Turkish gov’t detains 25 people, mostly doctors, over alleged Gülen links

Turkish government detained 25 people, mostly doctors who used to work for hospitals closed over alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement, in a Bursa-based investigation in as part of massive post-coup witch hunt campaign targeting alleged members of the movement.

According to a report by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency on Thursday, 19 of the detainees who were employees of now-closed private health institutions, Ceylan Bey Private Education Company and Hatuniye Culture and Education Foundation were referred to courts to be arrested.

The detainees have been accused of depositing money into their personal accounts at now-closed private lender Bank Asya and their alleged use of mobile phone messaging application ByLock.

Also on Thursday, 3 women, identified Şeyma Bilgin, Gülsen Aydın and Hümeyra Taşkın, were arrested by a Bolu court over their alleged use of ByLock.

Turkish authorities believe that ByLock is a communication tool among the alleged followers of the Gülen movement. Tens of thousands of people, including civil servants, police officers, soldiers, businessmen and even housewives, have either been dismissed or arrested for using ByLock since the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

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.

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from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-govt-detains-25-people-mostly-doctors-over-alleged-gulen-links/