Police officer with classic cellphone jailed over alleged use of smart phone app

Yeni Asya columnist Kazım Güleçyüz released a letter from the child of a former police officer who was arrested over his alleged use of ByLock, a controversial smart phone application, despite the fact that he has been using a classic cell phone that is not capable of running smartphone applications.

“I am a student of sociology department at the university. My father was a police officer with 22 years of experience. He was dismissed with the government decree No 672. Then he was detained and put in pre-trial arrest on ByLock accusation. But, my father uses a classic cell phone and it is not possible for him to use this app,” the letter read.

Turkey survived a military coup attempt on July 15 that killed over 240 people. Immediately after the putsch, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government along with Turkey’s autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement, inspired by US-based Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen. However, the Gülen movement strongly denies having any role in the putsch.

Tens of thousands of civil servants, police officers and businessmen have either been dismissed or arrested for using ByLock since a failed coup attempt last July.

Güleçyüz covered another letter from the family members of a Turkish military official who was arrested for his alleged use of ByLock despite his possession of a classic phone, on Apr 8. (turkeypurge.com) April 9, 2017

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