'Coup veterans' stage protest in front of AKP headquarters after 'promises were not kept'

After the police intervention, Minister Soylu met with the protesters. (Photo: Medyascpe)

Click to read the article in Turkish

Having staged a sit-in protest in front of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services for a week, the "coup veterans," who were injured during the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, moved to the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) last night (June 15).

The protestors claim that the donations collected for those who lost their lives and injured in the coup attempt have not reached them and demand to enjoy the rights that are granted to veterans and their families by Law No. 3713 on Fight Against Terrorism.

After the police intervened in the protest, two demonstrators were injured and hospitalized at Ankara City Hospital. They were discharged later in the night.

Video by ANKA News Agency shows a protester after he was beaten by the police:

AKP Genel Merkezi önünde eylem yaparken polisin müdahalesi sırasında yaralanan 15 Temmuz Gazisi böyle görüntülendihttps://t.co/Yqv8uEUJvV pic.twitter.com/nWMSRhqLSt

— ANKA Haber Ajansı (@ankahabera) June 15, 2020

Emre Baloğlu, a veteran, told Medyascope that they went to the headquarters because they knew President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would attend the party's central executive committee meeting. They approached Erdoğan's convoy when he was leaving the headquarters "to cheer and make their voices heard" and that's when a brawl broke out between them and the police, according to Baloğlu.

After the incidents, Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu met with some of the veterans at the ministry.

Ahmet Önder, another veteran, said, "We met with Süleyman Soylu for the first time. He welcomed us sincerely. Our meeting lasted for about an hour and a half. We told him that the matter was not the money but to be subject to Law No. 3713. He will speak with the President and the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services and return to us by Friday."

"It is completely up to the Minister of Family and the President. If [the minister] gets approval, he will submit the proposal at the cabinet meeting next week. I believed in the sincerity of the minister [Soylu], he said he will pursue the process and be our spokesperson," he added.

What happened?

After the coup attempt, 338 million lira (~49 million USD) of donations were collected and transferred to the Foundation of Relatives of Martyrs and Veterans of Turkey.

Veterans who claimed that they were not able to acquire the donations and to enjoy the rights granted to veterans, planned to stage a mass demonstration on January 23-24 but gave up on the idea after a meeting with Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services.

They would be always with the "families of the martyrs and veterans," Minister Selçuk had said after the meeting, where she reportedly promised to meet the demands of the veterans.

However, the veterans started a demonstration in front of the ministry on June 9, claiming that the promises were not kept. (TP/VK)