Turkey Targets More Suspected Followers of Gulen

 

Turkey detained more suspected followers¹ of clergyman Fethullah Gulen on Friday, police and media reported.

Turkish officials accuse Gulen of directing a plot aimed at overthrowing³ the government in July 2016. The overthrow² attempt failed. Gulen has denied the accusation⁴. He lives in the American state of Pennsylvania.

Since the overthrow attempt, Turkish officials have arrested thousands of his suspected followers and dismissed thousands more from jobs.

Istanbul police told the Reuters news agency about the government’s actions on Friday. They said the government approved arrest warrants for 55 employees of Isik Publications, a company that published Gulen’s books.

Turkey’s state-operated news agency Anadolu reported that warrants for 38 former police officials were also announced. It said the former officials were accused of being supporters of Gulen’s organization.

In addition, police targeted 62 leaders of five labor⁵ unions, Anadolu said. The labor unions were part of an alliance of unions that the government ordered closed over suspected links to Gulan’s group.

The United Nations (UN) says Turkey has arrested nearly 160,000 people and dismissed 152,000 government employees since the failed coup⁶ attempt. A new UN report says the numbers are through the end of December 2017.

The UN urged Turkey to end its state of emergency, which was declared after the coup and has been extended six times. The report accused the Turkish government of mass arrests and torturing detainees.

Turkey’s foreign minister said the report was filled with unfounded claims. It compared the UN’s criticism to propaganda from militant⁷ groups.

Western governments have accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using the failed coup as the reason to silence dissidents. Turkey says the steps it has taken are necessary to fight threats to its national security.

I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

warrant - n. a document issued by a court giving the police the power to do something

coup - n. an attempt to take over the government usually by force

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

3 overthrowing   

v.打倒，推翻( overthrow的现在分词 )；使终止

参考例句：

• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship. 他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I always delight in overthrowing those kinds of schemes. 我一向喜欢戳穿人家的诡计。 来自辞典例句

4 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

7 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。