Some 38,000 prisoners to be released under probation scheme reform - minister

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag addresses the Turkish Parliament during a debate in Ankara in this March 19, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/Files

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Some 38,000 prisoners jailed in Turkey are to be released under a reform of a "supervised release" scheme announced in a government decree issued on Wednesday, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag wrote on Twitter. The reform, which will enable many prisoners to leave jail early on probation, was made as the country's prison system, already overstretched, faces the increased burden of 10,000s of people detained in relation to last month's attempted military coup. (Writing by Daren Butler, editing by Dasha Afanasieva)