MUHAMMED NURİ ERDOĞAN/CEM DAĞISTANLI - Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi said, "While FETO was planning to seize state institutions and take over the will of the nation, our nation protected its state, our security forces served loyally to the legitimate authority, and the nation and the state were united in the same direction." he said.
Minister Çiftçi made evaluations to Anadolu Agency (AA) on the 10th anniversary of FETO's coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
Stating that some nights change the fate of nations, determine the direction of states and form the basis of a consciousness that guides future generations, Çiftçi said that July 15 was such a turning point.
Çiftçi emphasized that the national will declared its final victory against the tutelage centers on July 15, and stated that the nation broke the shackles that were intended to put them on that night, with their own hands.
Reminding that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described July 15 as the greatest epic written by the nation in the last century after the War of Independence, as well as the story of the nation's rebirth from its ashes, Çiftçi said, "In its 10th year, we see that July 15 is not just the name of a night, not just an uprising. It is one of the last links of the struggle for independence of the Turkish nation throughout history. In this respect, reading July 15 correctly is national, not only in terms of understanding the past, but also in terms of protecting the future." It is an obligation." made his assessment.
"July 15 is not a classic search for a change of power"
Minister Çiftçi stated that there are deep traces of coups and tutelage attempts in the nation's memory and said, "May 27 condemned the will of the nation to the gallows, this coup against the late Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and his friends opened an indelible wound in our political history. September 12 was a period that seriously injured politics, law, families and youth. February 28 is a dark tutelage process targeting freedom of faith and conscience, our headscarved young girls lost their right to education." "The future of millions of our young people was tried to be limited by the coefficient application introduced to Imam Hatip schools." he said.
"The most important thing that distinguishes July 15 from these coups is that this time the treason was intended to be carried out by a terrorist organization that had infiltrated the state for years." Making his statement, Çiftçi continued as follows:
"FETO exploited our religion and sacred values, exploited the pure feelings of our beloved nation, recruited itself by using the state's resources, and finally pointed its gun at the nation when it thought it had the opportunity. It usurped the honorable uniform of the Turkish soldier, abused the position of the Turkish police, and polluted the benches of the Turkish judiciary. Therefore, July 15 is not a classic search for a change of power. It is an attempt by a terrorist organization nestled within us to usurp the sovereignty of the nation. FETO, on the other hand, is "He is the subcontractor of this dark plan, a dirty tool put into the field."
Çiftçi said that not only the squares but also all over the country were the address of resistance on the night of July 15.
Ciftci explained that targeting security institutions and shooting at citizens shows the extent of threat this betrayal poses, and emphasized that the heroes who shielded themselves in front of the tanks and resisted the guns with their bare hands showed the whole world that the will of the nation will not bow to any power.
"The greetings turned into a big wake-up call on the night of July 15"
Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi stated that one of the strongest elements of that night in their spiritual memories was the floods rising from the mosques.
Stating that the salutes turned into a great wake-up call on the night of July 15, Çiftçi said, "The salutes recited that night not only informed the nation of a danger, but also reminded them of a historical responsibility, and made them feel that the homeland, adhan, flag and state have a meaning integrity that is too strong to be considered separately from each other." he said.
Minister Çiftçi explained that the attitude of the nation that night was not the result of a sudden reflex and said:
"Walking in front of tanks, not retreating in the face of bullets, not leaving the squares under the shadow of bombs is only possible with courage fed by a moral source. The source of this courage is faith, the understanding that regards the homeland as sacred, the wisdom that considers martyrdom as the highest rank. One of the most important results of July 15 is that the ancient bond between the nation and the state is visible again in a very strong way. While FETO was planning to seize state institutions and surrender the will of the nation, our nation defended its state, "Our security forces served faithfully to the legitimate authority, and the nation and the state were united in the same direction."
"It is not possible to say that the organization has become completely ineffective."
Stating that FETO's structure within Turkey has changed significantly in the last 10 years, Çiftçi stated that as a result of the comprehensive judicial and administrative activities carried out after July 15, the organization's clear and institutional structure in the fields of education, finance and civil society, especially public institutions, was largely exposed and its effectiveness within state institutions was eliminated.
