How a failed coup in Turkey triggered the largest purge in the nation's history.
In short: Following the 2016 coup attempt, the Turkish government launched a massive, years-long campaign to cleanse its institutions. What began as a response to mutinous soldiers rapidly expanded into a systematic removal of civil servants, journalists, and academics, fundamentally reshaping the country's political landscape and silencing dissent under the guise of security.
The failed coup on 15 July 2016 served as a catalyst for a sweeping state of emergency. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan famously described the uprising as a gift from God, providing the necessary justification to purge the military and broader state apparatus. Within the first week, tens of thousands were detained or dismissed, including 2,745 judges—roughly 36% of the judiciary—who were removed on 16 July alone. By February 2025, the total number of purged public employees reached 300,000, representing about 10% of the country's entire public workforce.
The purges extended far beyond the military. The government targeted the Gülen movement, which it blamed for the coup, but critics argue the campaign was a broader power struggle against secularists and political opponents. Possession of books by Fethullah Gülen became grounds for arrest, while a software program called Fetometre was used to profile and identify perceived critics. By 2025, officials admitted that many dismissals were not directly linked to the coup, suggesting a strategy of widespread political profiling rather than evidence-based removals.
Economic and media sectors faced similar crackdowns. Authorities seized assets from over a thousand companies worth up to $60 billion, while dozens of television channels, newspapers, and publishing houses were shuttered. Turkey became the world's largest jailer of journalists, with many labeled as terrorists for their work. Furthermore, the government systematically removed elected Kurdish mayors, replacing them with state-appointed officials. These actions, combined with travel bans and the cancellation of tens of thousands of passports, left many purged citizens in a state of permanent economic and social exclusion.
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