Turkish police have detained 13 students in an operation based in the southern province of Mersin over their alleged links to the Gülen movement, a faith-based group targeted by the government, the İhlas news agency (İHA) reported on Thursday.
The detentions were carried out as part of simultaneous raids conducted in the provinces of Mersin, Adana and Elazığ by the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit of the Mersin Police Department.
According to İHA, one of the detainees was released after processing, while another was released under judicial supervision. The remaining 11 people are still undergoing procedures at the chief public prosecutor’s office.
The Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, is accused by the Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of masterminding a failed coup and is labeled a “terrorist organization,” although the movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement following the abortive putsch in 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny any involvement.
In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.