Turkish court orders 81-year-old man to stay behind bars on coup charges
Date posted: November 3, 2017
A Turkish court has ruled for a continuation of the arrest of an 81-year-old Turkish man with walking and speaking difficulties, several Turkish media outlets reported.
The man, named Mustafa Türk, was initialy detained by Turkish police on Sept. 1, 2016, over suspected links to the Gülen group, which the Turkish government accuses of masterminding a July 15 coup attempt.
He was handcuffed and taken by police from his house in Turgutlu, Manisa province, handcuffed and driven to a police station for interrogation. His relatives described it as “degrading and barbaric” treatment. Several days later, he was officially arrested and sent to a prison in Manisa.
Last weekend, the Manisa High Criminal Court reportedly decided for the continuation of his pretrial detention.
BBC interviews families of abducted Gülen followers
The families of abducted Gülen followers, whose abductions have been confirmed by eyewitnesses, have spoken to BBC Turkish service. Eleven people have been reported missing in Ankara since January.
Victims of forced disappearance in Turkey
On this ‘International day of the victims of enforced disappearances’ (August 30), let’s raise our voices for the missing people of Turkey. In the aftermath of the coup attempt last year, at least thirteen people have been abducted allegedly by elements linked to the Turkish government as part of an intimidation campaign targeting critics and opponents of Turkey’s president.
Academic says Gülen movement followers should be sent to rehabilitation camps
A professor of communications, Muttalip Kutluk Özgüven, has said followers of the Gülen movement should be sent to rehabilitation camps and subjected to psychological treatment. “Their bodies do not belong to them. They have to serve Turkey’s interests,” he said.
Bipartisan think-tank: The U.S. should not interfere politically in Gülen extradition case
If the executive branch were to interfere too forcefully in the Gülen extradition case now, it would only confirm Turkish leaders’ belief that the U.S. system operates on the same corrupt terms as Turkey’s. This would fundamentally affirm Erdoğan’s view that democracy as a value and a practice is a purely cynical discourse used by Western powers to harm Turkey.
The Turkey I no longer know
The Turkish population already is strongly polarized on the AKP regime. A Turkey under a dictatorial regime, providing haven to violent radicals and pushing its Kurdish citizens into desperation, would be a nightmare for Middle East security. I probably will not live to see Turkey become an exemplary democracy, but I pray that the downward authoritarian drift can be stopped before it is too late.
Whisked Away – The Turkish government and its program of kidnappings
Eric Edelman has an expression: “Authoritarian International,” which echoes the old “Comintern,” or “Communist International.” Erdogan is prominent in this league. He is. Will others stand up to him, and that league? That is a major question of our time.
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