Deputy Chairman of Turkey’s Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) Mehmet Yılmaz has said there are ongoing investigations into 400 judges and prosecutors over their alleged links to the Gülen movement, accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup attempt in July 2016, the t24 news website reported.
“All the documents and information [about these judges and prosecutors] are being collected by judicial investigators,” Yılmaz said, adding that the HSK is continuing to investigate the allegations, which are supported by concrete evidence, against the judicial officials.
The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of orchestrating the failed coup 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, the Turkish government launched a massive crackdown on followers of the movement under the pretext of an anti-coup fight as a result of which more than 130,000 people were removed from state jobs while in excess of 30,000 others are still in jail and some 600,000 people have been investigated on allegations of terrorism.
More than 6,000 judges and prosecutors have been removed from their jobs since the coup attempt due to their alleged links to the movement.