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Turkey Orders Arrests Over Links to Gulen

Reports from Turkey say the government has launched one of its largest operations against people suspected of supporting Muslim clergyman Fethullah Gulen.

State media say Turkish officials approved orders for the arrest of 1,112 people. The operation was related to reports of cheating in police examinations.

Officials accuse Gulen of leading efforts to overthrow¹ the government in 2016. The new operation shows the government is not letting up on its fight against those who plotted the overthrow attempt.

More than two years ago, soldiers used warplanes, helicopters and tanks in an effort to seize power. More than 250 people were killed in the failed coup².

Gulen is a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The clergyman has lived in exile in the United States since 1999. He has denied involvement in the coup.

The Turkish operation related to a police force examination in 2010 for those seeking to become deputy police inspectors³. There are claims that some of those who took the exam received the questions before taking the test, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Sunday a “big operation” was coming against Gulen supporters. “We will finish them off,” he said.

The government claims that, over many years, they took control of state organizations, such as the security forces, often by helping⁴ people cheat on exams.

Since the coup attempt, the Turkish government has carried out a deep purge⁵ of state agencies. Government lawyers have launched many investigations⁶ against those suspected of links to Gulen.

Turkey’s Western allies have criticized the campaign, which began under a state of emergency that was declared after the coup. It remained in effect until July of 2018.

Erdogan’s critics accuse him of using the failed coup as a way to suppress opposition⁷. The Turkish government says the measures are necessary to fight threats to national security.

More than 77,000 people have been jailed without trial since the failed coup. The government has removed or suspended 150,000 civil and military personnel.

Defense⁸ Minister Hulusi Akar has said more than 15,000 military personnel have been dismissed since the coup. They are said to include 150 high-level military officials.

The government has also taken control of hundreds of businesses accused of links to Gulen and his supporters. Also, it has shut down more than 130 media companies as part of the purge.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

coup – n. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence

purge – v. to remove people from an area, country or organization, often in a violent and sudden way

1 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。

2 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。

3 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。