authorities in Dubai connected with the failed coup.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
General Akın Öztürk, former Commander of the Turkish Air Force, was the Turkish military attaché to Israel. He was arrested on charges of having played a leading role in the failed coup. Öztürk has denied the charges.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
General Adem Huduti, the commander of the Second Army, positioned along the southern borders with Syria and Iraq, and General Erdal Öztürk, the commander of the 3rd Corps, were also arrested.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
Rear Admiral Mustafa Zeki Ugurlu, who had been stationed at NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, sought asylum in the United States after being recalled by the Turkish government.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
In July 2018, Istanbul's 25th Criminal Court sentenced 72 former soldiers involved in the coup attempt to life in prison.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Arrests and purges
On 20 June 2019,  a terrorism court in Turkey sentenced 151 people to life in prison, including General Akın Öztürk, former commander of Turkish Air Force most senior officer involved in the coup. 128 people received "aggravated life" sentences, which indicates harsh conditions without parole, for their role in the coup, with another 23 receiving standard life sentences.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against Fethullah Gülen
Fethullah Gülen, whom President Erdoğan said as one of the principal conspirators, condemned the coup attempt and denied any role in it. "I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey," he said in an emailed statement reported by The New York Times. "Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force. I pray to God for Turkey, Turkish citizens, and all those currently in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly. As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against Fethullah Gülen
President Erdoğan asked the United States to extradite Gülen: "I call on you again, after there was a coup attempt. Extradite this man in Pennsylvania to Turkey! If we are strategic partners or model partners, do what is necessary." Prime Minister Yildirim has threatened war against any country that would support Gülen. Turkish Labor Minister Süleyman Soylu said that "America is behind the coup."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against Fethullah Gülen
Regarding the AKP's statement against Gülen, Secretary of State Kerry invited the Turkish government "to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny," before they would accept an extradition request.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against Fethullah Gülen
On 15 August 2016, former United States diplomat James Jeffrey, who was the United States ambassador to Turkey from 2008 until 2010 made the following remarks: "The Gülen movement has some infiltration at the least in the military that I am aware of. They of course had extreme infiltration into the police and judiciary earlier. I saw that when I was in Turkey previously, particularly in the Sledgehammer case, Hakan Fidan case, and the corruption cases in 2013. Obviously, significant segment of Turkey's bureaucracy was infiltrated and had their allegiance to a movement. That of course is absolutely unacceptable and extremely dangerous. It likely led to the coup attempt."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against Fethullah Gülen
Outside Turkey, in Beringen, Belgium, anti-coup protesters attempted to attack a building owned by the pro-Gülen movement group 'Vuslat'. The police brought in a water cannon to keep the attackers at bay. In news articles it was stated that the police also protected the houses of Gülen supporters. People advocated on social media to go to Beringen once more, and there was unrest in Heusden-Zolder, elsewhere in Belgium. Furthermore, in Somalia the government ordered "the total closure of all activities" of an organization linked to the Gülen movement, and gave its staff seven days to leave the country.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against Fethullah Gülen
On 2 August 2016, President Erdoğan said Western countries were "supporting terrorism" and the military coup, saying "I'm calling on the United States: what kind of strategic partners are we, that you can still host someone whose extradition I have asked for?"


