Diyar Güldoğan
March 17, 2016•Update: March 22, 2016
ISPARTA, Turkey
A Turkish court has remanded in custody 14 suspects accused of links to the organization led by exiled preacher Fetullah Gulen, judicial sources said on Thursday.
They are charged with having links to the organization which the Turkish government says is involved in plotting to overthrow the state, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
On Monday, 56 suspects were arrested in Isparta, southwestern Turkey, including Hasan Ibicioglu, the former rector of Suleyman Demirel University.
Meanwhile, two out of 24 suspects arrested in eastern Kars province for allegedly being part of Gulenist movement, also known as FETO, have been remanded in custody.
Turkey has been targeting followers of Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, U.S., since early 2014. The movement, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, runs a network of schools and businesses and the government says this has allowed his supporters to infiltrate state organs such as the judiciary and police.
Investigations into the ‘parallel state’ have seen hundreds of civil servants, including police and public prosecutors, arrested or reassigned.
