Turkey has been turned into a huge prison where opponents to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are jailed, including journalists and intellectuals whose opinions threaten his throne.
Erdogan has been targeting followers of Gulen movement since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-Prime Minister Erdoğan, his family members and inner circle.
Gulen movement is a worldwide civic initiative inspired by the ideas and activism of Fethullah Gülen, a US-based Muslim cleric.
During the year Erdoğan continued to relentlessly pursue anyone with alleged links with the movement. They have been targets of hate speech, hate crimes, unlawful prosecution, torture, and abductions among other serious human rights violations.
Erdoğan intensified the crackdown on the movement following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gulen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the abortive putsch or any terrorist activity.
Following the failed coup, the Turkish government carried out a massive purge of state institutions under the pretext of an anti-coup fight.
Over 130,000 public servants, including 4,156 judges and prosecutors, as well as 20,610 members of the armed forces were summarily removed from their jobs for alleged membership in or relationships with the movement.
According to a statement from the Turkish interior minister, a total of 292,000 people have been detained while 96,000 others have been jailed due to alleged links to the Gulen movement since the failed coup.
No comments:
Post a Comment