Turkish gov’t detains 347 military officers in a week over alleged links to Gülen movement

Turkish government has detained 347 military personnel, including high ranking on-duty military officers, in the week between July 2 and July 8 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 on Sunday, 347 military personnel were detained in 14 investigations launched across Turkey since the beginning of this week.

In this framework, 10 non-commissioned officers were detained in a Tokat-based investigation in Adana, Ankara, Gümüşhane, Hakkari, Isparta, Kocaeli, Manisa, Mardin, Ordu and Tekirdağ provinces following the detention warrants issued for 13 military personnel.

Nineteen military officers were also detained in Ankara province after issuance of detention warrants for 68 military personnel, including 22 colonels, 27 lieutenant colonels over their alleged links to the Gülen movement.

In a Çanakkale-based investigation, 20 on-duty military officers were detained following the issuance of detention warrants for 26 military personnel, while 18 military officers were detained as part of an investigation launched by Zonguldak Chief Prosecutor’s Office.

In Denizli province, 7 military personnel, including 5 cadets, were detained, as 16 military personnel were detained in Bitlis province. Also, 16 military personnel were detained in Erzincan province following the issuance of detention warrants for 22 military personnel including 17 on-duty military officers.

Sixty-five military officers were detained by Turkish government in İzmir province following the issuance of the detention warrants for 75 military personnel including 59 on-duty military officers over their alleged links to the Gülen movement.

Twenty-six military personnel, including on-duty officers and cadets, were detained as part of an investigation launched by Manisa Chief Prosecutor’s Office.

Moreover, 102 on-duty military officers were detained following the issuance of detention warrants by İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office for 271 military personnel over alleged Gülen links.

Meanwhile, 2 out of 7 military officers, who were detained, were arrested as part of a probe carried out by Uşak Chief Prosecutor’s Office, as 17 military officers in Sakarya province, 15 military officers in Bilecik province, 9 military officers in Malatya province were detained over alleged links to the Gülen movement.

Turkish government also dismissed 649 military personnel from the Gendarmerie General Command, 3,077 personnel from the Land Forces Command, 1,126 from the Naval Forces Command, and 1,949 from the Air Force Command as part of 18,632 public employees who were ousted from their posts by a government decree on Sunday under the state of emergency declared in the aftermath of a controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016 over their alleged links to the Gülen movement.

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 about 170,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants since July 15, 2016. 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-347-military-officers-in-a-week-over-alleged-links-to-gulen-movement/