The events before, during and after Turkey’s failed coup on July 15, 2016 were only the preliminary stage of the real takeover, which began five days later with the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency.
On July 20, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government launched a civilian coup targeting the institutions of the Republic of Turkey.
Emergency decrees were used to purge the military, judiciary, police, universities and public administration, while media outlets, schools, associations and businesses were closed or seized.
The crackdown was presented as a response to the coup attempt, but it soon expanded far beyond those accused of taking part in the military uprising.
The video brings together statements by public figures who argue that July 15 created the conditions for Erdoğan to remove opponents, dismantle legal safeguards and concentrate state power in his own hands.
Their accounts point to the same conclusion: The military attempt failed on July 15, but the civilian takeover launched on July 20 succeeded.
