Almost a year passed since the coup attempt of 15 July. However, in the same period that has lapsed ever since, a number of questions remain unanswered: who was behind the coup; had it proved successful who was going to be in the government; why could National Security Agency (MIT) or the General Staff not become aware of it in advance; and if they had why did they not inform the president; and why are those who are culpable in the first degree still remain in their posts. Moreover, the inquiry into the coup has broadened, prosecutors are issuing indictments, tens of thousands are arrested yet the questions which the coup posed instead of being answered, seem to get lost in and, even more, thicker cloud of mist. A Turkish National Assembly (TNA) inquiry commission had been established immediately after the coup but it is now an undeniable fact that this commission has been serving more to confuse than enlighten the matter.
The TNA Coup Attempt Inquiry Commission report published a month ago as the commission’s report was rejected by three opposition parties on the grounds that “this is a report of the AKP members of the commission.” A couple of days ago, the commission members from these three opposition parties (CHP, HDP and MHP) published their “legal commentary.”
And not only a few paragraphs or pages. CHP’s is 300, MHP’s is 200 pages.
When both the number of pages and treatment of the issues is considered, it will be noted that although one piece of inquiry has been carried out (or rather has been obstructed from being carried out) nonetheless four reports have been produced. To be sure, that four reports has emerged from this commission means that no common conclusion has been reached and hence the Commission has not carried out (or has been hindered from carrying out) its remit. For this reason, the “commentary” by the three opposition parties will be referred to as “reports.”
The CHP (Republican People’s Party) Report: assessed as an “anticipated”, “unprevented” and “a coup whose results have been taken advantage of,” the thesis that the coup attempt was a “controlled coup attempt” is proposed. SezginTanrıkulu, CHP Istanbul MP has dubbed the coup attempt “Red Friday” after G.G. Marquez’ murder classic “Red Monday” which relates the story of a murder known in advance by all but which could not have been prevented. The CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu has been repeating this thesis often in different platforms in the last few days.
HDP (People’s Democracy Party) Report: HDP also seems to espouse the “controlled coup” thesis without mentioning the words… attention is drawn to AKP commission member’s attempt to conceal both the alliance between the coupists and the realities behind the coup.
The MHP (Nationalist People’s Party): The MHP members of the commission draw attention to the fact individuals who could make important statements such as the Chief of General Staff or MIT (National Security Agency) chief were not called to the commission and that there is clear attempt to conceal the political aspect of the coup.
What is really worthy of attention here is the consensus between three opposition parties’ representatives to the commission that AKP is doing everything in its power to stop the disclosure of who has instigated the coup and who FETO has been cooperating politically with, who it was supported and protected by but moreover as to why the coup was anticipated yet remained unprevented.
If tens of people have lost their lives during this coup and if some of the most critical locations of the country are bombed, it should surely be the first objective of any inquiry to reveal the political aspect of this coup, and the kind of role played by the higher echelons of the General Staff in not informing the news of the coup attempt to the relevant authorities. Yet, in the reports of the opposition parties, the AKP representatives, on the contrary, have been on the loose to stop these realities from being unearthed.
The issue of the facts behind the 15 July coup attempt is now more muddled than the time before the establishment of the TNA Coup Attempt Inquiry Commission. And the Erdogan-AKP rule is heading towards its political goals exploiting the situation facilitated by this dark cloud.
“The wolf loves the misty sky” goes a saying. This much is true for today’s wolves also. For the mist, the confusion is rendering what is real and what is not unidentifiable, undistinguishable. It is for this reason that a task of revealing truths, of illuminating reality, the need for a struggle which will dispel this mist stands before us as a primary task.
The reports by three opposition parties contain the facts which can help illuminate this situation despite the mist.
However, it remains inadequate to merely state truths in these reports, if the truths are not rendered those of the people so much so that they intervene in the course of events, making reports out of truth amounts to no more than “providing a footnote to history.”
İhsan Çaralan
Bülent Falakaoğlu
Hakkı Özdal
