Turkish prosecutors have issued detention warrants for 49 gendarmerie officers, 46 of whom are on active duty, due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement, which is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup in July 2016, according to a statement from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Turkey survived a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 following which the Turkish government launched a massive crackdown on alleged followers of the Gülen movement under the pretext of an anti-coup fight.
Two of the gendarmerie officers who face detention warrants have reportedly been suspended from duty, while one of them is retired.
The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of orchestrating the abortive putsch on July 15, 2016 and labels it a “terrorist organization,” although the movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
Following the coup attempt, more than 150,000 people were removed from state jobs while in excess of 30,000 others were jailed and some 600,000 people have been investigated on allegations of terrorism due to alleged Gülen links.