Turkish gov’t detains at least 19 people over alleged links to Gülen movement

Turkish government detained at least 19 people on Thursday as part of its massive post-coup witch hunt campaign targeting alleged members of the Gülen movement.

Police detained 11 people, including 2 women, over their alleged links to the Gülen movement on Thursday in Eskişehir province as part of an investigation launched by provincial chief prosecutor’s office.

Also on Thursday, the prosecutors in capital Ankara have issued detention warrants for 14 Health Ministry personnel over their alleged links to Gülen movement.

According to the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office, four of the 14 suspects are current ministry personnel, while eight are former, and two are retired. Seven out of the 14 suspects have already been detained by police, while the search for the remainder continues.

Meanwhile, according to a written statement made by Hakkari Governor’s Office on Thursday, a dismissed military officer and his wife were detained by gendarmerie in Anadağ village of Derecik town of Şemdinli district in Hakkari province as they were trying to flee Turkey because of indiscriminate persecution of the Turkish government led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

According to the statement, the dismissed major M.K., who was tried as he was in prison over his alleged links to the movement and later released pending trial, and his wife E.K. were taken to Derrick Gendarmerie Command.

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-at-least-19-people-over-alleged-links-to-gulen-movement/