Nine teachers who were earlier dismissed from their posts has been arrested as part of an investigation into the Gülen movement.
A Kocaeli court ruled on the arrest of 9 former teachers. Under detention since Feb. 9, seven suspects were kept behind bars while the remaining two were put under house arrest with electronic bracelet on their legs.
The arrestees are accused of having used ByLock mobile application which the government claims to be the top communication tool among the movement.
Turkish Education Minister İsmet Yılmaz has said on Friday that 33,065 teachers and personnel have been expelled from the education ministry and 43 of them have been returned to their duties since coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
Turkey experienced a military coup attempt on July 15 that killed over 240 people. Immediately after the putsch, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government along with President Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement despite the lack of any evidence to that effect.
Over 135,000 people, including thousands within the military, have been purged due to their real or alleged connection to the Gülen movement since the coup attempt, according to a statement by the labor minister on Jan. 10. As of Feb. 1, 89,775 people were being held without charge, with an additional 43,885 in pre-trial detention due to their alleged links to the movement. (turkeypurge.com) Feb. 11, 2017
