Muharrem Sağlar, a Bingöl-based former teacher who was retired after he survived colon cancer, has been under arrest for more than 5 months and his daughter, a 100 hundred disabled girl shows anxiety as she misses her father.
According to a video recording posted on social media very recently, Sağlar’s family has been going through difficulties with Muharrem Sağlar’s remaining behind bars for his alleged ties to the Gülen movement.
Muharrem Sağlar’s 18-year-old daughter, Elanur is diagnosed with Rett Syndrome and is expected to live for another 7 year at most. Her mother shows the indications of herniated disk as she is the only one, except for her two school-age sons, to take care of Elanur’s needs.
Turkish media reports that Muharrem Sağlar has lost excess amount of weight in prison due to his compulsory dietary prescribed after his cancer surgeries and that his requests for trial without arrest are being constantly refused.
Turkey survived a controversial military coup attempt on July 15 that killed 249 people. Immediately after the putsch, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government along with Turkey’s autocratic President Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement.
Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the movement, strongly denied having any role in the failed coup and called for an international investigation into it, but President Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government initiated a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.
Turkey has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants since July 15. Turkey’s Justice Ministry announced on July 13 that 50,510 people have been arrested and 169,013 have been the subject of legal proceedings on coup charges since the failed coup. (SCF with turkeypurge.com)
