Following the failed coup in Turkey over one year ago, Erdogan is continuing to eradicate any possible remnants of descent - by arresting almost everyone in the country.
From Intellectuals, Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to the majority of his own government staff, no-one is spared in this great political purge. Here is a breakdown of how Turkey is cracking down hard on three important segments of society.
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Human Rights Defenders
Amnesty International have recently published a report criticizing the arrest of 10 human rights defenders, including Idil Eser, Amnesty’s Turkey Director.
They claim that for over 24 hours they were held incommunicado, not able to contact their families or see a lawyer. They are now being investigated on suspicion of "membership of an armed terrorist organisation", an accusation which Amnesty call ‘ridiculous and baseless’.
Journalists
Just last week, 17 staff members from Cumhuriyet one of the last remaining opposition papers in Turkey were put on trial. Also on trial on charges of terrorism, each one faces a lengthy sentence of up to 43 years if convicted. It is expected that prosecutors will argue that the journalists were aiding US-based Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey states was behind the coup attempt.
Artists and Intellectuals
Directly following the coup, academics in the country were banned from travelling outside of the country. The political purges have come in waves since last year, and hit academics hard when in February of this year 4,464 public servants were dismissed, among them 330 academics. 184 of these were signatories of a petition which was signed one month previously calling for the end of violence in south eastern Turkey, where a large Kurdish population is living.
Importantly, these arrests are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what seems like the regression of Turkey in way of democracy and freedom.
