Turkey coup arrests hit 6,000 as Erdogan roots out ‘virus’
Turkish authorities have continued their crackdown in the aftermath of an attempted coup, with more than 6,000 people detained as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s revenge mission raises fears for the future of democracy in the region.
On Saturday night, thousands of supporters poured onto the streets of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to demonstrate their loyalty to Mr Erdogan after a tumultuous 24 hours.
In an astonishing and at times brutal 13-and-a-half hours, which at one point reduced Mr Erdogan to broadcasting to his nation via a mobile phone, street protests and military forces loyal to the Turkish leader suppressed the coup that left at least 290 dead.
Turkish authorities on Sunday announced 6,000 people including generals had been detained in the aftermath.
World leaders including US President Barack Obama have strongly condemned the attempted putsch but also urged Turkey to respect the rule of law in its aftermath, especially after pictures emerged showing the rough treatment of some coup plotters when arrested.
“The clean-up operations are continuing,” Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said.
Arrest warrants were issued for 2,745 judges in what was widely expected to mark the start of a purge of opposition forces.
“They will pay a heavy price for this,” he warned, calling for the death penalty to be reintroduced.
“This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army,” the president said in response to the bloodiest challenge to his 13-year-rule.
However, senior Western diplomats were privately voicing fears that Mr Erdogan would use the coup to entrench his powers.
