In a move seen as paving the way for further purging of his opponents, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in Turkey after a coup attempt Friday failed to topple him and his government.
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He described those who were killed fighting against the coup as “martyrs”, praising their “heroic bravery”.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the state of emergency in a live television broadcast, saying it is not against democracy, rule of law or freedoms, but rather is aimed at protecting these values and strengthening them. Turkey’s defense ministry has also sacked at least 262 military court judges and prosecutors, according to Turkish media reports.
Earlier yesterday US Secretary of State John Kerry, flanked by allied foreign ministers, said that while “we condemn this coup”, it was important that the response to it “fully respects that democracy that we are supporting”. He didn’t specify exactly what the state of emergency would entail.
During the pivotal hours of the coup last weekend, when it seemed as if the bid to oust Erdogan might have been successful, many commentators observed that Turkey’s military was the bastion of secular authority in the country – the last remaining pillar of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s de-Islamification program.
For an alleged offence by Gulen to qualify as political, “he has to say, essentially, “I’m not being accused of a crime but I’m being accused because I’m an enemy of the government”, said Ronald Hedges, a former U.S. magistrate judge who presided at extradition hearings.
Mr Erdogan, who was in the Aegean resort of Marmaris when the coup struck late on Friday, flew to Istanbul where he had stayed since, appearing before supporters each night. “Did they not arrest people in very high numbers?” Erdogan and Gulen were once allies, but had a falling out over 2013 corruption investigations in Turkey, which the Turkish leader blamed on Gulen. They’re really going far and above what’s usually involved in responding to a coup d’etat….
“That includes a commitment to due process …”
Cracking down on alleged subversives in education, Turkey also said Wednesday that it would close more than 600 private schools and dormitories following the attempted coup, spurring fears that the state’s move against perceived enemies is throwing key institutions in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally into disarray.
Turkey has repeatedly named Gulen as the instigator of its turmoil and demands his extradition from the United States.
Erdogan told French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault “to mind his own business” after he warned Ankara over the crackdown after the coup in Turkey.
If the crackdown continues, Turkey will lose its status as a candidate country for the European Union and the Council of Europe, Rinkevics said.
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On a related matter, Carter said military operations at the air base in Incirlik, Turkey, should be back to normal shortly.
