A new purge is expected in state institutions against alleged followers of the faith-based Gülen movement over their use of a smart phone application, which will leave 56,000 more people unemployed, according to the CNN Türk website on Friday.
CNN Türk’s report said that Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has obtained a list of 56,000 more people who reportedly downloaded the smart phone application known as ByLock to their mobile phones.
According to prosecutors, ByLock is the top communication tool among members of the Gülen movement, accused by the government of masterminding a coup attempt on July 15.
Critics, however, have blasted the government for detaining thousands simply for using a mobile application.
Tens of thousands of civil servants have either been dismissed or arrested for using the application. Critics say the use of a technological application is not a criminal activity nor is it evidence of membership in a terrorist organization.
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.