Turkey’s Ongoing Crackdown: nearly 13,000 police officers suspended for alleged links to the Gulen movement


Date posted: October 4, 2016

J. Weston Phippen

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suspended nearly 13,000 police officers over suspected links to Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based cleric Turkey says is responsible for the July 15 coup attempt.

The news comes hours after Turkey extended its state of emergency for another three months, a move that gave Erdogan full power over parliament since five days after the coup attempt, in which members of the military tried to take over the government. The suspensions amount to about 5 percent of the country’s entire police force. A statement from Turkish police, translated by Al Jazeera, said the government said the suspended officers “have been assessed to have communications or links to the Gulenist Terror Organization, identified as a threat to national security.”

Gulen is accused of leading a campaign to overthrow Erdogan’s government by setting up what the government calls a parallel state. The movement, the government says, has infiltrated the military, police, and judiciary.

Turkey also suspended several dozen air-force officers, as well as workers in the Interior Ministry’s headquarters, and closed a TV station for spreading “terrorist propaganda.” Since the coup attempt, Turkey has suspended about 100,000 people in the military, civil service, police, and at universities from their jobs for suspected ties to Gulen, who has denied any links to the coup attempt. The government has also arrested more than 32,000 people.

Erdogan has repeatedly asked the U.S. to extradite Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. Gulen says he will not receive a fair trial if judged in Turkey.

Erdogan’s critics believe he has used the coup as an opportunity to crack down on his political opposition. Before the coup, Erdogan was often accused of trying to silence critics, and he has since taken advantage of the state of emergency to close down dozens of media outlets. Opposition parties have asked Erdogan to return to parliamentary government, but Erdogan has said the state of emergency could last up to a year.

Source: The Atlantic , October 4, 2016

Tags: | | |


Related News

Abant Platform takes on sustainable growth, separation of powers

The separation of powers has been systematically contravened by the government through recent laws eradicating the judiciary’s power and subordinating it to the Justice Ministry.

Bank Asya recovers from gov’t provocation

The clampdown on the Bank Asya first started with a defamation campaign run by pro-government media outlets and was later followed by a claim by Interior Minister Efkan Ala, who asserted that the bank had made extraordinary profits on the foreign currency market. All these allegations were refuted by the bank, which published their currency transactions; the central bank has confirmed that there has been no wrongdoing by the bank.

Kosovo investigates seizure of Turkish nationals

Kosovo authorities are investigating the arrest and extradition of six Turkish citizens, which activists said represented a violation of human rights, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Saturday.

Portrait of the Gülen Brotherhood, sworn enemy of Turkey’s President Erdogan

Some are answered by a confidential document produced by the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN). Nevertheless, its authors feel that the Gülen movement is not behind the coup attempt. There is no evidence that the army (…) and the Gülenists (…) had had any intention to cooperate in overthrowing Erdogan, they say.

The Gülen movement: advocators of interfaith activities in Turkey

To cover up the [corruption] investigations, the newspapers close to the government use many derogatory labels for the movement, such as “promoters of light or moderate Islam,” “the protestantization of Islam,” “collaborators and allies of foreign intelligence agencies,” and “Christian missionaries under an Islamic guise.”

Turkish-American community grapples with Turkey coup’s aftermath

Dr. Gokcek said he is not optimistic. He is fearful about the growing tensions in the country and coup sympathizers who might be stigmatized as traitors. On a basic level, Gokcek said, he has been able to sit down and eat with other Turkish-Americans with whom he might not always agree. “Some of those friends, I might not be able to now,” he said.

Latest News

This notable Pocono resident has been living here in exile since 1999

Logistics companies seized over Gülen links sold in fast-track auction

That is Why the Turkish Government could Pay 1 Billion Euros

ECtHR rules Bulgaria violated rights of Turkish journalist who was deported despite seeking asylum

Fethullah Gülen’s Message of Condolences in the Wake of the Western European Floods

Pregnant woman kept in prison for 4 months over Gülen links despite regulations

Normalization of Abduction, Torture, and Death in Erdogan’s Turkey

Turkey’s Maarif Foundation illegally seized German-run school in Ethiopia, says manager

Failed 2016 coup was gov’t plot to purge Gülenists from state bodies, journalist claims

In Case You Missed It

3-year-old child with fever denied treatment as father under arrest over Gülen links

CCTV shows school principal being ‘abducted’ as post-coup crackdown in Turkey spreads to Malaysia

Turkey Systematically And Deliberately Jails Women As Part Of Fear And Intimidation Campaign

PM threatens business, media and civic groups amid corruption woes

Professor Sarıtoprak: ‘ISIS uses eschatological themes extensively for their ideology’

The anti-thesis of radical Islam

‘First, account for the shirt you are wearing’

Copyright 2021 Hizmet News