Former head of the Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV) Murat Arslan, who was detained in Ankara on Oct. 19 as part of an investigation into the faith-based Gülen movement, was referred to a court by the head office of the Ankara public prosecutor and put under arrest.
Arslan was dismissed from his post at the Court of Accounts in July as a result of the probe against the movement.
“I will continue to say ‘justice for all.’ One day, the rule of law will come to this country,” said Arslan when the prosecutor referred him to court for arrest, the T24 news website reported.
YARSAV was among the thousands of institutions closed down by the government in the first decree issued in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15.
Mustafa Karadağ, head of the Union of Judges, had stated that it was wrong to link YARSAV and Arslan with the Gülen movement.
A state of emergency declared after the coup made it possible for the government to issue decrees that have the force of law and do not require the approval of Parliament.
The first government decree issued on July 23 among other things closed down 35 healthcare institutions, 1,043 private educational institutions, 1,229 foundations and 19 labor unions and confederations as well as 15 private universities.
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.
Despite Gülen and the movement having denied the accusation and calling for an international investigation, Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government launched a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.