Alliance for Shared Values: July 15 and the Systemic Destruction of Turkish Democracy
Alliance for Shared Values (AfSV), July 2026
Overview
On the tenth anniversary of July 15, 2016, the Alliance for Shared Values (AfSV) released a report examining the events of that night and the political and human-rights developments that followed.
Drawing on court testimony, witness accounts, international legal findings, official records, and developments over the past decade, AfSV challenges the Turkish government’s official account of July 15 and argues that the events created the conditions for a far-reaching consolidation of executive power.
Key Findings
AfSV argues that the aftermath of July 15 accelerated a broader transformation of Turkey’s political and legal system.
The report highlights:
Mass purges and prosecutions: Large-scale dismissals, investigations, arrests, and prosecutions followed the events of July 15.
Judicial independence: AfSV argues that the post-2016 period significantly weakened the independence of Turkey’s courts and other institutional checks on executive power.
Pressure on civil society: Journalists, academics, civil society actors, political opponents, and individuals associated with the Hizmet Movement have faced sustained legal and political pressure.
Restrictions on fundamental freedoms: The report documents concerns involving freedom of expression, association, due process, and political participation.
Transnational repression: AfSV also examines efforts by Turkish authorities to pursue critics and perceived opponents outside Turkey through international legal mechanisms, intelligence activity, and other forms of pressure.
Unanswered questions surrounding July 15: The report calls for an independent international investigation and argues that significant evidence and official records remain insufficiently examined or publicly available.
Why It Matters
The report places July 15 within the broader deterioration of democratic institutions and human rights protections in Turkey over the past decade. AfSV argues that understanding the events and their aftermath is essential to assessing the country’s continuing challenges involving judicial independence, accountability, civil society, and the rule of law.
Tags
Hizmet Movement · Türkiye · Human Rights · Rule of Law · Post-Coup Purge · Fethullah Gülen · Judicial Independence · Repression · Erdogan
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