More than 35 judges, prosecutors dismissed in Turkey

By Aylin Sirikli

ANKARA

The Council of Judges and Prosecutors dismissed 39 judges and prosecutors Thursday after they were accused of being linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a source at the council said.

The decision was taken after a probe into digital material, including records of encrypted programs that FETO members use and information gleaned from statements and confessions of judges and prosecutors, the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

After the recent dismissals, the number of judges and prosecutors who lost their jobs for alleged FETO links has reached 4,560.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

FETO is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.