ISTANBUL: Turkey ordered the detention of 82 military personnel in an operation targeting supporters of the Muslim preacher who Ankara says was behind a failed coup in 2016, state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Tuesday.
Operations targeting the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen have continued under a four-year-long crackdown since the attempted coup in July 2016. Gulen denies involvement in the putsch attempt, in which some 250 people were killed.
Tuesday’s operation was spread over 39 provinces and 63 people have already been detained, Anadolu said. Of the suspects, 70 were on active duty.
The detentions were ordered by the chief prosecutor in the western coastal province of Izmir, Anadolu said, adding that it also took steps to sack 848 military personnel, including high ranking officers, over links to the network.
Since the coup attempt, about 80,000 people have been held pending trial and some 150,000 civil servants, military personnel and others have been sacked or suspended. More than 20,000 people had been expelled from the Turkish military alone.
Last week, a Turkish court sentenced leaders of the attempted coup to life in jail, convicting hundreds of army officers, pilots and civilians over the failed bid to topple President Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey orders detention of 82 military personnel over suspected Gulen links
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Turkey orders detention of 82 military personnel over suspected Gulen links
- Tuesday’s operation was spread over 39 provinces and 63 people have already been detained, Anadolu said. Of the suspects, 70 were on active duty
- The detentions were ordered by the chief prosecutor in the western coastal province of Izmir
Israeli forces raid Palestinian university in Birzeit, injure students
- Israeli soldiers broke through the university’s main gate and seized equipment belonging to the student movement
- Birzeit University is one of the leading higher education institutions in Palestine, with nearly 8,000 students enrolled
LONDON: Israeli forces raided Birzeit University, located north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, injuring 11 students and detaining the university’s vice president for academic affairs.
The university confirmed that 11 students were wounded, including five by live ammunition, while dozens suffered breathing difficulties from inhaling tear gas. All casualties were later transported to hospital for medical treatment by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Nirdin Al-Mimi, the university’s public relations officer, confirmed that Israeli forces used live ammunition, tear gas canisters, and stun grenades during the violent raid on the campus on Tuesday.
Israeli soldiers broke and damaged the university’s main gate, stormed several buildings and departments, and seized equipment belonging to the student movement, she added.
They also detained the university’s vice president for academic affairs, Assem Khalil, according to Wafa news agency.
Birzeit University is one of the leading higher education institutions in Palestine, with nearly 8,000 students enrolled.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Education condemned the raid, saying that it violates international norms protecting the sanctity of educational institutions.
It called on the International Association of Universities, the Association of Arab Universities, and all relevant organizations to expose and address ongoing violations against Palestinian higher education, Wafa added.
