Turkey again orders arresting military personnel

istanbul - Turkish prosecutors have ordered 271 soldiers to be arrested. They are suspected of having ties to the organization of Fethullah Gülen, who is held responsible by Turkey for the failed coup in 2016.

Turkish media reports that, among other things, an arrest warrant has been issued against an out-of-service general. The suspects would be looked for in several provinces. The Turkish authorities have repeatedly carried out such operations since the coup attempt.

Said Ra'ad al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in March that nearly 160,000 people had been arrested in eighteen months' time. According to the Commissioner, 152,000 civil servants were also made redundant.

The Turkish authorities argue that the movement of the US-based Gülen wants to overthrow the government with the aid of supporters infiltrated in, for example, the army, the police and the judiciary. Critics accuse the government of using the failed coup as an excuse to tackle political opponents.

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