Turkish envoy explains defeated coup in South Africa

The Turkish ambassador to South Africa Friday commemorated the lives of Turkish people who were martyred during the defeated coup of July 2016.

‘‘It was the people of Turkey who stood selflessly in front of tanks in order to defend the democratic institution,’’ Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen told reporters at a media briefing in the capital Pretoria.

She said action taken by Turkish people shows that they will use every effort to stand against all kinds of obstacles to democracy, proving that the country’s future will only be shaped by the will of the people and not the military.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen

orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ülgen who was living in Turkey at the time of the defeated coup, said she could not first believe that a coup was taking place until she joined the people in the streets.

‘‘Turkish citizens lost their lives that evening, protecting the democratic order against this aggression orchestrated by FETÖ,” she said in a written statement handed to reporters.

The diplomat told journalists that FETÖ is a dangerous group, which, over the years, had been infiltrating Turkish government structures with the objective of capturing the state.

‘‘FETÖ is present in more than 150 countries around the world, through schools, NGOs, lobbyists, media outlets and companies,’’she said, adding the group was not a benign civic education movement as some portray it.

The diplomat further said it would be a huge mischaracterization to think of the group as a peaceful organization.

‘‘What happened in Turkey one year ago is a reminder of what this organization can be capable of doing anywhere,’’ she warned.

Ülgen said the Turkish government had identified some FETÖ supporters in South Africa, but could not reveal if they were in talks with local authorities to extradite them or not.