By Muhammed Kaygin
CANKIRI, Türkiye (AA) – The final resting place of a Turkish soldier who stood against traitors in Istanbul on the night of the July 15, 2016 defeated coup got special honors on Monday.
Pvt. Kurtulus Kaya, who was killed by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) terrorists on what was later named July 15 Martyrs Bridge on the night of the bloody coup attempt, won the legal title of martyr last year after a process initiated by his family.
During a visit to Kaya’s family home in the village of Germece in the central Cankiri province, Dundar Ziya Gultekin, head of the July 15 Association, presented Kaya’s mother a plaque with a Turkish flag and a medal on it.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ziya Gultekin said: “Kurtulus Kaya is among the martyrs of July 15, the 252nd martyr from now on.”
Praising Kaya, he told how that night “a 20-year-old soldier threw his gun on the ground and said, ‘I won't shoot at civilians,’ and moved to the back, despite the putschist commander's pressure on him to shoot at civilians that night.”
Gultekin went on to say: "This was a gesture we expected from someone of that age, actually as a society, from all our soldiers on the bridge that night."
Kaya’s example, he said, proved that we “do not collectively judge the soldiers or members of the armed forces who somehow became part of the coup and went out on the streets that night,” as many had been illicitly ordered by putschist officers.
Kadriye Kaya, the soldier’s mother, said: "I met my son in Istanbul a week before he was martyred, and we never saw each other again. He had 11 days left until his discharge. May God not let anyone experience this pain.”
Kaya's older sister Mujgan Ozler also said they were happy and proud that her brother was given the legal title of martyr as a result of long efforts.
- Defeated coup attempt
Türkiye last Friday, the coup bid’s sixth anniversary, commemorated those killed during the defeated coup.
Since its designation in October 2016, every year, the country marks July 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day, with events held to commemorate those who lost their lives beating back the putschists and to remember the bravery of the nation.
FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 252 people dead and 2,734 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
The attempt by FETO to overthrow the government began around 10 p.m. local time (1900GMT) and was thwarted by 8 a.m. the following day.
Standing against the threat, the Turkish people courageously showed the world that they would not tolerate any attempt to thwart their will as expressed through their democratically elected government.