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against Fethullah Gülen
On 31 January 2017, British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, Alan Duncan said he believed the Gülen movement was responsible for the coup attempt. Duncan went on saying "the organization which incorporated itself into the state tried to topple the democratic structure in Turkey".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against the U.S. and the West, and U.S. response
In a speech on 29 July 2016, President Erdoğan said U.S. Central Command chief Joseph Votel was "siding with coup plotters"; Erdoğan said the United States was protecting Fethullah Gülen, whom the Turkish government blames for the coup attempt. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim made similar comments. In response, Votel said that the Turkish government's statements were "unfortunate and completely inaccurate" and expressed concern that the mass arrests and firings of military officers would damage military cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey. Similarly, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said that the Turkish military purges were impairing the fight against ISIS.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against the U.S. and the West, and U.S. response
On 2 August 2016, in an escalation of tensions with the United States, Erdoğan questioned Turkey's relationship with the United States and criticized the West, saying that "script" for the abortive putsch last month was "written abroad". Erdoğan stated that he had personally asked Obama to extradite Gülen to Turkey. When the U.S. government replied it would need evidence of the cleric's guilt before extradition, to which Erdoğan said: "When you asked for the return of a terrorist, we did not ask for documentation. ... Let us put him on trial."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against the U.S. and the West, and U.S. response
Yeni Şafak daily, a Turkish pro-state newspaper, stated that the former commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, now-retired United States Army General John F. Campbell, was the "mastermind" behind the coup attempt in Turkey. Campbell called the statement "absolutely ridiculous" and President Obama said "Any reports that we had any previous knowledge of a coup attempt, that there was any U.S. involvement in it, that we were anything other than entirely supportive of Turkish democracy are completely false, unequivocally false."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish government statements about coup attempt, Statements against the U.S. and the West, and U.S. response
On 1 December 2017, Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant for American political analyst, former CIA official and former vice chairman of US National Intelligence Council Graham Fuller, stating his involvement in the coup. A career US State Department official who was once CIA Station Chief in Kabul and later went on to be a political scientist in Rand Corporation specializing in the Middle East, Turkish authorities said Fuller attended a meeting in Istanbul on 15 July 2016 involving organization and coordination of the botched coup. Another American among the attendance, as stated by the Turkish prosecutors, was academic Henri Barkey who was named a suspect a week after the failed coup.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Incirlik Air Base
The U.S. consulate in Turkey issued an advisory to U.S citizens to avoid the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, which houses about 50 nuclear bombs, until "normal operations have been restored". They stated that local authorities were denying access to the air base and that power supplying the air base was shut off.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Incirlik Air Base
The Incirlik base is important to the U.S.-led effort in Syria to combat ISIL and other militants. Nearly 1,500 American personnel are housed in the base.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Incirlik Air Base
Twenty-four hours after initial reports that the air base was shut down, United States defense department officials confirmed that the base and its airspace had re-opened to military aircraft and that operations by American aircraft will resume. The Turkish commander of the air base, brig. Gen. Bekir Ercan Van was arrested. After the failure of the coup Gen Bekir Ercan Van sought asylum from the U.S., but his request was denied by U.S.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Incirlik Air Base
Following the failed coup attempt multiple media outlets have published editorials advocating the removal of U.S. nuclear weapons from Incirlik Air base as Turkey is unstable.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Social unrest
On 16 July, anti-coup protesters chanted against locals in areas of Istanbul with high concentration of Alevis, including Okmeydanı and Gazi. Such incidents also occurred in a quarter of Antakya with a high Alevi population, where a motorcyclist stating to be a sharia advocate was lynched. In a neighbourhood of Ankara, shops belonging to Syrians were attacked by a mob. In Malatya, Sunni Islamists harassed residents of an Alevi neighbourhood, particularly the women, and attempted to enter the neighbourhood en masse. Police intervened and blocked all roads leading there. In Kadıköy, people drinking alcohol in public were attacked by a group of religious fundamentalists.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Calls to reintroduce the death penalty
