Turkey coup attempt: Number of people detained passes 26,000 amid international concern over crackdown


Date posted: August 9, 2016

Lizzie Dearden

Turkish authorities are arresting people for links to the Gulen movement, which denies involvement.

The number of people detained by Turkish authorities following the failed coup to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has passed 26,000.

The justice minister, Bekir Bozdag, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that 16,000 of those had been formally arrested and taken into custody while 6,000 detainees were being processed and almost 8,000 suspects remain free but under investigation.

Mr Bozdag did not give details on the status of the remaining 4,000 suspects out of the 26,000 reportedly detained and it was unclear whether any had been released.

Thousands of members of the armed forces, police, judiciary, civil service and public sector have been removed from their posts over alleged links to the Gulen or “Hizmet” movement, which was blamed for the coup.

Around 50,000 passports were cancelled, journalists and academics have been arrested and more than 130 media outlets were shut down.

Authorities say the attempt on 15 July was staged by a military faction loyal to the exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, but he has denied any involvement.

Hundreds of soldiers armed with fighter jets, helicopters and tanks took control of key areas of the capital while Mr Erdogan was on holiday but were defeated after the President flew into Istanbul to make a defiant speech against an “act of treason and rebellion”.

Western governments and human rights groups have condemned the coup attempt, in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured, and also expressed concern over the extent of the crackdown tightening Mr Erdogan’s grip on power.

…..

The Director of US National Intelligence, James Clapper, warned that the purges were hampering the fight against Isis by sweeping away Turkish officers who had worked closely with international partners.

Talks over Turkey’s possible accession to the EU have been strained amid the continuing crackdown, with foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu threatening to back out of the refugee deal if visa-free travel is not granted and the EU responding with accusations of “blackmail”.

The EU demands that Turkey fulfil a list of criteria including amending its anti-terrorism laws so they cannot be used to target academics, journalists and political dissenters.

Mr Erdogan has accused countries raising concern over the response to the coup of supporting the plotters and targeted Amnesty International for a report alleging that some people detained in connection with the attempt had been tortured.

He insisted that Turkey had a policy of “zero tolerance toward torture” and accused the human rights organisation of ignoring violence committed by plotters during the attempt.

Excerpt from the Independent news. 

Source: The Independent , August 9, 2016


Related News

US House Intel Chair Says ‘Hard To Believe’ Gulen Behind Turkey Coup

The United State House Intelligence Committee chairman has said it is “hard to believe” that U.S.-based Turkish cleric is behind the military coup attempt last summer, questioning Turkey as a reliable ally.

Austrian Far-Right Leader Likens Turkish Coup to Reichstag Fire

“One almost had the impression that it was a guided putsch aimed in the end at making a presidential dictatorship by Erdogan possible,” Strache told the daily Die Presse in an interview published on Saturday.

Head of Azerbaijan’s Çağ Education Company denies authenticity of letter to Gülen

Enver Özeren, head of the executive board of Azerbaijan’s Çağ Education Company, has denied the authenticity of a letter he had supposedly written to Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen about the Hizmet movement in Azerbaijan, saying that the letter is nothing more than an attempt to pull Azerbaijan into the domestic turmoil.

AK Party gov’t spokesman confirms National Intelligence Organization profiling of faith-based movements

The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government spokesman confirmed that the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) profiled some movements and groups, but rejected allegations that the government had taken action against those groups upon MİT profiling. AK Party government spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik raised the issue of government profiling of a large number of individuals who […]

Turkish officers speak: Erdogan may have staged coup

So, if Erdogan’s narrative is flawed, what are the alternative theories? On the surface, much doesn’t add up. Now, several career Turkish military officers — none of whom are followers or supporters of Gülen — have compiled from open sources a lengthy report analyzing the coup. They have authorized me to share the Dropbox link where they have made it accessible.

Is Erdogan’s smile worth more than the tears of Pak-Turk students?

Around 400 Turks living in Pakistan have been ordered by the Pakistani government to leave in next three days. Isn’t it deplorable that the government has to do so only to bring a radiant smile on Erdogan’s face? Is Erdogan’s smile worth more than the tears of Pak-Turk students?

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Excitement of Turkish Olympiads felt in Ethiopia

Bulgarians Outraged at Deportation of Gulen Supporter to Turkey

Turkey’s STV opens Washington studio, first among Turkish TV networks

How to Fix Turkey’s Fall From International Favor

Fethullah Gulen’s poetry in songs calls for Peace

Turkey’s purges are hitting its business class

Scholarly views in the aftermath of the coup attempt: A responsible government would rather support the Hizmet Movement

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News