The pro-government media in Turkey reported on Saturday that individuals arrested for using a smart phone application named ByLock in the wake of a coup attempt on July 15 would be tried on charges of membership in a terrorist network.
In a relentless purge the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government launched after July 15, thousands of people have been arrested only because ByLock was installed on their cell phones, a sign of involvement in the coup according to the Turkish government. Despite accusations of involvement in the putsch, no evidence of coup plotting in ByLock messages has yet been indicated. Despite allegations of plotting the coup, the suspects will not be tried on that specific charge, but for alleged membership in a terrorist organization.
The government declared the Gülen movement to be the perpetrator of the coup immediately after the failed attempt, labeling it “FETÖ,” an acronym to describe the movement as a terrorist organization in the absence of any court verdict. ByLock users have been arrested in large numbers for their alleged membership in “FETÖ” since the foiled coup.