Following the arrests, thousands of anti-coup protesters demanded instituting the death penalty against detainees connected with the coup, chanting "we want the death penalty". President Erdoğan has been open to reinstituting the death penalty, noting that "in a democracy, whatever the people want they will get." Turkish authorities have not executed anyone since 1984, but legally abolished capital punishment only in 2004 as a pre-condition to join the European Union.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Calls to reintroduce the death penalty
European Union officials have been vocal about their opposition to purges by Turkish authorities in connection to the coup. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that Turkey must work within the framework of the law to uphold Europe's democratic principles. Furthermore, on 18 July 2016, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of Foreign Affairs of the European Union, announced that no country will be admitted into the European Union "if it introduces the death penalty". Moreover, German press secretary, Steffen Seibert, stated that reinstituting the death penalty will end Turkey's accession talks with the European Union.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Calls to reintroduce the death penalty
Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe, and ratified the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as part of its terms of membership. The ECHR is an international treaty that includes the abolition of the death penalty among its terms. As such, Turkey is legally bound not to reintroduce the death penalty.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, State of emergency
On 20 July 2016, President Erdoğan announced a three-month state of emergency in response to the attempted coup, invoking Article 120 of the Constitution of Turkey ("Declaration of state of emergency because of widespread acts of violence and serious deterioration of public order"). Under the state of emergency, under Article 121, "the Council of Ministers, meeting under the chairpersonship of the President of the Republic, may issue decrees having the force of law on matters necessitated by the state of emergency", with decrees subject to subsequent parliamentary approval.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, State of emergency
The state of emergency was endorsed by the Parliament on 21 July by 346 votes to 115. The Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party supported the state of emergency, whilst the Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party opposed it. Prime Minister Yıldırım said at the Parliament that the state of emergency was necessary to "get rid of this scourge rapidly".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, State of emergency
As part of the state of emergency, deputy prime minister Kurtulmuş announced that Turkey was temporarily suspending part of the European Convention on Human Rights following the attempted coup, invoking Article 15 of the Convention ("war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation"). The suspensions must be notified to the Council of Europe and may not affect the right to a fair trial or the prohibition on torture.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, State of emergency
This state of emergency in Turkey as well as the hindrance of the right to protest that occurred within such framework have been layered onto a longer history of emergency rules, oppressive legislation and daily government practice that have reinforced both. We can see from this the "autocratisation" process in Turkey has thrived of existing legal framework deeply associated in legacies of past "emergencies".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, State of emergency, State of emergency extension
On 3 October 2016 Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş declared the governments intention to extend the state of emergency by a further three months raising objections from both the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were critical of the governments use of their emergency powers and declared that they would vote against an extension.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, State of emergency, State of emergency extension
Following the National Security Council's recommendation for the extension President Erdoğan stated that it was possible that the state of emergency could last for longer than a year prompting outcry from the opposition, Leader of the Main Opposition Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said that "The president saying that the state of emergency can last longer than 12 months is strengthening the fear of a counter-coup" and that it was "raising the prospect of opportunist measures."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, State of emergency, State of emergency extension
The AKP's governmental majority allowed the three-month extension to take effect on 19 October 2016. The two-year-long state of emergency was ended on 19 July 2018.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Applications for asylum in Greece
On 16 July 2016, the media reported that eight Turkish military personnel of various ranks had landed in Greece's northeastern city of Alexandroupolis on board a Black Hawk helicopter and claimed political asylum in Greece. While The Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu demanded extradition of "the eight traitors as soon as possible", the Greek authorities stated: "We will follow the procedures of international law. However, we give severe considerations to the fact that [the Turkish military men] are accused, in their own country, of violating the constitutional order and trying to overthrow democracy."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Applications for asylum in Greece
