Turkey’s great struggle against FETÖ

Turkey is persistently continuing its fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Turkey declared a state of emergency on July 20, 2016 following a failed coup attempt perpetrated by FETÖ on July 15. The state of emergency is due to be lifted next week. In the two years since the putsch, a total of 32 statutory decrees were issued and FETÖ terrorists who had infiltrated state institutions were purged.

As a result, close to 125,000 public servants have been dismissed. In addition to this, many associations and foundations were shut down, and police and military officers with connections to FETÖ were also dismissed.

The most dismissals following the failed July 15 coup attempt were from the police force. Together with the Decree No. 701 recently published, a total of 38,056 people have been discharged within the Ministry of Interior. Additionally, 34,393 people were dismissed from the National Education Ministry, 14,633 from the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and 4,836 from the Board of Judges and Prosecutors.

Approximately 5,000 of those who were dismissed from their posts returned to their jobs following decisions by the State of Emergency Commission.

Following the putsch, 289 cases were opened across Turkey - 56 in Ankara and 53 in Istanbul, and the captured FETÖ putschists were put on trial. A total of 9,690 defendants have stood in front of a judge as result of these cases.

Also, the medals of former national soccer players Hakan Şükür and Arif Erdem were revoked.

At least 250 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured in the July 15 failed coup which was perpetrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), led by ringleader Fetullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

Gülen pursued a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.