Türkiye updates top security doc to include 'parallel structures'

Türkiye's top secret national security document, colloquially known as the "red book," now reportedly includes new measures to combat "parallel structurings within the state."

The updated National Security Policy Document (MGSB), often referred to as the "secret constitution," says no structure or formation will be allowed to operate as a parallel entity within the state, media reports said.

FETÖ, the group behind the failed coup attempt in 2016, is now specifically mentioned in the document, according to private broadcaster CNN Türk.

The organization, led by U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen, attempted a coup that resulted in the deaths of over 250 people and injured around 2,700.

According to official figures from 2022, more than 330,000 individuals with ties to FETÖ have been detained in Türkiye, with nearly 20,000 currently serving prison sentences.

FETÖ is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, Turkish Cyprus, Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The move follows a comprehensive operation last month in which security units apprehended 544 suspects across 62 provinces.

The suspects were allegedly linked to FETÖ and had plans to infiltrate various levels of the civil service, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a social media post on May 14.

Among them were users of ByLock, the encrypted messaging application employed by the group. These individuals were directed to participate in civil service entrance exams with the instructions of the organization's supervisors, the minister said.

In addition, the PKK is now also named in the document. It is also recognized as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan...