Turkey suspends more than 9,100 police officers accused of coup ties
It comes on same day authorities issued detention orders for 3,224 people over alleged links to Gulen movement
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Turkey has suspended more than 9,100 police officers with alleged links to last year’s failed coup, according to local media reports.
The officers are being investigated for suspected ties to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is now accused by the government of trying to topple him by force last July.
It came as authorities issued detention orders for 3,224 people for their alleged links to the movement in a nationwide crackdown on Gulen’s supporters.
More than 1,000 had already been detained by Turkish authorities, accused of secretly infiltrating police forces across the country on behalf of Gulen.
The sweep was one of the largest operations in months against suspected supporters of the cleric.
It was not immediately clear if the suspensions were directly connected to the detention of the suspects whom Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu described as "secret imams".
More than 100,000 people, including police, military personnel and teachers, have been purged from the civil service as part of the crackdown on Gulen's movement since the coup.
The latest detentions come 10 days after voters narrowly backed plans to expand Mr Erdogan's already wide powers in a referendum which opposition parties and European election observers said was marred by irregularities.
A leading European human rights body has placed Turkey on a watchlist over concerns about the functioning democratic institutions in the country.
The referendum bitterly divided Turkey.
Mr Erdogan's critics fear further drift into authoritarianism, with a leader they see as bent on eroding modern Turkey's democracy and secular foundations.
However, the Turkish President argued strengthening the presidency would avert instability associated with coalition governments, at a time when Turkey faces multiple challenges including security threats from Islamist and Kurdish militants.
Additional reporting by agencies.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments