Jadoid (Jouad) Merroune was a Moroccan citizen who took to the streets on 15 July 2016 in support of the democratic order of the Türkiye Republic and lost his life when coup forces opened fire on civilians during the attempt. Merroune, one of the foreign nationals who joined the civilian resistance while living in Türkiye, has become one of the symbolic figures representing solidarity and brotherhood between Türkiye and Morocco due to his courage.

Jadoid Merroune was born in 1984 in Tangier, a major port city in northern Morocco. His father, Abdessalam Merroune, and his family continue to live in Tangier to this day.

Merroune moved to Türkiye for economic and social reasons and lived in Istanbul. Fluent in five languages, he earned his livelihood primarily by guiding tourists arriving in Istanbul and through street vending. While living in Türkiye, Merroune married a woman who was five months pregnant at the time of his death. Merroune, who had plans for the future, intended to return to his hometown of Tangier after five years away, to visit his family with his wife that summer.

Upon learning of the coup attempt on the night of 15 July 2016 through television news, Jadoid Merroune answered President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call urging citizens to take to the squares and defend democratic institutions. Merroune joined the civilian resistance on the streets of Istanbul and attempted to block tanks and stop coup soldiers near the TRT building in Taksim Harbiye. During this effort, he was severely wounded when coup forces opened random fire on the crowd and died at the scene.

Following his death, official authorities confirmed Jadoid Merroune’s status as a “Martyr of 15 July” for his role in the civilian resistance. In June 2017, legal procedures were initiated to grant him Turkish citizenship posthumously, in order to ensure his family could fully benefit from the rights afforded to families of martyrs, despite his non-Turkish nationality.

Regardless of his Turkish citizenship status, a monthly pension has been granted to Merroune’s family in Morocco as part of the benefits provided to families of martyrs.^【1】 To access all other rights such as employment benefits, his family must travel to Türkiye and formally receive citizenship once the naturalization process is completed.^【2】

The body of Martyr Jadoid Merroune was transferred to his hometown of Tangier in Morocco and buried there. Civil society organizations and official delegations from Türkiye regularly visit Morocco to honor his memory. In this context, İsmail Hakkı Turunç, President of the 15 July Association, along with his delegation, traveled to Tangier, offered prayers at Merroune’s grave, and visited his family. During the visit, it was emphasized that Merroune’s courage during the night of civilian resistance once again demonstrated the transcendent geographic and historical depth of brotherhood between the two nations.