Guilty by association, major coup suspect’s brother denied request to change surname

As Turkey has been going after family members of the suspects it failed to locate, A. Öksüz, the brother of the major coup suspect Adil Öksüz, was denied request to change his surname.

An assistant professor at the faculty of Turkish literature at Karabuk University, A. Öksüz was dismissed from his job as part of a nation-wide witch hunt against the perceived followers of the Gulen movement, which the government accuses of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt. Under pre-trial arrest since Aug 3, 2016, Öksüz faces up to 10 years in prison.

Öksüz attempted to legally change his surname in order to escape persecution caused by name similarity. However, a Karabuk court refused his request despite his statement that he has not gotten in touch with his brother for the past 10 years.

Namesake with Adil Öksüz, a Kahramanmaraş man earlier changed his surname after he was detained on multiple occasions.

“I had to explain myself for hours during controls by police and soldiers,” Öksüz, who changed his surname into Cankurt told Turkish media in January, this year.

Turkish government has so far detained 94,000 people and arrested 47,000 over the faintest –true or alleged– links to the Gülen movement.

Critics often blast the government for a massive purge it is carrying out that violates the principle of individual criminal responsibility. Meanwhile, question marks are yet to simmer down also over accusations against the actual suspect Adil Öksüz as he was released after being detained immediately after the coup attempt.

Öksüz has been at large since then.