Former head of the Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV) Murat Arslan was detained in Ankara on Wednesday morning as part of an investigation into the faith-based Gülen movement.
Arslan was recently dismissed from his post at the Court of Accounts as a result of the probe against the movement.
YARSAV was among the thousands of institutions closed down by the government in the first decree issued in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15. A state of emergency declared after the coup made it possible for the government to issue decrees that have the force of the law and do not require the approval of Parliament.
The first government decree issued on July 23 among other things closed down 35 healthcare institutions, 1,043 private educational institutions, 1,229 foundations and 19 labor unions and confederations as well as 15 private universities.
Turkey survived a military coup attempt on July 15 that killed over 240 people and wounded more than a thousand others. Immediately after the putsch, the government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement. The movement strongly denies any involvement in the coup attempt.
Despite Gülen and the movement having denied the accusation and calling for an international investigation, Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government launched a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.