Türkiye updates top security doc to include 'parallel structures'

ANKARA

Türkiye's top secret national security document, colloquially known as the "red book," now reportedly includes new measures to combat "parallel structurings within the state."

The updated National Security Policy Document (MGSB), often referred to as the "secret constitution," says no structure or formation will be allowed to operate as a parallel entity within the state, media reports said.

FETÖ, the group behind the failed coup attempt in 2016, is now specifically mentioned in the document, according to private broadcaster CNN Türk.

The organization, led by U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen, attempted a coup that resulted in the deaths of over 250 people and injured around 2,700.

According to official figures from 2022, more than 330,000 individuals with ties to FETÖ have been detained in Türkiye, with nearly 20,000 currently serving prison sentences.

FETÖ is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, Turkish Cyprus, Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The move follows a comprehensive operation last month in which security units apprehended 544 suspects across 62 provinces.

The suspects were allegedly linked to FETÖ and had plans to infiltrate various levels of the civil service, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a social media post on May 14.

Among them were users of ByLock, the encrypted messaging application employed by the group. These individuals were directed to participate in civil service entrance exams with the instructions of the organization's supervisors, the minister said.

In addition, the PKK is now also named in the document. It is also recognized as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had earlier directed the National Security Council’s (MGK) general secretariat to revise the top security document.

The revision process involved gathering opinions from various ministries and related organizations. The updated document was expected to be discussed at the MGK meeting in early April.

The update aimed to provide an assessment of both internal and external risks faced by the state, reports said.

The previous discussion of the MGSB took place during an MGK meeting on Sept. 30, 2019.

The contents of the document, comprising two distinct parts, have traditionally remained undisclosed to the public.

For his part, Erdoğan has recently pledged resolute action against any form of "bureaucratic tutelage.”

The president's remarks on May 15 come on the heels of the suspension of senior police officers in the capital Ankara amid ongoing investigations into a criminal organization.

Erdoğan drew parallels to the infiltration of FETÖ within state institutions. He emphasized the government's stance against any resurgence of such clandestine groups.