Çiftçi stated that after this process, the organization abandoned the open structuring model and turned to a more secret, cell-type structure, and continued his words as follows:
"Contact between members has been minimized, and efforts have been made to protect the existing base through elements that hide their identity. Following the death of the leader of the organization, Fetullah Gülen, the formation called 'Executive Committee', which is the highest decision-making body of the organization and consists of 12 people, most of whom live in America and Europe, has become the sole authority in the management. However, it is not possible to say that the organization has become completely ineffective. Attempts to maintain solidarity among members, efforts to contact foreign structures, and elements considered to be carrying out clandestine activities are closely monitored by the relevant units. "Today, the organization is looking for perception creation, propaganda, and restructuring if appropriate conditions arise, rather than open action."
Ciftci stated that the data analysis regarding the ByLock application used by the organization in communication and the technical analysis activities on the seized digital material are being carried out meticulously, adding that the detection of secret structures, deciphering crypto elements, revealing financial and organizational networks, and monitoring of domestic and international connections continue uninterruptedly and that every new finding obtained is submitted to the judiciary within the legal framework.
Çiftçi pointed out that the change of method of the betrayal does not mean that the betrayal has ended and said, "Our relevant units follow the restructuring efforts of the organization's executive staff, inside and outside Turkey, with great care. All kinds of intelligence data are carefully evaluated, without ever being complacent on this issue. As a matter of fact, our operations covering 968 people the day before are an indication of our determined pursuit and struggle." he said.
Çiftçi emphasized that the investigations and operations against the organization continued uninterruptedly within the framework of the relevant legislation, within the scope of the activities initiated from 17-25 December 2013 and continued with determination after July 15, and gave the following information:
"In the period from 2016 to July 10, 2026, a total of 72 thousand 765 operations were carried out; 195 thousand 803 suspects were prosecuted for crimes against national security and 34 thousand 164 people were arrested. The course of the figures over the years also reveals the change in the nature of the struggle. In 2016, when the coup attempt took place, 4 thousand 170 operations were carried out and the organization was open This number reached its peak in 2017 and 2018, when the structures were largely revealed, reaching 13 thousand 571 and 13 thousand 895, respectively.
In the following years, as the open structure of the organization was largely collapsed, the number of operations gradually decreased; It was recorded as over 11 thousand in 2019, 9 thousand 120 in 2020, 7 thousand 569 in 2021, and 5 thousand 213 in 2022. With the emphasis on intelligence-based and targeted operations starting from 2023, the numbers decreased to 3 thousand 249 in 2023, 2 thousand 660 in 2024, and 1712 in 2025; "In the first 6 months of 2026, 604 operations were carried out."
Stating that a similar trend was observed in the number of suspects processed, Çiftçi said, "In 2016 and 2017, when the most intense operations against the organization were carried out, this figure exceeded 50 thousand; as the mobility of the organization narrowed, it decreased steadily in the following years and decreased to 703 in the first half of 2026. The busiest period in arrests was again 2016 and 2017, with 10 thousand 977 and 10 thousand 977 in these two years, respectively. "11 thousand 145 people were arrested, and with the liquidation of the open structures of the organization in the following years, the annual number of detainees decreased to a few hundred." he said.
Minister Çiftçi underlined that this decrease in the numbers does not mean the end of the threat, but that the struggle has shifted from the open structures of the organization to secret and crypto elements, and said, "This picture is the most concrete indicator of the uncompromising struggle of our state against this structure that threatens its national security, within the framework of the principles of the rule of law. Our struggle continues with the perseverance and determination of the first day." he emphasized.
"FETO took its struggle to a completely different area"
Making evaluations about FETO's secret structure and the propaganda activities it carries out, Çiftçi said, "Here, I would like to draw attention to a framework that has not yet been emphasized enough. The moment FETO realized that it could not regain the ground it lost on the night of July 15, it moved its struggle to a completely different area. The center of gravity of the organization is no longer the place. In other words, it is not about taking over institutions, recruiting staff, or dominating the streets. Today, the main target of the organization is the mind and memory of our nation. We should read this as a sign not that the organization has weakened, but that betrayal has changed its skin. must." he said.
Çiftçi stated that the organization moved away from the central structure and turned into scattered and loosely connected cells, adding:
"Although this disorganization may seem like a weakness, its real purpose is that it cannot be traced when caught, that is, every link is deniable. This is where the secret structure of the organization and the propaganda activity come together, and the invisible structure operates to manage the only thing that is visible, that is, perception.
On the propaganda side, we do not have a conventional lie detector. The organization has long abandoned making the nation believe a particular lie; its main purpose is to dull our people's ability to distinguish truth from lies. Because when a society loses confidence in what is true, it becomes open to every lie."
