The Izmir Prosecutor’s Office ordered this Tuesday (12/01/2020) the arrest of 82 soldiers on suspicion of belonging to the brotherhood of the exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen, whom the Turkish government accuses of having instigated the attempted coup in 2016.
At least 63 suspects have already been detained in an operation that spans 39 of the country’s 81 provinces, state news agency Anadolu said.
Seventy suspects are active officers, while the rest were retired or had been expelled by decree.
On the other hand, a court in Izmir on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of 848 members of the Air Forces to be investigated for alleged links with the Gülen network, including high-ranking officers.
Last Thursday a court in Ankara sentenced 333 soldiers and four civilians to life imprisonment for their participation in the coup.
Since the attempted coup, some 80,000 people have been awaiting trial and some 150,000 civil servants, military personnel and others have been fired or suspended. Furthermore, more than 20,000 people have been expelled from the Turkish army alone.
rrr (reuters/efe)
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
July 2007: Abdullah Gul becomes the first Islamist president of Turkey
After years of free market reforms, Turkey’s transition is slowly beginning to reverse. Islamist Abdullah Gul’s candidacy in 2007 marks a clear departure from secular politics and accentuates relations between the ruling AKP and the military. Thus, with broad support from both conservative and liberal Muslims, the AKP wins the elections.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
September 2010: constitutional reforms take hold
The then prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, presents a constitutional reform that increases parliamentary control over the judiciary and the military, allowing the government to elect judges and senior military officers. The amendment, which is combined with measures to protect children’s rights and strengthen the right of appeal, was approved in a public referendum.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
May 2013: protests erupt in Gezi Park
Suppressed anger against Erdogan, Gul and the AKP erupts in May 2013. Violent police repression turned a small protest to protect Gezi Park in Istanbul into one of the fiercest anti-government demonstrations in years. Eleven people were killed and more than 8,000 injured, before the protests died down a month later.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
July 2015: Turkey relaunches crackdown on Kurds
The fragile ceasefire agreement between the Turkish government and the rebel Kurdish group PKK is broken by the tensions of the war in Syria. Military forces resume operations in the mostly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. In early 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility for two bombings in Ankara, each killing 38 people.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
July 2016: failed military coup attempt
An attempted military coup against the government shakes Turkey and briefly turns the country into a war zone. Some 260 civilians are killed in nightly clashes with the army. Erdogan rallies supporters and the next morning rebel soldiers are ambushed by thousands of civilians on the Bosphorus bridge. Opposing troops drop their weapons and surrender.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
July 2016: President Erdogan promulgates a state of emergency
In the wake of the failed coup, Erdogan announces a state of emergency, leading to the arrest of tens of thousands of coup sympathizers and political opponents. Among those detained are military and judicial officials and elected representatives of the pro-Kurdish HDP party. The purge is later expanded to include civil servants, university officials and professors.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
2016: repression of the press
As part of Erdogan’s crackdown on alleged “terrorist sympathizers,” Turkey becomes one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. The government shut down around 110 media outlets in 2017 and jailed more than 100 journalists, including the German-Turkish correspondent Deniz Yücel.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
March 2017: AKP officials try to stoke support in Western Europe
During the April 2016 referendum, which sought to expand Erdogan’s power, AKP officials aimed to increase support among Turks living in Europe. However, the Netherlands prohibited the landing of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, while Germany chose to cancel two concentrations. Erdogan accuses both countries of Nazi-style repression.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
April 2017: Erdogan holds the referendum
Erdogan narrowly won the referendum that increased his power. As a result, Turkey’s parliamentary system is abolished and a strong executive presidency begins to rule. Erdogan will also be allowed to stay in power until 2029. However, international election observers claim that opposition voices were silenced.
-
Turkey’s path to authoritarianism
June 24, 2018: Erdogan is reelected president
Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the presidential elections of 06.24.2018, with which he will not only be the head of the State, but also that of the Government, since with these elections the constitutional reform of 2017 comes into full force, with which it has been abolished the figure of the prime minister. It thus holds practically all the powers in the Republic.
.
