Turkey’s Interior Ministry: Over 15,000 Detained Following Coup

8,113 Have Been Formally 'Arrested,' Others Just Being Held

Turkey’s Interior Minister Efkana Ala has reported that over 15,000 people have now been detained as part of the post-coup purge, including over 10,000 Turkish soldiers. This large number of soldiers captured is in spite of claims by the military itself that only a little over 8,000 troops participated overall in the coup.

Of that over 15,000, only 8,113 are actually under arrest, with nearly half of them just being detained without charges at this point. Under the new state of emergency, the Erdogan government can detain people for up to 30 days, compared to the old limit of four.

The detentions appear to be almost wholly centered on the military, and other law enforcement, with 2,901 police and 2,684 described as either judges or lawyers. This covers all but a few hundred detainees, according to the official numbers, though there have been reports of detained reporters, teachers, and members of virtually every government ministry.

Officials have repeatedly said this is only the beginning of the purge, with over 60,000 people either among the detained or sacked for suspected ties to exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen. Officials blame Gulen for the plot, and have claimed his organization has infiltrated every conceivable part of Turkish society.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.