Turkish gov’t detains police intelligence chief and his judge wife over alleged Gülen links

Turkish police detained Zeki Güven, former Intelligence Chief of Ankara Police, and his wife, Judge Sevda Güven, on Monday in a shopping mall in Eskişehir province as part of Turkish government’s massive post-coup witch hunt campaign targeting alleged members of the Gülen movement.

According to a report by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, Zeki Güven has outstanding detention warrants about him issued by Ankara’s 2nd, 4th and 14t high criminal courts over his alleged involvement into the exposition of sex scandal of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People Party’s (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal in 2010. Judge Sevda Güven has also been reportedly wanted over her alleged membership to the Gülen movement.

Meanwhile, İbrahim Halil Şivgan, the governor Araklı district of of Trabzon province was also detained on Monday over his alleged links to the Gülen movement. Anadolu news agency reported that Şivgan was taken into custody by Trabzon police on charges of “membership to a terror group.”

Moreover, A 58-year-old Turkish man, identified as Mustafa A., has died of a heart attack just two days after his son, a teacher who was jailed as part of the government’s post-coup crackdown, had his court hearing postponed, according to his family members.

“My father-in-law couldn’t stand to the persecution his son has been getting through and to the tears of his grandson, and passed away following a heart attack. My friends, I ask your prayers,” said a Twitter account named Serra Said on May 12.

Speaking to Turkey Purge via Twitter messages on May 20, Said said her husband has been in pre-trial detention for 349 days and added that “My father-in-law a 58-year-old man who worked hard as a painter to earn his family’s living.”

“My 11-year-old son burst into tears after his father’s hearing was postponed on May 10. His grandfather felt so sad that he told his neighbours: ‘My grandson’s tears torn my heart out.’ Just two days later he suddenly fell to the ground at home and passed away,” Said told Turkey Purge.

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. (SCF with turkeypurge.com)

The post Turkish gov’t detains police intelligence chief and his judge wife over alleged Gülen links appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-govt-detains-police-intelligence-chief-and-his-judge-wife-over-alleged-gulen-links/