Information from Turkish government and media sources shows the extent of arrests and sackings since last month’s failed coup

Turkey’s wide-ranging crackdown since the attempted coup on 15 July has alarmed rights groups and observers. The situation is fast-changing, and comprehensive figures are not always available. The information used below, taken from Turkish government and media figures, was up to date as of 19 August.

Turkish authorities say 173 of the 240 dead were civilians killed by gunfire or tanks in Istanbul and Ankara. Several people were killed when soldiers opened fire on civilian protesters on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, since renamed as the 15th July Martyr’s Bridge.

At least 18 died in clashes between rogue soldiers and local residents in Çengelköy, a district on the Asian side of Istanbul bordering the Bosphorus. Sixty-two police officers were killed by the coup plotters, 42 of whom died in twin attacks on police headquarters just outside the capital, Ankara, in the early hours of 16 July. Five soldiers died on the side of those who opposed the coup. The Turkish government says at least 24 putschists were also killed during clashes.



According to the prime minister, Binali Yıldırım, 40,029 state employees have been detained since the night of the coup attempt, of whom 20,355 have been formally arrested. Of those in detention, 4,262 are awaiting a decision on whether they will be formally arrested or released.

The overwhelming majority of those arrested are police officers and military personnel, including 157 generals. To date, at least 2,131 judges and prosecutors with suspected ties to the Gülen movement have been arrested.

Outside the state professions, journalists have also been detained. According to data collected by the media platform P24, 44 journalists have been formally arrested, while 14 others are in custody. These numbers do not include pro-Kurdish journalists who were detained under a state of emergency but outside the investigation into possible coup plotters.

Additionally, the interior ministry says 75,000 people have had their passports cancelled.

Tens of thousands of people have been dismissed from their posts in a purge of state and civic institutions. In addition to the sackings, almost 80,000 civil servants have been suspended, including thousands of teachers and academics.

On 23 July, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, signed an emergency decree that allowed for the closure of institutions linked to the exiled Islamist cleric Fethullah Gülen. In total, 4,262 institutions have been shut down.