Turkish gov’t detains 12 people as they try to flee from persecution to Greece

Turkish security forces detained 12 people, including a former district governor, 5 children and 3 women, on Sunday in Kuşadası district of Aydın province as they were trying to flee from the persecution of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Greece.

According to a report by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, police and Turkish coast guards have detained 12 people, including Boztape district governor Cihan Kayaalp, as part of Turkish government’s massive post-coup witch hunt campaign targeting alleged members of the Gülen movement. It was also reported that Kayaalp has prison sentence over his alleged links to the movement.

The other detainees were identified as F.H., a teacher who used to work a school which was closed by government over its affiliation with the Gülen movement, S.K., a dismissed teacher, F.T. a dismissed tax inspector, housewife A.D. and M.E. who is a dismissed inspector working for Credit and Dormitory Institution.

Turkey survived a controversial military coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that killed 249 people. Immediately after the putsch, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement.

Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the movement, strongly denied having any role in the failed coup and called for an international investigation into it, but President Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government initiated a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.

Turkey has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants since July 15. On December 13, 2017 the Justice Ministry announced that 169,013 people have been the subject of legal proceedings on coup charges since the failed coup.

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced on April 18, 2018 that the Turkish government had jailed 77,081 people between July 15, 2016 and April 11, 2018 over alleged links to the Gülen movement

The post Turkish gov’t detains 12 people as they try to flee from persecution to Greece appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-govt-detains-12-people-as-they-try-to-flee-from-persecution-to-greece/