The helicopter was returned to Turkey shortly thereafter. The eight asylum seekers, their asylum case pending, were later transferred to Athens, mainly for safety reasons. On 26 January, the Supreme Court of Greece eventually ruled against their extradition, on the grounds that the eight were unlikely to face a fair trial if returned to their home country and due to concerns over their safety.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Applications for asylum in Greece
On 15 February 2017, five Turkish commandos illegally entered Greece through the Evros river. However, once they entered the country, the group split. The two of them surrendered to the police and on 20 February 2017, requested political asylum. They were being held in the city of Alexandroupolis. The two men belonged to the Turkish navy. The names given by the two reportedly match the names of two fugitives wanted in relation to the shadowy operation against Erdoğan himself.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Applications for asylum in Greece
The Greek government mentioned that the Greek authorities will not allow the country to be dragged into the ongoing feud between the Turkish state and the followers of Gulen. But there were no sign of the other three. According to a lawyer there were indications that the other three have been arrested by Greek authorities who were about to expel them to Turkey. According to new evidence and new information these three "arrested" marines were delivered under fast and informal procedures from Greek to Turkish services.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Turkish attachés sortie from Greece to Italy
After the coup attempt, two Turkish military attaches in Athens, Staff Col. İlhan Yaşıtlı and naval attache Col. Halis Tunç, had reportedly disappeared along with their families. The Greek foreign ministry canceled the two attaches’ accreditations on 7 August 2016, upon the request of the Turkish foreign ministry. Greek media reported that they might have fled to Italy. On 11 August 2016, the Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed the reports saying that they had left Greece for Italy on 6 August and adding that Turkey would officially ask the Italian authorities to extradite the two soldiers.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Rear admiral's U.S. asylum application
On 9 August 2016, the media reported that Turkey's Rear Admiral Mustafa Zeki Ugurlu, who had been on a United States-based assignment for NATO and after the coup was subject to a detention order in Turkey, had sought asylum in the United States.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Asylum bids in Germany and Belgium
In mid-November 2016, it was officially confirmed that about 40 Turkish military servicemen of various ranks stationed at NATO command structures had applied for asylum in Germany and Belgium.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Asylum bids in Germany and Belgium
In January 2017, Der Spiegel magazine and ARD broadcaster reported that about 40 mostly high-ranking Turkish soldiers who worked at NATO facilities in Germany requested asylum in Germany.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Asylum bids in Germany and Belgium
At the end of February 2017, Germany said it had received 136 asylum requests from Turks holding diplomatic passports since the July coup attempt. The figure was a total for August 2016 to January 2017; some were presumed to be military officers posted to NATO bases in Germany.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Asylum bids in NATO countries
In November 2016, NATO's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said that Turkish NATO Officers had requested asylum in the countries where they had been posted. He did not name the nations involved or the number of officers, saying it was a matter for those countries to decide. He said: "Some Turkish officers working in NATO command structure ... have requested asylum in the countries where they are working. ... As always, this is an issue that is going to be assessed and decided by the different NATO allies as a national issue."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Asylum bids in NATO countries
As of March 2017, Norway have granted asylum for four Turkish soldiers and a military attache.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Turkish military personnel and diplomats asylum bids, Diplomats asylum bids
Several Turkish citizens with diplomatic passports have sought political asylum in Switzerland.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Torture reports
According to Amnesty International, detainees in Turkey have been denied access to legal counsel, have been beaten and tortured. They have not been provided with adequate food, water, or medical care. At least one has attempted suicide. Amnesty International wanted the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture to send people to check on detainees conditions. A person who had been on duty at the Ankara police headquarters said that police denied medical treatment to a detainee. "Let him die. We will say he came to us dead," the witness quoted a police doctor as saying.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Torture reports
Also, Erdoğan has extended the maximum period of detention for suspects from four days to 30, a move Amnesty said increased the risk of torture or other maltreatment of detainees.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Torture reports
