Detention warrants issued for seven suspects in Gülen case, including famous Turkish singer

ISTANBUL

Relatives of the suspects wait in front of the entrance of Silivri Prison.

Detention warrants were issued for seven suspects in a case into the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) late on March 31, hours after they were released from jail. 

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued warrants for Atilla Taş, Ali Akkuş, Hüseyin Aydın, Murat Aksoy, Mustafa Erkan Acar, Seyid Kılıç and Yetkin Yıldız, who are being tried in a case into the “media leg” of the followers of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, said to have masterminded the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

The latest detention warrants were issued for “attempting to remove the constitutional order” and “attempting to remove the government of the Turkish Republic.” 

The detention warrants were issued hours after the Istanbul 25th Heavy Penal Court ruled for the release of a total of 21 suspects, including singer Atilla Taş.  

As a part of the investigation, detention warrants were previously issued for Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Yakup Çetin, Bünyamin Köseli, Cihan Acar, Abdullah Kılıç and Oğuz Usluer. The detention warrants were therefore issued for a total of 13 suspects out of the 21 who the court had ruled to release. 

They will be kept in detention for up to seven days before being charged. 

The case’s prosecutor appealed against the decision to release Hanım Büşra Erdal, Ahmet Memiş, Bayram Kaya, Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Cuma Ulus, Habib Güler, Halil İbrahim Balta and Muhammet Said Kuloğlu, and the Istanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court accepted the appeal. 

As a result, the 21 suspects for whom the release decision was made could not be released due to the new detention warrants and appeals.