Safranbolu Chief Prosecutor Alper Zeki Gürel, who was briefly detained on Thursday in Karabük on charges of using ByLock, a smart phone application that authorities believe is a communication tool between members of the Gülen movement, was photographed in tears while hugging father on his way to the police station for interrogation.
Gürel was dismissed from his job on Wednesday by the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) over alleged links to Gülen movement, a global civil society movement inspired by the views of US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who is accused by the Turkish government of being behind a failed coup in July of last year.
Speaking with reporters in front of the Karabük Courthouse on Thursday, Gürel’s father İbrahim Gürel denied that his son has links to any terrorist organization and added he is ready to disown him if authorities prove his crimes.
Gürel was released on judicial supervision on Thursday after testifying before a Karabük court.
A total of 3,843 judges and prosecutors have been dismissed since the failed coup attempt on July 15, which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan immediately blamed on the Gülen movement, allegations the movement has strongly rejected.