A 2016 retrospective: the consequences of the failed coup attempt from Istanbul

World News Nilgun Salim
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On July 15, a fraction of the Turkish army tried to take over the political power by removing the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Administration.

The attempted military coup failed, causing the death of nearly 265 civilians and remains a powerful source of concern regarding the stability of the Turkish constitutional system.

About 50.000 people were suspended from their positions or arrested, given that Recep Tayyip Erdogan administration launched a campaign against the ‘supporters’ of his opponent the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

The cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the leader of the Gülen Movement (Hizmet).

Gulen was established in the US state of Pennsylvania after falling out of favor with Ankara.

The measures that were adopted after the attempted coup were sharply criticized by Western leaders according to their strict measures, targeting Turkish military forces, including for the fight against the terrorist group Islamic State.

Relations between Turkey and Germany worsened after the attempted coup, Ankara accusing Berlin of not condemning the coup.

The worsening of the relations occurred between the EU and Turkey with fears that Ankara could abandon the agreement upon the immigration restrictions, which would lead to the resumption of a refugee crisis.

Some Western leaders have called on the EU to conclude negotiations for Turkey’s accession to the bloc, in adopting new measures after the attempted coup.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again evoked a possible reintroduction of the death penalty in his country if the people wish so.

Recently, authorities in Turkey have announced they will close 131 media sources, following the attempted coup of 15 July.

The list of institutions that will shut their doors in the near future includes three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers.

Another consequence was the temporary block of the Incirlik air base used by the NATO forces for operations against the Islamic State, amid media rumors of a new coup attempt.