On the night of the coup, after hearing the news, Metin Doğan flocked alongside his fellow citizens to Atatürk Airport.
Metin, originally from Kayseri, entered the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine with a degree, but he thought that İstanbul was not suitable for him and left school a year later. He returned in 2011 with academic amnesty, and teaches mathematics to students.
On the evening of July 15, Metin heard that there was a coup attempt while sitting at home with his guests from Ankara. He did not listen to his guests and brother who wanted to prevent him from going out on to the streets that night. Despite all objections, he went out immediately and was looking for a taxi to go to Atatürk Airport which was one of the most critical points of that night, he stopped a motorcycle passing by. Metin later described those exact moments, “I asked the motorcyclist to take me to the airport for god’s sake. He accepted to take me there when he understood by looking into my eyes just how much I wanted to go. I didn’t even see his face clearly. I told that person, ‘Look my brother, I am not saying this to get you nervous, but I might die tonight. I don’t need this money. Here, buy some gas.’ He didn’t accept the money despite my insisting. I prayed for him and said goodbye, then I saw tanks and soldiers at the entrance of the airport.”
“Whose soldiers are you?”
Stating that he heard gunshots and saw people running away, “I was very affected by the picture I saw. Suddenly, I took action. As I was walking towards a soldier, I started shouting, ‘I am a Turkish soldier, whose soldiers are you?’ The tank stopped, and I kept on shouting. There were soldiers on the ground with their weapons on my right, and troops inside the truck on my left. I kept on shouting. Then the tank started moving. And I lied down in front of the tanks. It stopped right that moment.”
Stating that he felt his death during the events, Doğan said, “I waited to experience that moment of death. Because they continuously warned me and told me that they were going to shoot otherwise. I think my whole action took place within 5-10 minutes. I would rather die than see the putschists be successful. I would feel happy then. I was going to become a martyr just like the other 240, if the tank ran me over.”
