WikiLeaks to release Turkey power structure documents

WikiLeaks has said it is planning to release documents on Turkey’s political power structure, after a failed coup attempt over the weekend that left hundreds dead, thousands injured and more than 7,500 suspects in custody.

“Get ready for a fight as we release 100k+ docs on #Turkey’s political power structure,” the whistle-blowing organisation said on Monday via its official Twitter feed.

The first batch will contain 300 thousand emails and 500 thousand documents and  most of the material will be in Turkish, WikiLeaks said.

https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/755058456378351616

OPINION: The people defeated the coup in Turkey

The organisation also claimed that the Turkish government will attempt to censor the distribution of the documents, and urged the Turkish public to be ready to bypass any government attempts at blocking access to the material.

“Turks will likely be censored to prevent them reading our pending release of 100k+ docs on politics leading up to the coup,” the organisation said on Twitter.

ANNOUNCE: Get ready for a fight as we release 100k+ docs on #Turkey's political power structure. #TurkeyCoup #Soon pic.twitter.com/dhJuWza4Es

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 18, 2016

“We ask that Turks are ready with censorship bypassing systems such as TorBrowser and uTorrent. And that everyone else is ready to help them bypass censorship and push our links through the censorship to come.”

WikiLeaks later shared a link for a torrent browser.

READ MORE: Turkish political parties unite against coup attempt

The announcement caused excitement in Turkey with thousands of Twitter users sharing the organisation’s tweets. But public opinion on the subject was divided.

While many people celebrated the announcement and argued that the leaks may “finally shed some light on the coup attempt”, others questioned the timing of the release.

https://twitter.com/H4S4ND/status/755030485827543040

Looks like wikileaks will add some fuel to the Turkish fire… Questionable timing of course… https://t.co/e7RVl61yPA

— Peter Nut (@nipped) July 18, 2016

Some claimed that the documents will likely be “fake”, and will be used to make President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP government look “weak” or even “guilty”.

https://twitter.com/aslabirdaha/status/755031841904680960

Some Turkish Twitter users also accused WikiLeaks of supporting the coup attempt. WikiLeaks responded by maintaining its neutrality and support for open access to information.

Turks ask whether WikiLeaks is pro or anti-AKP. Neither. Our only position is that truth is the way forward. 100k+ docs serves all sides.

Turks ask whether WikiLeaks is pro or anti-AKP. Neither. Our only position is that truth is the way forward. 100k+ docs serves all sides.

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 18, 2016

A faction in the Turkish military attempted to stage a coup late on Friday night. In dramatic scenes, tanks blocked bridges in Istanbul, jets were seen in the skies over at least two cities, and the parliament and the headquarters of the intelligences services were strafed with gunfire from attack helicopters. 

At least 290 people were killed and more than 1400 wounded. Erdogan has blamed a high-profile former ally who has since become a bitter rival, Fethullah Gulen, for the attempt. 

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that more than 7,500 suspects had been detained in connection to the coup attempt.