Terrorism sponsor: Erdogan controlling Turkey's judiciary for to protect terrorists (3 – 4)

In previous episodes of this series on relations between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and terror leaders, we focused on the protection the Turkish president and the Turkish intelligence agency offered these leaders.

In this episode, we will focus on Erdogan's exploitation of the presumed July 2016 coup in getting rid of his opponents and eradicating opposition inside Turkish state institutions, especially inside the judiciary.

Erdogan ordered the sacking of over 4,500 judges and attorneys. He ordered the detention of 4,463 other judges and 1,546 lawyers.

In sacking these people, Turkish authorities accused these judges and lawyers of having links with Turkish opposition leader Fethullah Gulen.

This is increasing the influence of the Turkish president inside the judiciary. This is also why Turkish courts are clearing terrorists in their hundreds.

Erdogan's government had sacked the judges, attorneys and police officials who used to investigate terrorists and terrorist organizations in Syria and Libya.

Consequently, Turkish courts are passing bizarre verdicts. One of the courts considered the jihadist organization Ahrar al-Sham not to be a terrorist organization.

The court said Ahrar al-Sham did not participate in any terrorist activity that necessitates a terrorist designation.

Nevertheless, German and Dutch courts designated the same group a "terrorist" one.

However, the judges considering the status of the group looked over reports about its cooperation with other militant groups in Syria, including some designated "terrorist" by the United Nations Security Council.

Turkish courts also ordered the release of a Turkish extremist accused of joining al-Nusra Front in Syria.

The release order came after the man confessed that he had joined this terrorist organization in Syria.