Martyr’s father reacts to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality for changing the flag: ‘Is it difficult to change this flag because my son is a martyr of July 15?’

During the coup attempt on July 15th, Ahmet Ergin, the grieving father of 21-year-old Batuhan Ergin who was martyred by a single bullet to the heart on the July 15 Martyrs Bridge, requested the replacement of the worn Turkish flag at his son’s grave. Through a security officer, the grieving father applied to the Zincirlikuyu Cemeteries Directorate, only to be devastated by the response: ‘It is not our duty to change the flag, let the martyr’s father change it.’ Expressing his reaction to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), father Ahmet Ergin questioned, ‘Is it too difficult to change this flag just because my son is a July 15 martyr?’ Meanwhile, the worn Turkish flag was replaced by the Beşiktaş District Governorship.
Batuhan Ergin, 8 years ago on the night of July 15, stated, ‘We came here not to buy groceries, but to protect our homeland,’ and resisted the coup in front of the tanks. Ergin was martyred by a single bullet to the heart. Following that bloody night, Ergin’s body was buried in Ortaköy Cemetery.
The grieving family faced another upsetting incident on the anniversary of the treacherous coup attempt where they had lost their son as a martyr. Seeing that the Turkish flag at Batuhan Ergin’s grave was worn out, the grieving father conveyed his request to the Zincirlikuyu Cemeteries Directorate through a security officer. However, when he visited his son’s grave a few days later, he saw that the flag had not been replaced. He reiterated his request to the security. Yet, the response from the Zincirlikuyu Cemeteries Directorate, ‘It is not our responsibility, let the martyr’s father change it,’ shattered the grieving father. Reacting to the situation, father Ahmet Ergin narrated the incident to Beşiktaş District Governor Oğuzhan Bingöl. The worn Turkish flag at the martyr’s grave was soon replaced with a new one.
“My son was martyred by a single bullet to the heart” Ahmet Ergin, the father of 21-year-old Batuhan Ergin who was martyred on the night of July 15, expressed, “Batuhan learned about the coup while watching TV at a friend’s house. I had warned him about this issue to ‘come home.’ Batuhan then went out to the street. Later, seeing the queues in the markets, ATMs, he got angry and said, ‘Are the bread and pasta you’re buying not going to finish? It seems like the country is in trouble, and you are running after bread and pasta.’ Batuhan, along with his friend, went from Ortaköy to the July 15 Martyrs Bridge to resist the coup in front of the tanks. He had just returned from the military as well. My son was martyred by a single bullet to the heart.”
“He also wanted to become a martyr while in the military” Ergin, stating that his son was very charitable, said, “He was 21 years old but very mature. He was a child burning with love for the homeland and the nation. When he went to the military, he voluntarily became a commando. He also wanted to become a martyr while in the military. He used to say, ‘I also want to come to the conflict with your commanders.’ Batuhan really wanted the martyrdom rank while in the military. He was martyred on the night of July 15. May Allah bless his soul. He really wanted to get married and have children. If he hadn’t been martyred, Batuhan would have had 3-4 children by now. It’s been 8 years. Even if 80 years pass, the pain in our hearts does not subside. It will accompany us to the grave. May Allah not make anyone experience the pain of losing a child. Every time I come to the grave, I leave feeling worse. We have been left very incomplete in 8 years. We are broken, our lives are ruined. From being a happy family of 4, we have become an unhappy family with a missing limb.”
“Devastated by the response, ‘It is not our duty to change the flag, let the martyr’s father change it'” Father Ergin, explaining that the flag at his son’s grave had worn out, its color faded, and torn, said, “I told this situation to the security officer. July 15 is approaching, change this flag. After a few days passed and I saw that the flag had not been changed. The person in charge of this at Zincirlikuyu Cemeteries Directorate sent me a message saying, ‘It is not our duty to change the flag, let the martyr’s father change it.’ I got very angry at this situation. The result is not to change the flag, I can change the flag myself, but this is a cemetery. This flag is a flag that takes the blood of our martyrs. My son’s blood is also in that color, and the color of the flag has faded. How can that flag not be changed? Is it coming out of your pocket? I got very angry at this incident.”
“Is it because my son is a July 15 martyr that it is difficult for you to change this flag?” Expressing profound sorrow at the received response, father Ergin said, “I even doubt the Turkishness of this person. Is it because my son is a July 15 martyr that it is difficult for you to change this flag? Do you have any connection to July 15? Someone from the Zincirlikuyu Cemeteries Directorate. In every institution, there is usually an insolent person. I am not blaming the entire Directorate for this incident. I told the incident to our Beşiktaş District Governor Oğuzhan Bingöl on the same day. Thankfully, the flag was changed the next day. Since then, I have been gifted dozens of flags from citizens and official institutions. The problem is not the flag, the problem is the attitude this person took towards me. Are you not willing to change this flag because you are against those who opposed the July 15 coup? So many incidents happened, but no one called me to apologize. Everyone acted as if nothing had happened.”