Turkish Justice Ministry denied the reports and the Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said on his Twitter account: "There has not been any torture or assault of detainees in custody," in response to reports by Amnesty International. "The claims of torture and assault make up a pre-packaged misinformation campaign formed by members of FETÖ, one which is untrue and distorted,"


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Anti-coup rally
On 7 August, more than a million people gathered for an anti-coup rally organized by the Turkish authorities in Istanbul. President Erdoğan and the two leaders of the major opposition parties (CHP and MHP) were present.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Increase regarding Greek islands
Greek authorities on several Aegean islands have called for emergency measures to curtail a growing flow of refugees from Turkey; the number of migrants and refugees willing to make the journey across the Aegean has increased noticeably after the failed coup. At Athens officials voiced worries because Turkish monitors overseeing the deal in Greece had been abruptly pulled out after the failed coup without being replaced. Also, the mayor of Kos expressed concern in a letter to the Greek Prime Minister citing the growing influx of refugees and migrants after the failed coup. The Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) warned about the prospect of another flare-up in the refugee/migrant crisis due to the Turkish political instability.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Increase regarding Greek islands
Vincent Cochetel, the director of the Europe Bureau of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said in August 2016 that parts of the EU-Turkey deal about immigration were already de facto suspended because no Turkish police were present at Greek detention centres to oversee deportations.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 25 August 2016, seven Turkish citizens were seeking asylum in Greece. Both of whom are university professors, and their two children applied for asylum in Alexandroupoli after they illegally entered the country from the northeastern border. Also, three businessmen have illegally reached the Greek island of Rhodes, and they also applied for asylum.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 30 August 2016, a Turkish judge arrived at the Greek island of Chios on a migrant boat, six Syrian nationals, and sought asylum in the country. He told the Greek coast guard and police officers that he is being persecuted in Turkey for his political beliefs by President Tayyip Erdoğan. The Turkish judge had been arrested for illegally entering the country and, also, he transferred to Athens for his asylum proceedings. The Syrian nationals claimed refugee status.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 11 September 2016, four Turkish civilians were arrested by Turkish police. An academic and a teacher attempted to escape to Greece illegally by crossing the Evros river, and the other two because they organized the escape attempt. The academic and the teacher paid a total of 12,500 euros in Istanbul to arrange their escape to Greece. Before their attempt both the academic and the teacher were suspended from their duties as part of the ongoing probe into the failed coup attempt. Police also seized an air raft, an oar and a pump while detaining the suspects. The court later ordered the two's release while the other two suspects, who organized the escape attempt, were arrested.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 21 September 2016, ten Turkish civilians, two men, two women and six children landed by boat illegally on the Greek island of Rhodes and sought asylum. They told to the Greek authorities they were working in the private sector in Turkey and the Turkish government was persecuting them due to their political beliefs.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 29 September 2016, five Turkish nationals, a couple and their child and two other men, arrived in Greece, at Alexandroupolis by crossing the Evros River by boat illegally and requested political asylum.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 12 December 2016, one female Turkish national, landed by boat, full of refugees and immigrants, illegally on the Greek island of Lesbos. She requested political asylum.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 24 October 2017, Turkish authorities obtained information that 995 Turks have applied for asylum in Greece after the coup attempt.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
More than 1,800 Turkish citizens requested asylum in Greece in 2017.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
On 18 February 2018, seventeen Turkish nationals, including six children, have requested asylum in Greece at Oinousses island.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Greece: Change in migration and asylum seeking, Turkish civilians
In August 2018, the former lawmaker for the Peoples' Democratic Party, Leyla Birlik, requested asylum in Greece after illegally crossing the border near Alexandroupolis.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
Berlin mayor, Michael Müller (SPD), said Turkey was waging war on supporters of the Gülen movement in Germany. He said that Turkish officials had approached him and asked him whether he would be prepared to confront the Gülen movement in Berlin critically and, if necessary, to support measures against it. The mayor rejected the idea and made it very clear that Turkish conflicts could not be waged in the city.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
