Important warning from Cem Gürdeniz on the anniversary of July 15: 'Despite ten years passing, FETÖ's derivatives have not been completely purged'

In a post shared on the anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt, retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz described the attempt as one of the darkest and most shameful events in Turkish history. Stating that the infiltration of state institutions by the FETÖ structure had dire consequences, Gürdeniz expressed his view that, despite the years that have passed, the effects of the organization have not been completely eradicated.

In his post, Gürdeniz stated that the night of July 15 was an act of betrayal aimed at collapsing the Republic of Turkey from within, emphasizing that if the coup had succeeded, the country would have faced severe geopolitical losses and could have been dragged into a civil war.

Touching upon FETÖ's structure within the Turkish Armed Forces, Gürdeniz noted that it was revealed that the vast majority of staff officers serving as of July 15, 2016, were linked to the organization, stating that the question of how the state reached this point has still not been fully answered.

"WE WILL NOT FORGET, WE WILL NOT LET IT BE FORGOTTEN"

Gürdeniz used the following expressions in the entirety of his post:

"July 15, 2016, is one of the most shameful and darkest days not only in the history of the Republic but in Turkish history as well.

What happened that night was a betrayal attempt by the FETÖ structure, which was in contact with foreign intelligence centers and aimed to collapse the Republic of Turkey from within. Had it succeeded, Turkey would have suffered severe geopolitical losses and would even have been dragged into a civil war.

FETÖ is dirty and insidious, like radioactive contamination. It should not be forgotten that as of July 15, 2016, it was revealed that 1,554 of the 1,886 staff officers in the Turkish Armed Forces were linked to FETÖ. This is the most painful indicator of how the state was seized. The question of how this point was reached has still not been fully answered.

Despite ten years passing, FETÖ's derivatives and metastasis centers have not been completely purged. Circles that want to divide Turkey through religion and ethnic identities continue their activities using different methods.

The greatest lesson of July 15 is that organizations under a religious guise are among the greatest threats to national security. The antidote to this is reason, science, the secular Republic, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

I commemorate the martyrs of July 15 with mercy and the veterans with gratitude. We will not forget, we will not let it be forgotten."