Turkey’s Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) has expelled 13 judges and prosecutors from the legal profession due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement, according to Turkey’s Official Gazette, Turkish Minute reported.
The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of masterminding a failed coup on July 15, 2016 and labels it a “terrorist organization,” although the movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
More than 4,500 judges and prosecutors have been expelled from the profession since the failed coup on the grounds of ties to the Gülen movement.
Since the coup attempt, followers of the Gülen movement have been subjected to a massive crackdown, with the Turkish government and pro-government media outlets demonizing its members.
Following the coup attempt the Turkish government also removed more than 130,000 civil servants from their jobs due to alleged Gülen links.
According to a statement from Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on Nov. 26, a total of 292,000 people have been detained while 96,000 others have been jailed due to alleged links to the Gülen movement since the failed coup. The minister said there are currently 25,655 people in Turkey’s prisons who were jailed due to links to the Gülen movement.
In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.
