Arrest of Over 250 Employees in Turkey on Charges of Connection to Gulen

Nearly 15 months after a failed coup in Turkey that left 250 dead, arrests related to it continue. On Tuesday, October 3rd, it was reported that arrest warrants had been issued for several more employees. Reuters, citing Turkish state media, reported that arrest warrants had been issued for 254 current and former employees of municipalities and ministries. These individuals are accused of having possible connections to Fethullah Gulen, a former friend and current enemy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom the Turkish government claims was the mastermind behind the failed coup. Mr. Gulen, a Turkish cleric and preacher currently living in the United States, has denied all allegations related to the coup. According to reports published on Tuesday, most of those for whom arrest warrants were issued had previously been dismissed from their jobs on the same current charges. On Monday, the Turkish Ministry of Interior announced that nearly 1,000 people had been arrested in the past week on charges of being connected to the 'Gulen terrorist group.' Among those whose arrests were reported on Tuesday, 112 are current and former municipal employees in Istanbul, and 142 are employees from the ministries of sports and education. Reuters states that the number of people dismissed from public and private sectors in Turkey is around 150,000, and the number of those arrested exceeds 50,000. Furthermore, the Turkish Ministry of Justice announced last July that since the 'coup against the government and constitution' in the country, 50,000 people have been arrested and over 169,000 have been convicted in the judicial process. The ongoing arrests and dismissals in Turkey under Erdogan's orders, especially targeting journalists and media personnel, have raised serious concerns among media rights organizations and some of Turkey's Western allies, including Germany.