Der Spiegel presented classified documents, which showed that Turkey's secret service (MIT) had asked Germany's foreign intelligence agency (BND) for help in rounding up Gülen supporters in Germany. The Turkish secret service wanted the BND to use its influence to spur German lawmakers into taking action against Gülen supporters and extraditing them to Turkey. Also, Turkey's government has sent German authorities requests for searches and extraditions linked to supporters of Fethullah Gülen in Germany.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
In Germany businesses thought to be in support of the Gülen movement have been harassed by Erdoğan supporters.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
After the failed coup, there was a massive demonstration in Cologne at Germany, in late July, in support of Turkish President Erdoğan. Erdoğan wanted to address the participants via video but was rejected by the local authorities and the German Constitutional Court due to security concerns. Turkey said that the ban was unacceptable and a violation of freedom of expression.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
German authorities said Turkish mosques in Germany were playing Turkish politics and worried that Turkey's internal politics spilled over into German cities. For years, German authorities had encouraged Turkey's state-run religious institution Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs usually referred to as DİTİB to provide Islamic preachers and teachers and Gülen Movement Schools for the large Turkish diaspora in Germany. DİTİB manages some 900 mosques in Germany. Gülen movement runs 100 educational facilities in Germany.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
After the failed coup DİTİB published a sermon praising "our noble nation" for rising against "a wretched network" that had sown "seeds of sedition, rebellion and hostility." According to Volker Beck, a member of the center-left Greens in Germany's Bundestag, "That was not a religious text. It was a declaration of obedience to Mr. Erdoğan and his measures since the coup attempt," Volker Kauder, parliamentary group leader of the Germany's ruling Christian Democrats, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU)/Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) faction, said Turkish-Germans should be loyal to Germany first and foremost.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
Germans of Turkish origin are being pressured in Germany by informers and officers of Turkey's MIT spy agency. According to reports Turkey had 6,000 informants plus MIT officers in Germany who were putting pressure on "German Turks". Hans-Christian Ströbele said that there was an "unbelievable" level of "secret activities" in Germany by Turkey's MIT agency. According to Erich Schmidt-Eenboom, not even the former communist East German Stasi secret police had managed to run such a large "army of agents" in the former West Germany: "Here, it's not just about intelligence gathering, but increasingly about intelligence service repression."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within
German lawmakers have called for an investigation, charging that Turkey is spying on suspected Gulen followers in Germany.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within, Turkish civilians asylum bids
Germany's Office for Migration and Refugees said on 18 November 2016, it had received 4,437 political asylum requests from Turkish citizens up to October, compared to 1,767 for the whole of last year. "We must expect that the number of Turks who are seeking political asylum in Germany will continue to rise," said Stephan Mayer, the domestic policy speaker of the union coalition in the Bundestag.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within, Turkish civilians asylum bids
On 10 December 2016, eleven Turkish nationals, 10 adults and one child, in a martial arts group have applied for asylum in Germany.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Germany—and Turkish factions within, Turkish civilians asylum bids
As of January 2018, Germany was first place and Greece second as EU destinations of choice for Turkish nationals requesting asylum after the coup attempt.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Companies raided
Turkish police have carried out simultaneous raids in 18 cities against companies associated with United States-based Fethullah Gülen. The state-run Anadolu Agency said police searched 204 premises and detained 187 businessmen for "membership in a terror organization" and "providing financial support to a terror organization". All suspects' assets were seized.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks released Turkish emails and documents to respond to the Turkish government's purges that followed the coup attempt. In turn, the Turkish Telecommunications Communications Board blocked access to the WikiLeaks website. On 17 July 2016 Wikileaks had announced on Twitter, the leak of approximately 300,000 emails and over 500,000 documents, including those to and from AKP.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks stated that it was attacked shortly after 17 July announcement of the planned publication and hypothesized that Turkish authorities were responsible. WikiLeaks stated in a tweet, "our infrastructure is under sustained attack." Tweets from WikiLeaks include "We are unsure of the true origin of the attack. The timing suggests a Turkish state power faction or its allies. We will prevail & publish." and: "Turks will likely be censored to prevent them reading our pending release of 100k+ docs on politics leading up to the coup. ", "We ask that Turks are ready with censorship bypassing systems such as TorBrowser and uTorrent"; "And that everyone else is ready to help them bypass censorship and push our links through the censorship to come."


