Continued Arrests of Generals and Prosecutors in Turkey

According to Turkey's Anadolu Agency, Bekir Bozdağ, Turkey's Minister of Justice, stated on Sunday, July 17, that approximately six thousand people have been arrested in connection with the failed coup in the country, including General Bekir Erjan Van, commander of the Incirlik Air Base. Reports on Sunday also indicate that dozens of generals from the Turkish army and senior prosecutors are among those arrested. According to Agence France-Presse, 34 Turkish army generals have been detained, including figures such as Adam Hodudi, commander of the Second Army Corps, and Erdal Ozturk, commander of the Third Army Corps. Turkish media reports indicate that officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government continued operations to search for and arrest military personnel involved in the coup throughout Turkey on Saturday night and early Sunday. Among them, during an operation at a military base in Denizli in western Turkey on Sunday morning, the commander of that base, Ozkan Ozbaker, along with 51 other military personnel, was arrested. The crackdown on Erdoğan's opponents has not been limited to the military, with reports indicating that 2,745 arrest warrants have been issued for judges and prosecutors in various cities across Turkey. The coup attempt by the military on Friday, which faced failure within 24 hours, resulted in at least 265 deaths and 1,440 injuries. The Turkish government accuses Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric residing in the U.S., of planning the coup and intends to arrest all judges who, according to Ankara, share Gülen's views; Gülen has denied any involvement in the coup. Turkey also accuses Gülen, a political rival of Erdoğan, of leading a group called the 'Fethullahist Terrorist Organization,' which Ankara claims has created a parallel government alongside Turkey's legitimate government. It is still unclear how many judges have been arrested in Turkey, but the Dogan news agency reports the arrest of 44 judges and prosecutors in Konya and 92 other judges in Gaziantep on Saturday night. Additionally, reports indicate that various demonstrations have been taking place in major Turkish cities since early Sunday, where Erdoğan's supporters express happiness over the coup's failure. Reports indicate gatherings of Erdoğan supporters in Taksim Square in Istanbul, honking cars in the streets of Ankara, and people gathering in front of the parliament and the presidential palace. Flights to Istanbul, which had been suspended for about 24 hours, resumed on Saturday evening, and a large number of government supporters gathered around Istanbul Airport to prevent any further actions by coup plotters that could disrupt the airport's security. In recent days, Erdoğan has called on his supporters to remain in the streets; he has also requested the extradition of Fethullah Gülen from the U.S. The U.S. government has requested credible evidence from Turkey regarding Gülen's involvement in the coup to consider his extradition. In this context, the U.S. has warned against 'public insinuations' regarding its role in the Turkish coup.