The Turkish authorities are building more than 50 new prisons to accommodate expected new arrests of members of the Gulen movement, a senior government official told media on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at a ceremony to mark the new judicial year in Ankara, Justice Ministry Undersecretary Kenan Ipek said 50 new prisons, each of whom has the capacity for 1,000 prisoners, are being constructed for sympathizers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
His remarks appeared to confirm rumors about a massive wave of new arrests in a sweeping crackdown against Gulenists.
The Turkish government holds Mr. Gulen and his followers responsible for a failed coup last year. The cleric rejects any link to the abortive coup, which killed 250 people and wounded nearly 2,000.
The Turkish government unleashed a massive crackdown against real and perceived members of the movement in the aftermath of the coup. More than 50,000 people have been jailed, while 150,000 or more public servants fired in government purge.
