Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued detention warrants for 145 people and detained 80 of them as part of its post-coup crackdown targeting followers of the Gülen movement, according to a report by the Stockholm Center for Freedom.
The Turkish government believes the Gülen movement orchestrated a failed coup attempt in 2016, although the movement strongly denies it.
Some 140,000 public servants have been dismissed since the abortive putsch due to their alleged Gülen links, and more than 600,000 people have been investigated on allegations of terrorism.
The Çanakkale Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday issued detention warrants for 21 military personnel and one civilian over their alleged links to the Gülen movement. A statement from the prosecutor’s office indicated that they were communicating with members of the movement.
The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also issued detention warrants for 25 people, including doctors, military members and teachers, on suspicion of Gülen links. Police detained 12 of those sought during operations in 16 provinces.
The Kocaeli Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, meanwhile, issued detention warrants for 24 people, including 10 military personnel. Police launched operations in nine provinces to detain the suspects.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday issued detention warrants for seven people on accusations of Gülen links. According to the prosecutor the suspects had been using ByLock, a smart phone application regarded by Turkish authorities as a secret communication tool among followers of the Gülen movement. Police reportedly detained four of them.
Police in Konya detained 12 people on Tuesday based on detention warrants issued for 17 people by the Konya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The suspects were accused of using ByLock.
In Eskişehir, Adıyaman, Zonguldak, Samsun and Malatya provinces on Tuesday police detained a total of 24 people, including a lawyer, over their alleged links to the movement.
Twenty-eight people were detained in Adana province over Gülen links.