Turkish gov’t purges 40,000 military personnel over alleged links to Gülen movement

Turkish government led by Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed over 40,000 military officers from NATO’s 2nd biggest army, including the military officers from the General Command of Gendarmerie and military students over their alleged links to the Gülen movement since the controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

According to a report by the pro-Erdoğan Yeni Şafak daily, the most military officers have been dismissed from the Land Forces Command of Turkish military with the purge of 8,201 military personnel. Turkish government has also purged 4,215 military personnel from the Turkish Air Force Command and 2,592 military personnel from the Turkish Naval Forces Command.

Moreover, a total of 16,409 military students, consisting of 4,090 Military High School Students, 6,140 students from Vocational School for Non-commissioned Officers, 6,179 undergraduate students of Military Academy, Naval War College, Air War Academy, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Nursing College, were dismissed by Turkish government.

With the purges in the Gendarmerie General Command which is under control of Turkish Interior Ministry, the total number of the dismissals from Turkish military has reached to 40,000.

According to Yeni Şafak’s report, 87 generals, 4,179 officers, 2,677 non-commissioned officers, 1,165 expert soldiers and contracted soldiers were purged from the Turkish Land Forces. Together with the dismissal of 93 civilian employees, the total number of personnel dismissed from the Turkish Land Forces Command has been 8,201 since the coup bid in 2016.

The total number of military personnel dismissed from the Turkish Naval Forces Command has been been 2,592, including 31 admirals, 1,364 officers, 1,074 non-commissioned officers, 30 expert soldiers and contracted soldiers and 84 civilian employees.

Despite the fact that the highest number of purges has been from the Turkish Land Force Command, the most intensive dismissal has been experienced in the Turkish Air Force Command. A total of 4,215 military personnel were purged from the Turkish Air Force, including 32 generals, 2,059 military officers, 1,993 non-commissioned officers, 73 expert soldiers and contractors, and 58 civilian employees.

Meanwhile, 23 personnel were purged from the General Staff and 211 personnel from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

The total number of personnel purged from Turkish military has been 15,242 by taking the reinstatement of some purged personnel into consideration. The purged personnel consists of 150 generals and admirals, 7,602 officers, 5,744 non-commissioned officers, 1,277 expert or contracted soldiers, 469 civilian employees.

It was also reported that 5,783 military personnel have been tried as they were hold in prison, including 3,434 military personnel from Turkish Land Forces, 881 personnel from the Turkish Naval Forces, and 1,468 personnel from the Turkish Air Forces.

About 600 military personnel are still under detention and half of them are from the Turkish Land Forces. A total of 466 Turkish military personnel, including 223 personnel from the Turkish Land Forces, 143 personnel from the Turkish Naval Forces, and 100 personnel from the Turkish Air Forces, have been wanted. Eight of wanted military officers are reportedly generals or admirals, 409 of them are officers and 49 of them are non-commissioned officers.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Turkey have been the subject of legal proceedings in the last two years on charges of membership in the Gülen movement since the coup attempt in July 2016, a Turkish Justice Ministry official told a symposium on July 19, 2018.

“Legal proceedings have been carried out against 445,000 members of this organisation,” Turkey’s pro-government Islamist news agency İLKHA quoted Turkish Justice Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ömer Faruk Aydıner as saying.

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 purges 40,000 military personnel over alleged links to Gülen movement appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-govt-purges-40000-military-personnel-over-alleged-links-to-gulen-movement/