Issuance of Arrest Warrants for Dozens More on Charges of Connection to Turkey's Coup

A Turkish news agency reported on Thursday, August 10, that arrest warrants have been issued for 35 individuals, including several journalists, on charges of connection to last summer's failed coup in the country. Reuters, citing the official Anadolu Agency, identified the main target of these new warrants as the 'media branch of the [Fethullah] Gülen network.' Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric currently residing in the United States, who previously had a friendship and collaboration with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is accused of leading last year's failed coup. Gülen has responded by stating that he has no connection to the event and holds Erdoğan responsible for the coup. Since last summer, when the failed coup left nearly 250 dead, thousands have been arrested and imprisoned in Turkey, many others have lost their jobs, and hundreds are awaiting trial. Reuters reported that the number of dismissals from public and private sectors in Turkey is around 150,000, with over 50,000 detained. In late July, the Turkish government dismissed more than 7,300 other employees from various state institutions, primarily from security forces and the Ministry of Interior. Now, this list can include 35 more names, including 9 from the media. According to Anadolu Agency, these individuals, among whom is the editor of an opposition newspaper, are accused of 'membership in an armed terrorist organization.' Reports indicate that all these individuals have used an application called 'ByLock,' an encrypted messaging app that the Erdoğan government claims is used by Gülen's network. The ongoing arrests and dismissals in Turkey under Erdoğan'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. Some of these groups and countries have expressed concern that the Turkish government is using the failed coup of 2016 as a pretext to suppress its opponents. In this context, the Turkish Journalists' Association reported that around 150 media outlets have been shut down in the past year, and about 160 media personnel have been imprisoned. The trial of about 500 coup defendants, including army generals and air force pilots, began on Tuesday, August 1, in Ankara.