The attempted military coup orchestrated by the former ally of the regime, the Gülen brotherhood, on the night of July 15, 2016 provided the opportunity for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s to undertake a civilian coup attempt to destroy any possibility and ability of opposition to the dictatorial regime it is trying to forge. The arrest on Friday, November 4, of spokespersons, leaders, and members of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a left party from the Kurdish movement, is making a decisive step in the construction of this Islamo-nationalist dictatorship.

The arbitrariness of the state of emergency declared following the attempted coup allowed the “Duce” of Ankara to undertake a restructuring of the entire state apparatus and public service. Tens of thousands have been laid off, dismissed, and arrested under anti-terrorist operations. More than one hundred media outlets (newspapers, television, radio, and magazines) have been banned, and thousands of associations, schools, foundations, universities, and hospitals have been closed.

Beyond potential followers (or not) of the Gülen brotherhood, these extremely repressive measures have also targeted activists and sympathizers of the Kurdish cause and the radical left. More than ten thousand members of leftist unions have been suspended from duty or directly excluded from the public service. Almost all Kurdish and Turkish leftist media have been banned.