News / Turkey

Turkey nabs 1,000+ over failed coup

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 8:20 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 26 April 2017 8:46 AM ]

People, mainly Turkish soldiers, accused of trying to assassinate the Turkish president during a July 2016 coup attempt, are escorted by security forces toward a courthouse, in Mugla, western Turkey, February 20, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Turkish authorities detained over 1,000 people suspected of links to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen overnight Wednesday, in one of the largest operations in months against the network which Turkey blames for a failed coup in July last year.

They said the crackdown targeted the network’s structure in the police force. Detention orders had been issued for 1,000 people, who were arrested in operations carried out across all 81 of Turkey’s provinces.

After the abortive coup in July 2016, authorities arrested 40,000 people and sacked or suspended 120,000 others from a wide range of professions, including soldiers, police, teachers, and public servants, over alleged links with terrorist groups.

The latest arrests come 10 days after a tightly contested referendum approved the expansion of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers, according to preliminary results.

The referendum bitterly divided Turkey. Erdogan argues that strengthening the presidency will avert instability associated with coalition governments, at a time when Turkey also faces security threats from extremist militants.

But Erdogan’s critics fear a further drift into authoritarianism, with a leader they see as bent on eroding modern Turkey’s democracy.

Mass detentions immediately after the attempted coup were supported by many Turks, who agreed with Erdogan when he blamed Gulen for orchestrating the abortive putsch, which killed 240 people, mostly civilians. But criticism mounted as the arrests widened.

(Source: Agencies)

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk