Yusuf Elitaş went into the streets upon the call of President Erdoğan after hearing of the coup attempt on July 15th. Elitaş was martyred by putschists. He was the only teacher amongst the civilians who were martyred that night. He was a history teacher and worked as a vice principal in his school. He was 36 years old and a father of 2 daughters.
He heard about the coup and went outside around 12:45 AM upon the call of President Erdoğan. He talked to his wife Serpil on the phone and said, “Things are bad here.” Elitaş was martyred after the shooting by helicopters controlled by putschists in front of the General Staff Headquarters Building.
Yusuf was buried in the Kocatepe Cemetery on July 17th.
The name Martyr Yusuf Elitaş was given to an imam hatip middle school in Mamak, Ankara.