Police officers, academic, journalist detained while fleeing massive witch-hunt in Turkey

A total of seven Turkish citizens were detained while they were attempting to flee to Romania over Bulgaria, according to Turkish media.

Seven people including three police officers dismissed under post-coup emergency rules, an Osmaniye based reporter for the government-confiscated Zaman newspaper, a teacher, an academic and a small business owner were detained by Bulgarian customs authorities while they were en route to Romania in a truck, on Wednesday.

Media said Bulgaria handed over seven suspects to Turkish officials in the border province of Edirne on Friday.

Thousands of people have fled Turkey due to a massive witch-hunt launched by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government against sympathizers of the Gülen movement in the wake of a failed coup attempt on July 15.

The government accuses the movement of masterminding the coup despite lack of any evidence to this effect.

Turkey experienced a military coup attempt on July 15 that killed over 240 people and wounded more than a thousand others. Immediately after the putsch, the AKP government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement.

The movement denies any involvement.

More than 105,000 people have been purged from state bodies, 72,000 detained and some 34,000 arrested since the coup attempt. Arrestees include journalists, judges, prosecutors, police and military officers, academics, governors and even a comedian.