
Turks who fled the wrath of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a failed coup against him in July, 2016 have landed in Greece seeking asylum and integrating themselves into society as many are educated professionals, unlike many refugees and migrants finding themselves locked in detention centers and camps.

The situation in Turkey has been very bad since a failed coup attempt in 2016. Erdogan unleashed a massive purge, firing more than 100,000 public-sector workers and imprisoning more than 50,000 people. These people are not criminals. They include judges, academics and journalists. Erdogan thinks free speech is dangerous, and he accuses critics of being terrorists.

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.

About 50 percent of all people leaving Turkey because they feel politically persecuted seek shelter in Germany. In 2018, there were more than 10,000 asylum applications from Turks in Germany. About two-fifths of applicants were issued some form of protection.

Dutch officials have initiated an investigation into Rotterdam Islamic University President Ahmet Akgündüz, a staunch supporter of the Turkish government, who said that killing members of the faith-based Gülen movement was legitimate.

İbrahim Demirtaş, a major in the Turkish military who testified as an informant in investigations into sympathizers of the faith-based Gülen movement, has admitted that his statements were false and made in order to avoid prosecution and jail time.

Highly regarded for their educational excellence, these schools are located world-wide and have over 20 years offered the very best of competitive standards. How can any government allow damaging their very own successful educational system due to internal political turmoil of another country even if brotherly to Pakistan?

Turkey’s crackdown has targeted ordinary citizens, suspected of links with Gülen’s Islamic movement. The country’s secret services have seized people in broad daylight, at home and abroad. Violence is used to extort confessions and denunciations. A victim speaks out.

In a near-repeat of the CIA’s ‘extraordinary renditions’, the regime of Turkish president Erdoğan is kidnapping dozens of members of the Gülen movement from around the world. Victims are now raising a serious accusation: secret torture sites are part of the repression. A team of nine media organizations from eight countries, coordinated by CORRECTIV, investigates.