Turkey arrested 1,656 Social Media users since failed July Coup and are investigating at least 10,000 others
Dec 24, 9:57 AM EST
TURKEY ARRESTS 1,656 SOCIAL MEDIA USERS SINCE SUMMER
ISTANBUL (AP) -- Turkish authorities have formally
arrested 1,656 people in the past six months for allegedly supporting terrorist
organizations or insulting officials on social media, and are investigating at
least 10,000 others, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.
In a statement it said legal action had been taken
against 3,710 people identified by police. Beside those arrested, 1,203 people
were released on probation, 767 were released and 84 others are still in
detention.
Charges include provoking hatred among the people;
praising terrorist organizations; disseminating terrorist propaganda; openly
declaring allegiance to terrorist groups; insulting statesmen; and targeting
the indivisibility of the state or safety of citizens.
Investigations and legal procedures are underway against
an additional 10,000 people reported to public prosecutors.
Turkey declared a state of emergency soon after a failed
coup in July, detaining thousands of citizens and purging tens of thousands of
public servants over alleged ties to outlawed groups.
Western governments, human rights group and legal experts
have repeatedly expressed concern over the crackdown, which some say has begun
targeting political opponents and critics. Ankara defends its actions saying
they are necessary precautions in the face of ongoing nationwide terrorism.
This year Turkey has seen a series of attacks and
bombings in major cities that were the work of either the Islamic State group
or Kurdish militants.
Turkey frequently restricts access to social media
websites to prevent the spread of graphic images and other material authorities
say would harm public order or security.
Such restrictions usually follow a major crackdown or a
terrorist attack. On Friday access was restricted to social media websites for
several hours after the Islamic State group released a video purportedly
showing two Turkish soldiers being burned alive.
© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Comments
Post a Comment