Stating that the organization is trying to build a "noise wall" in digital media despite losing its newspaper and television outlets, Çiftçi said, "In this method, which is called 'hose of lies' in the international literature, the truth is not refuted with a single lie. Its voice is rendered inaudible in the hum of high-volume, contradictory and constantly repeated claims. The purpose here is not to persuade, but to tire people out and drag them into doubt and indifference." he said.
Çiftçi emphasized that while doing this, the organization is trying to shield itself from the most valuable values of free societies, freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the right to asylum, and continued his words as follows:
"Today, the organization spends most of its power to blur the truth of July 15. Whispers of doubt such as 'controlled coup', 'unknown perpetrator', 'theater' are produced to erode over time the truth that our nation saw with its own eyes that night. Since the organization knows that it cannot win in the square and in the institution, it now hopes to win in doubt and forgetting.
The timing of this move is not a coincidence. The living memory of the generation that personally experienced that night is inherently limited to a certain lifetime. Over time, this memory must be entrusted to monuments, museums, commemorations and most importantly, education, that is, to the permanent memory of the nation. The 10th anniversary is this sensitive moment of handover, and the organization wants to poison it right at this interval, before the memory is on a solid ground. "Every memory that our state has created, from the July 15 Martyrs' Bridge to commemoration programs, from museums to course curricula, is a bulwark that we have erected against this siege."
Pointing out that it would be a serious mistake to think that the FETO threat is over, Çiftçi said that the fight against the organization cannot be seen as a closed file in the past.
Çiftçi said, "Yesterday there were people organizing under the name of 'himmet', today there may be those who want to appear with different masks. Yesterday there were people using the guise of education, today there may be people using similar methods in different fields. For this reason, it is vital to keep the memory of the state alive, to continue institutional measures without interruption and to keep the national consciousness alive." he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "This process will continue with determination until the last coup plotter is held accountable to the judiciary." Recalling his words, Çiftçi emphasized that, as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they have not and will not allow any terrorist organization, especially FETO, any treason structure and any tutelage attempt.
"July 15 is the strongest ground of the Turkish Century"
Ciftci pointed out that the work and service policy pursued with the vision of the Turkish Century carries Türkiye to a safer, more prosperous and brighter future and said, "The national will preserved on July 15 is the strongest ground on which the Turkish Century rises today." he said.
Pointing out that transferring July 15 to future generations on the basis of an authentic memory is one of the most important duties, Çiftçi said, "Accurately telling about the coups that took place in the past, the pain of May 27, the social destruction of September 12, the wounds inflicted on our world of faith by February 28, and the betrayal staged by FETO on July 15 is of great importance in terms of strengthening the national will and homeland consciousness of our youth." he said.
Çiftçi stated that the focus of discord will find courage again on the day when historical awareness weakens, and said, "For this reason, it is our common duty to carry July 15 to future generations not only as an epic that remains in memories, but also as a living consciousness that teaches us to be alert against all kinds of tutelage and reminds us of the responsibility to protect the national will. This is also a duty of loyalty to our nation and state to prevent similar betrayals from finding a basis again." made his assessment.
Addressing the families of the martyrs, Çiftçi said, "Our children, your spouses, your relatives did not just save one night, they left a mark in the memory of this nation that will never be removed again. If anyone is trying to obscure the truth of that night today, the strongest answer to this is their memory. Unless they are forgotten, that betrayal will never be cleared." expressed his opinion.
"The guardians of that memory are now our youth."
Çiftçi stated that veterans are also living witnesses of the night of July 15 and said that the testimony of a person who bears the traces of that night on his body cannot be eliminated by any propaganda.
Stating that veterans are a living reality that no archive can replace, Çiftçi said that the gratitude towards them is a debt that does not decrease over time, but deepens every year.
Emphasizing that the trust left to young people is not only a homeland but also a truth, Çiftçi said, "Maybe they did not experience that night personally, but that is exactly why the most difficult and valuable task belongs to young people. To learn a truth that they have not experienced correctly, not to allow it to be distorted and to pass it on to the next ones as it is... What keeps a nation alive is not only its borders, but also its common memory that is carried intact from generation to generation. The guardians of that memory are now our young people." he said.
Minister Çiftçi stated that he commemorated the July 15 martyrs with mercy and the veterans with gratitude and said, "May God never let our nation experience such a betrayal again, keep our memory alive and our brotherhood strengthened. May our state last forever and our nation in unity and solidarity." He wished.