| ISTANBUL
Turkey began freeing 38,000
prisoners on Wednesday, after announcing a penal reform that will make space
for tens of thousands of suspects rounded up over last month's attempted coup.
The reform was one of a series
of measures outlined on Wednesday in two decrees under a state of emergency
declared after the July 15 failed putsch during which 240 people were killed.
The government gave no reason
for measure, but its prisons were already straining capacity before the mass
arrests that followed the coup.
Western allies worry President
Tayyip Erdogan, already accused by opponents of creeping authoritarianism, is
using the crackdown to target dissent, testing relations with a key NATO
partner in the war on Islamic State.
Angrily dismissing those
concerns, Turkish officials say they are rooting out a serious internal threat
from followers of a U.S.-based cleric.
Wednesday's decrees, published
in the Official Gazette, also ordered the dismissal of 2,360 more police
officers, more than 100 military personnel and 196 staff at Turkey's
information and communication technology authority, BTK.
Those dismissed were described
as having links to cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan turned
enemy. Erdogan says Gulen was behind the attempt by rogue troops using tanks
and jets to overthrow the government. Gulen denies involvement.
Under the penal reform,
convicts with up to two years left in sentences are eligible for release on
probation, extending the period from one year. The "supervised
release" excludes those convicted of terrorism, murder, violent or sexual
crimes.
"I'm really happy to be
released from jail. I wasn't expecting anything like this," prisoner
Turgay Aydin was quoted by Andolu news agency telling reporters outside Turkey's
largest prison Silivri, west of Istanbul. "I thank President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. I've come to my senses. After this I will try to be a better, cleaner
person."
In an interview with A Haber
television, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 38,000 people would initially be
released, but as many as 93,000 could benefit from the program.
To be eligible for the scheme,
prisoners must have served half of their sentences. Previously they were
required to have already served two thirds of their sentences.
According to justice ministry
data obtained by Anadolu agency, there were 213,499 prisoners in jail as of
Aug. 16, more than 26,000 above prison capacity.
Another measure in the decrees
gave the president more choice in appointing the head of the armed forces. He
can now select any general as military chief. Previously only the heads of the
army, navy or air force could be promoted to the post.
A telecoms authority will also
be closed under the moves.
Erdogan says Gulen and his
followers infiltrated government institutions to create a 'parallel state' in
an attempt to take over the country.
Alongside tens of thousands of
civil servants suspended or dismissed, more than 35,000 people have been
detained in the purge. Judges, journalists, police, and teachers are among
those targeted for suspected links to Gulen's movement.
Turkish police on Tuesday
searched the offices of a nationwide retail chain and a healthcare and
technology company, detaining executives who authorities accuse of helping
finance Gulen's network.
FIRST 'COUP' INDICTMENT
A prosecutor in the western
province of Usak has submitted the first indictment formally accusing Gulen of
masterminding the coup plot, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.
An 11-month investigation
focused on alleged wrongdoing by the Gulen movement from 2013, and now includes
charges Gulen organized an armed terrorist group to topple the government,
scrap the constitution and murder Erdogan on July 15.
The 2,257-page indictment
seeks two life sentences and an additional 1,900 years in jail for Gulen, plus
tens of millions of lira in fines, Anadolu said. It names 111 defendants,
including 13 people who are already in custody.
U.S. officials have been
cautious on the extradition of Gulen, saying they need clear evidence. He has
lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.
Western criticism of the purge
and Ankara's demands that the United States send Gulen home have already frayed
ties with Washington and the European Union, increasing tensions over an EU
deal with Turkey to stem the flow of migrants.
In another tense exchange,
Turkey lashed out at Germany on Wednesday, saying allegations in a media report
that Turkey had become a hub for Islamist groups reflected a "twisted
mentality" that tried to target Erdogan.
Incensed over a perceived lack
of Western sympathy over the coup attempt, Erdogan has revived relations with
Russia, a detente Western officials worry may be used by both leaders to
pressure the European Union and NATO.
Measures in Wednesday's
decrees will also enable former air force pilots to return to duty, making up
for a deficit after the dismissal of military pilots in the purge.
Turkey declared a three-month
state of emergency on July 21, and decrees since then have dismissed thousands
of security force members and shut thousands of private schools, charities and
other institutions suspected of links to Gulen.
(Additional reporting by Ayla
Jean Yackley; Editing by Patrick Markey, Anna Willard and Peter Graff)
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