During the evening hours of July 15, private soldier Resul Nişancı was awoken by his commanding officers’ order to, “Prepare for action.” After getting out of bed, he went to get a glass of water which is when he heard about the coup attempt on TV.
He gathered in front of the regiment building along with a few of his fellow officers, after necessary were preparations made and the equipment was ready. Assigned as a driver that night, Resul Nişancı drove the vehicles out of the garage with other drivers. Three commanders whom they didn’t recognize took over the command from them. Resul and his fellow officers knew nothing about the planned coup, their video footage became one of the most unforgettable scenes recorded that night.
Did not obey “shooting” orders
Private soldier Resul Nişancı and the other private soldiers were ordered to the intersection and told, “Do not let anyone pass,” when they arrived at the Istanbul Governorship. Compulsorily letting nearby residents pass through, he received another order from his commander, “Shoot anybody in the leg should they get close.” Yet, neither he nor his friends obeyed this order.
Heard about the coup on TV
Resul Nişancı, who figured out he had unintentionally became a part of the coup after seeing the events on TV, was emotionally distraught. Sharing complete astonishment with his friends, they told the citizens around them that they had no connection with the coup, and so the citizens protected them.
“I will not betray my country, I am not a traitor”
Resul explained that they didn’t listen to the orders of their commanders and instead stood by the citizens. He described the moments that they surrendered to the police, “I would never betray my country, and I am not a traitor. I served in the military with the love of my flag. If they called me back right now, I would be willing to go and serve my flag and my country once again. After what happened, we were told to go back to the barracks and we got in the vehicles. Policemen confronted us on the bridge and I said, ‘We will surrender’. We unloaded our guns, handed them to the police and surrendered.”
Private soldier Resul Nişancı, whose military service obligation was going to end two days after the coup attempt, was arrested within the scope of investigation and his release from the military was delayed for another eight days.
The moment Resul Nişancı learned about the coup was recorded by surveillance cameras in the café, the sadness and shock on his face was disclosed to the press, making the footage unforgettable.
