Turkey celebrates first anniversary of failed coup attempt
Turkey has declared a national holiday on July 15 to mark the first anniversary of a failed coup which left at least 260 people dead and around 2,200 wounded. A faction of the Turkish army had attempted to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which failed. The Turkish government has since dismissed over 150,000 state employees and arrested 50,000 in a controversial purge.
Erdogan's purges lead to criticism for being "second coup"
Critics have accused Erdogan of using the purges to crackdown on political dissent. Last week, hundreds of thousands of Turks gathered in Istanbul after completing a 450km anti-government "justice" march. Opposition politician Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who organized the march, condemned the coup but said Erdogan's actions that followed it constituted a "second coup." Erdogan has accused the demonstrators of supporting terrorists.
Erdogan to address parliament, address rally
Celebrations will begin with Erdogan addressing Parliament at the exact time it was bombed last year. Massive rallies are expected to take place later. Erdogan is due to attend one such rally in Istanbul on the very bridge across the Bosphorus River where crowds of citizens confronted soldiers participating in the coup. Giant anniversary billboards against the coup have been put up across Istanbul.
Turkey divided a year after coup attempt
Erdogan and his largely conservative supporters contend that the purge was crucial to root out coup supporters. They view the coup's defeat as a Turkey's rebirth. Others disagree. A year later, the coup attempt continues to divide the country.
