Turkish riot police stand guard in front of the Justice Palace in Istanbul
Ankara … News Time
Authorities in Turkey on Friday issued arrest warrants for 44 judges and prosecutors accused of belonging to a group that attempted a failed military coup in 2016. Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu quoted a statement from Ankara’s chief prosecutor’s office as saying that most of them had been recruited in 2011 as a result of a leaked exam. Turkey’s private Demiroren news agency said most of them were later fired. Thousands of government employees, including members of the judiciary, police and army, were fired after a failed coup in Turkey.
On the other hand, critics say the government targeted opponents under the guise of a failed military coup. Turkey has accused US-based religious leader Fethullah Gulen and his organization of instigating a military coup that killed more than 250 people. Fethullah Gulen’s movement is said to have had its supporters recruited into Turkish agencies in the past to seize power, but such accusations have been denied by Fethullah Gulen.