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, WikiLeaks
Upon the release of the email dump, it has been reported that the emails contain little to no damning information, and instead are just mails from a public mailing list, but also linked externally to "voter information on all of the women registered to vote in 78 out of Turkey's 81 provinces".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Renamed places
In 2018, the Istanbul Municipal Council has decided to change the names of a total of 90 streets that included words, which could be associated with FETÖ.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Restrictions on funeral services for coupists
The Presidency of Religious Affairs stated that it would not be providing religious funeral services to the dead coupists, except for "privates and low-ranking officers compelled by force and threats who found themselves in the midst of the conflict without full knowledge of anything".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Reports of spying
A document dated 26 September 2016 showed that Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) asked Turkish missions and religious representatives abroad to profile Gülen movement expatriates living in their respective foreign countries. Gülen-linked schools, businesses, foundations, associations, media outlets and others were also included in the reports. Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs has gathered intelligence via imams from 38 countries.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Reports of spying
Belgium officials said they would withdraw recognition of Diyanet mosques in the country if necessary.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Reports of spying
German lawmakers have called for an investigation, charging that Turkey is spying on suspected Gulen followers in Germany.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Reports of spying
On 21 December 2016, the Turkish government has recalled Yusuf Acar, the religious affairs attaché of the Turkish Embassy in the Netherlands, after Dutch authorities said he was spying. Acar collected information of people who sympathize with Fethullah Gülen at Netherlands and passed it on to the Turkish authorities. The Dutch government called spying activities an "unwanted and non-acceptable interference in the lives of Dutch citizens." and the attaché was reportedly declared persona non grata and received a "deportation warning" by Dutch authorities.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Requests for help from other countries
On 26 January 2017, President Erdoğan, during his visit to Tanzania, asked his Tanzanian counterpart John Magufuli to take action against the network of Fethullah Gülen.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Aftermath, Museum
In April 2017 it was announced that President Erdoğan planned to establish a purpose-built museum dedicated to the coup events, called the "Museum of the 15 July: Martyrs and Democracy", to be located in Kahramankazan, a town near Ankara. Paid for by Turkish Ministry of Culture funds, it is planned to open at the end of 2018.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, Domestic
Among the Turkish opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) issued a statement expressing their public opposition to the coup, and the Hürriyet Daily News reported that Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli telephoned Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım to express his opposition to the coup. The co-chairs of the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) issued a statement saying that the party was "under all circumstances and as a matter of principle against all kinds of coup." Amongst the minor parties, left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party's Doğu Perinçek backed democracy, when he held Gülen and the Americans responsible. Kurdish militant separatist organization PKK, which Turkey and its allies label as a terrorist organization, urged their supporters to stay away from the coup and rather defend their people, while the Communist Party called upon the people to overthrow the AKP government which they called an "enemy of humanity".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
During the first hours of the coup plotters' moves of blocking İstanbul's bridges and flying fighter jets low over İstanbul and Ankara, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland tweeted against the coup attempt and underlined that "any attempt to overthrow the democratically elected leaders is unacceptable".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
Russia's President Vladimir Putin called Erdoğan out of solidarity before all NATO member countries’ heads following the coup attempt. Erdoğan thanked the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev – who was the first president to show solidarity after the coup attempt – for his support in solving the 7-month crisis over downed Russian Sukhoi Su-24 and the Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, who was among the first NATO country leaders to condemn the coup attempt, already from the early hours of Saturday.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the then prime minister of Pakistan, was all praise for the people of Turkey and the AKP government and strongly condemned what he termed as an attempt to undermine democracy in Turkey. "We deeply admire the resolve of the brave and resilient Turkish people, who stood up against the forces of darkness and anarchy to express their support and commitment to democracy," the PM said in a statement issued from his office.


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
The majority of countries either expressed their support for the government or called for restraint. On 16 July 2016, however, a proposed United Nations Security Council statement denouncing the coup was not accepted by Egypt, a non-permanent member of the Council at the time, due to textual disagreements. Egyptian diplomats said that the council is "in no position to qualify, or label [the Turkish] government – or any other government for that matter – as democratically elected or not".


2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Third-party reactions, International
Objection by the United States and the UK – permanent members of the Security Council – led to Egypt proposing a new statement calling for all sides to "respect the democratic and constitutional principles and the rule of law", which was rejected, preventing the condemnation of the coup attempt by the Security Council. The leader of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky supported the coup attempt.