Turkish government detained dozens of people, including teachers, military officers and police officers, on Wednesday across Turkey as part of its 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 (AA), 21 people were detained on Wednesday in southwestern Muğla province over their alleged links to the Gülen movement. The report said the detainees have allegedly been providing financial assistance to needy people who are family members of those who were dismissed from their jobs or imprisoned over alleged Gülen links.
In separate police raids, 11 people, including 3 women, were detained on Wednesday in 8 provinces including Uşak, İstanbul, İzmir and Antalya over their alleged links to the Gülen movement. Police reportedly seized computers and documents belonging to the detainees. They were also also accused of using ByLock mobile phone messaging application.
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 controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
A specialist sergeant was also detained by in central Eskişehir province on Wednesday over his alleged links to the movement.
Meanwhile, Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants for 33 teachers on Wednesday over their alleged links to the Gülen movement. These people were accused of operating illegal preparation courses for university exams in 7 different places.
At least 17 dismissed, suspended or retired police officers and police chiefs, including C.D., the former director of Bursa Police College, were detained in Bursa and İstanbul provinces on Wednesday over their alleged links to the Gülen movement.
On Tuesday, 7 people were detained by police in 5 provinces across Turkey as part of an investigation launched in Tekirdağ province over their alleged links to the Gülen movement. It was reported that the detainees are employees of the finance and tax administration in Tekirdağ province.
Moreover, 55 people, who are allegedly affiliated with the Gülen movement, were given jail terms ranging between 1 year and 10 years following a court case on police exam fraud in capital Ankara on Wednesday. According to a report by AA, a total of 62 people were tried in the case about allegedly leaking questions ahead of the Police Academy entrance exam in 2012.
Ankara’s 15th High Criminal Court handed down jail terms ranging from one year and six months to nine years and seven months to 55 people on the charge of being alleged members of “an armed terror group.” The court also handed down up to 3 years and four months to 27 of the total convicts on the charge of “committing fraud.” Seven other suspects in the case were released.
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 dozens of people over alleged links to Gülen movement appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.
from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-govt-detains-dozens-of-people-over-alleged-links-to-gulen-movement-7/
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