People march to mark the anniversary of Turkey’s failed coup in Istanbul, Turkey on 15 July 2017 [Stringer / Anadolu Agency]
People from varied start points march to 15 July Martyrs Bridge to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary as a part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day on in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Stringer / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a 2016 meters long Turkish flag within the events of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day in Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey on July 14, 2017 [Municipality of Bagcilar/- Anadolu Agency]
President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2nd R) and his wife Emine Erdogan (R) salute people on a stage after marching with hundreds of thousands of citizens to attend July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary at July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Kayhan Özer / Anadolu Agency]
President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and his wife Emine Erdogan march with hundreds of thousands of citizens to attend July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary at July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Cumhurbaşkanlığı / Murat Çetinmühürdar / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Ankara early Sunday to mark one year since Turkish citizens beat back a deadly coup attempt.
The Democracy and National Unity March began at the old Turkish Parliament in the Ulus district and ended in front of the current one in Kizilay district of the Turkish capital.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will address parliament at 2.32 a.m. (2332GMT), the exact time parliament was bombed while lawmakers were inside.
Demonstrators gathered near the old parliament building before the march, holding Turkish flags and chanting slogans that marked the defeat of the coup.
Murat Bulut, whose brother was martyred, told Anadolu Agency his family has a lot of pride but is suffering.
“I am the brother of martyr police officer Firat Bulut,” he said. “We live both proud and pain today,” Bulut said. “My brother fell that night as a martyr in front of Turkish General Staff headquarters. He became a martyr while he was on duty. For the survival of the state we face up to be martyrs as a whole family, not just one family member.”
He said they lived through the pain of 15 July, 2016.
Read: Remembering the attempted coup in Turkey
“What saddened us the most is that uniformed traitors had hit our own people with our own fighter jets, bombs and bullets,” Bulut said, adding that his family wants to see the traitors face punishment – the death penalty.
Suleyman Tugral, who is a teacher and marched with his wife and child, is happy that the coup had been defeated, adding:
We remember that bad day, however, we also feel proud to defeat that coup attempt
Tugral said they had taken to the streets after Erdogan urged Turks to do so in response to the putsch bid. He added that one of his students’ father was martyred in the city’s Golbasi district.
Read: Defiant Erdogan attacks EU, promises to bring back death penalty
Ayse Sahin, 15, travelled 90 kilometres (56 miles) to Ankara from the village of Derekisla, to participate in the march. “Motherland and nation are very important for me and I would sacrifice my life for this country if necessary,” the teenager said.
Shopkeeper Metin Gocmen attended the march with his wife and three children and said his family condemned the coup attempt and are proud. He said:
We need this country and we will keep fighting for it
The Fetullah Gullen organisation is accused of orchestrating the defeated coup that left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. Ankara also accuses the organisation of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
People carry a 2016 meters long Turkish flag within the events of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day in Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey on July 14, 2017 [Municipality of Bagcilar/- Anadolu Agency]
People march to 15 July Martyrs Bridge during the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Onur Çoban / Anadolu Agency]
People march to 15 July Martyrs Bridge during the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Onur Çoban / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
People attend the national unity march as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Trabzon, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Hakan Burak Altunöz / Anadolu Agency]
President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and his wife Emine Erdogan march with hundreds of thousands of citizens to attend July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary at July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Cumhurbaşkanlığı / Murat Çetinmühürdar / Anadolu Agency]
President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and his wife Emine Erdogan march with hundreds of thousands of citizens to attend July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary at July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Cumhurbaşkanlığı / Murat Çetinmühürdar / Anadolu Agency]
Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim (C-R) takes a selfie with a citizen as they march to attend July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary at July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Ali Balıkçı / Anadolu Agency]
Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim (R) marches with citizens to attend July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary at July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Ali Balıkçı / Anadolu Agency]
Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim (C) salutes people as he marches with citizens to attend July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary at July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Ali Balıkçı / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a 3 kilometers long Turkish flag within a march called “National Unity March” which started from the area in front of historical 1st Turkish Grand National Assembly Building during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Okan Özer / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a 3 kilometers long Turkish flag within a march called “National Unity March” which started from the area in front of historical 1st Turkish Grand National Assembly Building during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Okan Özer / Anadolu Agency]
People gather at July 15th Kizilay National Will Square to march to Grand National Assembly of Turkey during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a huge Turkish Flag as they gather at July 15th Kizilay National Will Square to march to Grand National Assembly of Turkey during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a 3 kilometres long Turkish flag within a march called “National Unity March” which started from the area in front of historical 1st Turkish Grand National Assembly Building during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on 15 July, 2017 [Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency]
People carry a 3 kilometers long Turkish flag within a march called “National Unity March” which started from the area in front of historical 1st Turkish Grand National Assembly Building during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a 3 kilometers long Turkish flag within a march called “National Unity March” which started from the area in front of historical 1st Turkish Grand National Assembly Building during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a 3 kilometers long Turkish flag within a march called “National Unity March” which started from the area in front of historical 1st Turkish Grand National Assembly Building during July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day’s events to mark July 15 defeated coup’s 1st anniversary in Ankara, Turkey on July 15, 2017 [Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency]
People carry a long Turkish flag to mark the 1st anniversary of the failed coup in Ankara, Turkey on 15 July 2017 [Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency]