Turkey’s main opposition refuses to attend July 15 ceremony

Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), will not attend the July 15 ceremony on Friday night, Veli Ağbaba, deputy leader of CHP said.

The ceremony held in parliament will commemorate the first anniversary of the resistance of the July 15 coup attempt.

Opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) spokesman Osman Baydemir also affirmed they would not be attending the ceremony held at parliament, and would be at the party’s General Assembly meeting instead.

A total of 249 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured in the July 15 failed coup which was perpetrated by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), led by ringleader Fetullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

Gülen pursued a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.