Istanbul: Two survivors wounded by putschist soldiers at Istanbul's Orhanli toll booths during Trkiye's defeated July 15, 2016 coup attempt have recalled the night and the injuries that changed their lives 10 years later. Uzeyir Civan lost his left arm after being shot, while Aysenur Tolun suffered a spinal injury that has left her using a wheelchair.

According to Anadolu Agency, Civan went to the area after learning that soldiers involved in the coup attempt were trying to seize Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Having witnessed the 1980 military coup as a teenager, he was acutely aware of the damage such interventions could cause to the country and future generations. At the Orhanli toll booths, Civan initially hoped to persuade the soldiers not to take part in the coup attempt. He climbed onto barriers and led chants emphasizing that soldiers and police were brothers. However, the soldiers opened fire on the crowd, forcing him to take cover behind a bitumen tanker. When the gunfire stopped, Civan approached the soldiers with his hands raised and asked them not to shoot. They opened fire again, striking him in the left arm. Despite losing his arm, Civan expressed relief that the homeland was safe, and emphasized that the events of that day would remain in their hearts forever.

Aysenur Tolun, who was 23 at the time, recounted how she and her mother left their home in the northwestern province of Kocaeli after learning of the coup attempt on television. They were heading toward Sabiha Gokcen Airport but were unable to proceed because the road was blocked at the Orhanli toll booths. Tolun got out of the vehicle to see what was happening when soldiers began firing at civilians. As she and her mother tried to take cover behind vehicles, Tolun was shot in the spine and collapsed. Despite the chaos, she managed to call her father, fearing she might not survive. Tolun was taken to a hospital several hours later and has been undergoing treatment and physical therapy for the past decade, still hoping to walk again.

More than 40 people were wounded and several others were killed in the violence at the Orhanli toll booths. Both survivors expressed pride that public resistance helped defeat the coup attempt and prevented the country from being taken over by the putschists.