Turkish police have conducted mass raids in 54 provinces across the country. The suspects have been accused of using an encrypted messaging application authorities say was used by coup plotters.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Bozoglu
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Six months and some 40,000 official arrests after July's foiled coup attempt, Turkish authorities on Wednesday conducted mass raids against army personnel believed to have been involved in the military's bid to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Following the raids, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported that prosecutors had issued arrest warrants against 243 military personnel.
They suspects are accused of using the encrypted smartphone messaging application, Bylock, which authorities say was used by the network of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Islamic cleric Ankara accuses of orchestrating July's coup attempt.
As part of Erdogan's purge against opposition forces following the foiled coup, about 100,000 civil servants have been fired or suspended from their posts. Academics and teachers have also lost their jobs, while leading media have been shut down.
Turkey's parliament on Friday approved a series of constitutional amendments in a first parliamentary vote effectively, expanding Erdogan's executive powers. The bill requires two more votes in parliament, with at least 330 parliamentarians voting in favor, before it heads to a national referendum.
Erdogan pledges new Turkey
After three weeks of daily pro-Erdogan rallies, 80 cities held final demonstrations on Sunday as the nation faces ongoing purges and a divided populace. Diego Cupolo reports from Ankara.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Call to the streets
During last month’s coup attempt, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on supporters to help defeat military personnel trying to overthrow his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Having thwarted the attempt and crediting much his success to loyalists who filled the street, Erdogan has since asked followers to come out for nightly "Democracy Watch" rallies.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Once repressed, now empowered
On Sunday, the final rallies were held, with a crowd of 2 million in Istanbul and about 10,000 in Ankara. Nearly 80 cities hosted demonstrations in support of Erdogan’s AKP, which is Turkey’s first party with Islamic leanings to survive a military coup. Supporters viewed the victory as a triumph over the republic’s cyclical coups and secular constitution.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Optimism about a new Turkey
Speaking from Istanbul, Erdogan promised to "rebuild Turkey from scratch" and the mood was optimistic among supporters. Lale Alici, (not pictured) an Ankara-based real estate agent who has attended every rally since the coup attempt, said: "When the purges are finished, Turkey will accelerate its development because those who infiltrated our government will no longer be a burden on our country."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'We will be a big power'
Atalay, (not pictured) an interior designer who didn’t give his full name, said he supported Erdogan because he’s bringing Turkey to the world stage. "Erdogan’s telling the world we’re here and we’ll be a big power," he said. "Even if you don’t like it, you’ll have to accept it. The world’s bigger than the [seven countries in the G7.]"
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Exclusion of HDP
Though many attending Sunday’s rallies said they were defending democracy, opponents noted the country’s third-largest political party, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), was not allowed at the events. "As a Kurd, I can’t go to these rallies because I don’t feel safe," said Havva Ozcan, (not pictured) co-chair of Tuhad-Fed, a prisoners' rights organization. "Not everyone’s welcome."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'Temporary socialism'
Ozcan also said the rallies received full government support, while other forms of protest have been largely banned. Attendees were not only given free water and food, but the entire public transportation systems in Ankara and Istanbul have been free over the last three weeks to encourage mass mobilization."We are seeing a temporary socialism in Turkey," Ozcan said.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Social media surge
Normally blocked during national emergencies, social media has taken on a prominent place since the coup attempt. From Erdogan’s FaceTime speech to Periscope videos portraying violence against civilians, opponents complained the government allowed uninterrupted access to social media sites only because they proved advantageous. Turkish service providers also gave customers free data packages.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Empty bars
Local businesses have also been hit hard, with some bars in the central Ankara seeing fewer customers since the rallies began. "Business has been affected, of course, but this about much more than business," said Can, a bar manager in Kizilay who only gave his first name. "These rallies are a sign that worse things will come soon."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'This is training'
Some have viewed the rallies as a way for the AKP to strengthen its support base. Speaking on condition of anonymity, Mohammed, a Syrian refugee who witnessed the Egyptian coup and is now living in Turkey, said the rallies were "training for Erdogan’s followers" and that "soon he may ask them to organize against another movement he doesn’t like."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Renaming public spaces
From Ankara’s Kizilay Square (pictured above after the coup night) to Istanbul’s Bosporus Bridge, prominent sites throughout Turkey have been renamed to honor those who lost their lives during the coup attempt. Now people travelling from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side will cross the "The Martyrs' of July 15th" bridge.
