Turkish writer praises reactions to coup attempt

By Saliha Ozdemir

FRANKFURT, Germany

Turkish writer Iskender Pala has praised Thursday the Turkish people’s reactions during the July 15 coup attempt.

Along with poet Adnan Ozer and art critic Dogan Hizlan, Pala was part of a "Democracy and Culture" panel held at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.

"There can't be any literary work or work of art when the public's will is put aside by a coup," Pala said. "You start to tell tragedies only."

Pala recalled that he had lived through several coups in Turkey.

"This time, the Turkish people were not deceived," Pala said.

At least 241 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured in the failed coup which the government said was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) leader who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, in the U.S..

Gulen is accused of leading 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.

During the event at the book fair, German violinist Zeynep Tekin-Brinkman performed Mozart's Turkish March.

The fair ends on Sunday.

Pala's latest book was Barbarossa: The Story of a Legend, published Kapi Yayinlari in 2014.