A photo showing Burak Aydın, a teacher jailed for alleged Gülen links, visiting the graves of four of his family members who died in a car accident after visiting him in jail, has once again revealed the level of damage on people’s lives caused by an ongoing government crackdown on real or alleged Gülen followers.
Aydın, 27, is one of thousands of teachers who were suspended from their jobs and jailed in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 due to alleged Gülen links.
The Turkish government, which accuses the Gülen movement, of orchestrating the coup attempt, has launched a massive crackdown on Gülen followers on the pretext of an anti-coup fight and jailed more than 50,000 people so far. The movement strongly denies any involvement in the coup attempt.
Four of Aydın’s family members — his parents, sister and brother-in-law — all perished in a car accident on Feb. 28 after visiting him in jail in the southeastern province of Mardin. The family members were returning to their hometown of Giresun in the Black Sea region.
In the photo, which was posted on social media over the weekend, Aydın, who was able to get out of prison one day after the burial of his relatives with special permission, is seen sitting in the middle of the four graves of his family members. The man looks devastated with visible pain and desperation in his face.
Aydın was taken back to jail by gendarmes after the cemetery visit.