WikiLeaks Publishes About 300,000 Emails from Members of Turkey's Ruling Party

Just hours after WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of emails from members of Turkey's ruling party, Ankara blocked access to the website. According to Reuters, on Tuesday, July 29, WikiLeaks released about 300,000 emails exchanged by members of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from 2010 until July 6 (15 Tir) of this year. WikiLeaks stated that this action is a response to the purges that have occurred following the failed coup in Turkey. Following the recent failed coup, the Turkish government has suspended, dismissed, or arrested about 50,000 military personnel, police officers, judges, and teachers. The WikiLeaks article explaining this disclosure is accompanied by a cartoon of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, showing that he is destroying the foundations of democracy in the country. However, WikiLeaks emphasized that the leaked emails are not related to the coup conspiracy in Turkey. These emails were obtained from 762 mailboxes with the address akparti.org.tr, totaling 294,548 emails. In response to this event, on Wednesday, the Turkish Communications Authority announced that necessary actions have been taken against WikiLeaks to limit access to the website in Turkey. Turkey continuously restricts internet access regarding political events in the country, which has led to protests from human rights activists. Nevertheless, Erdoğan was able to conduct an interview with CNN Türk via the internet and FaceTime during the hours of the coup against his party, delivering his message to his supporters. In this context, Erdoğan stated regarding the coup plotters: 'People say they should be executed.' The U.S. Secretary of State called for respect for democracy and law in Turkey. The purges in Turkey continue; the number of those dismissed from government and security institutions has reached 50,000.