Since July 15, when a military coup attempt shook the nation, Turkey has been going through major upheaval. With the state of emergency, the government assumed extraordinary powers, which led to the suspension or firing of more than 100,000 public servants and the arrest of some 30,000 people from various walks of life. And now, even those who initially supported this major purge are raising questions, if not alarm.

I was among those who initially supported the purge, with reservations and warnings, because the coup plot was apparently not merely the work of some rogue officers, but a much larger “state within the state” established by the Islamic cult led by Fethullah Gulen. So the government had the right to dismantle this network, which was not only responsible for many past crimes, but could also constitute future threats.

Of note, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s secularist rival, also initially supported the purge. “Removal of coup supporters is normal,” said CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu on July 28, also identifying these coup supporters as members of the Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization (FETO), the name Ankara uses to refer to Gulenists. However, as the purge continued with increasing zeal and scope, Kilicdaroglu’s concerns increased, as did those of many other independent observers. “The Turkish government is going too far,” Kilicdaroglu declared Aug. 28. A report prepared by his party further warned Sept. 5 that even “leftists [and] Ataturk supporters” were now targeted in what has turned into a “witch hunt.”

So, what exactly has gone wrong?