Mehmet Melih Gülseren, Chairman of the Lawyers Association, stated that the convictions for a significant part of the defendants who planned, directed and actually participated in the coup attempt of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) have become final and said, "The processes regarding the fugitive defendants, organization leaders and people from whom new evidence was obtained continue with the same determination. We will continue to follow these trials at every stage." he said.

A press statement was made by the Lawyers Association and the Coup Cases Platform on the 10th anniversary of FETO's treacherous coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Speaking at the meeting held at the Lawyers Association Headquarters in Beyoğlu, Gülseren said that 10 years have passed since the treacherous coup attempt of July 15, which was aimed at the will of the nation, the constitutional order and the survival of the state.

Gülseren stated that they commemorated with mercy and gratitude the 253 martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect the homeland and the will of the nation that night, and 2 thousand 735 veterans with gratitude.

Noting that FETO members who had infiltrated the Turkish Armed Forces that night pointed the weapons purchased with the nation's means at the nation, Gülseren stated that the Turkish Grand National Assembly and many strategic centers were bombed, and civilians and security forces on duty were targeted.

Gülseren noted that this treacherous attempt, which aimed to abolish the constitutional order by force, was foiled on the first night with the historic resistance of the nation, especially President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Stating that, as the Lawyers Association, they took action immediately after July 15 with a sense of responsibility, Gülseren said, "We brought together our volunteer lawyers in order to defend the rights of our martyrs' relatives and veterans and to impose the heaviest penalties on the perpetrators of the coup crime within the framework of the principles of fair trial. We established the July 15 Coup Trials Platform. We closely followed the coup trials throughout Turkey from the beginning." he said.

Emphasizing that the current stage is the strongest response given by the state of law to the coup plotters, Gülseren said:

"The first instance trials have been largely completed and the appeal and appeal processes have progressed determinedly. The convictions for a significant portion of the defendants who planned, directed and actually participated in the coup attempt have been finalized. The processes regarding the fugitive defendants, organization leaders and people from whom new evidence has been obtained continue with the same determination. We will continue to follow these trials at every stage. Our struggle is not revenge, but a legal struggle from start to finish. In the trials, the actions of each defendant should be revealed separately, and the individuality of the sentences should be determined. "We advocated adhering to the principle. We worked to ensure that those who were proven guilty were sentenced to the harshest punishment they deserve, and we will continue our activities with the same determination from now on."

Gülseren stated that on the tenth anniversary of July 15, their duty is not only to commemorate the past, but also to keep the memory of this resistance alive and pass it on to future generations.

Following the announcement, a short film titled "July 15 in its 10th Anniversary" was screened in the program.