By Omar Bah for The Standard newspaper
The Turkish Ambassador to The Gambia, Ismail Sefa Yuceer was in tears as he delivered a statement on the occasion of the commemoration of the 3rd anniversary of the July 15th, 2016 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) coup attempt in Turkey.
Ambassador Yuceer could not control his tears as he recalled his compatriots’ bravery and sacrifice in thwarting the 15 July 2016, bloody coup.
“As the painful memories of the fateful night are still fresh on the minds of the Turkish people, the putschists mercilessly used lethal military hardware against innocent civilians, who took to the streets to defend their democratic institutions, claiming the lives of 251 innocent Turkish citizens and wounding more than 2,500 people,” Ambassador Yuceer said.
Ambassador Yuceer branded July 15, 2016 as a trial of strength and perseverance for the Turkish democracy.
He said the so-called “Gülenists” constitute a typical case of radicalization by a cult of personality and they believe that Gülen is the “Messiah” and that they are the “golden generation.”
Adding that three years after the coup attempt, the Turkish Government and its people made a long way in overcoming the trauma posed by this existential threat.
“In this context, the focus of the Turkish Government has rested basically on two things, namely, diagnosing the reasons for the presence of FETO elements within the security and civilian structures of the state and rehabilitating the state apparatus from these terrorist elements,” he said.
He recalled that in the past three years criminal activities of FETO have been investigated in hundreds of different court cases.
“Despite facing extraordinary security challenges, we have been able to successfully conduct our fight at home in compliance with the principles of the rule of law and fundamental rights and freedoms.
We have also expended efforts to avoid grievances and established new mechanisms to examine and settle alleged grievances,” he added.
Ambassador Yuceer said the international community gradually understands that FETO is not a social movement that engages with education and charity, contrary to the way it tries to portray itself, but rather a dark and insidious organisation with political and economic ambitions.