Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan tightened his grip on his country Saturday in the wake of the failed military coup – seizing more than 2,250 social, educational and health-care institutions he claims pose a threat to national security.
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In his first decree Erdogan ordered the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and foundations with suspected links to Gulen, who denies involvement in the coup.
He was accused of organizing the coup d’état last 15 July, but as stated by Gulen, who is now in the United States territory seeking for political asylum, he was not linked to the failed attempt to overthrow the current government in Ankara.
The video, released by police and broadcast by Turkish media, shows soldiers ushering men in suits, some of them with their hands bound, around a club area.
The meeting, which normally takes place every August at the headquarters of the military’s General Staff, will this time be held in the presidential palace.
The President, whose AK Party has Islamist roots, did more than just “cleanse” the armed forces: he carried out a wholescale purge of the army, police, judiciary, civil service and educators.
“Even opponents of President Erdogan pushed back hard against the idea that the military should overthrow a democratically elected government”, Obama said.
He said a new coup was still possible but would be easy.
Parliament must still approve the decree but requires only a simply majority, which the government has.
The supporters of the regime have become known as the “Democracy Watch”. “We support completely the efforts to bring the perpetrators of the coup to justice”.
More rallies were planned over the weekend in many towns and cities.
A Turkish flag flies near the Bosporus strait prior to the Bosporus Cross-Continental Swimming Race in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, July 24, 2016.
Mr. Brennan, speaking Tuesday evening to an audience at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, described the setting US officials were in Friday night when the attempted coup was unfolding.
“Turkey is understandably concerned with public security at the moment, but no circumstances can ever justify torture and other ill-treatment or arbitrary detention”, said Amnesty’s Europe director John Dalhuisen. Lawyers say that process could take many years.
At the G-20 finance ministers’ meeting in Chengdu, China, the final communique on Sunday made no reference to Turkey, resisting the Turkish government’s push for a statement of support and requests by some other countries for language warning of the economic risks of the purge.
In Ankara, the minister for European Union affairs chided Western countries for not sending any representatives to demonstrate their solidarity with Turks since the coup attempt.
Erdogan will probably try to capitalise on the large size of the crowd of all political persuasions to try and reassert full control over the country, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally and an important partner in the US -led fight against Islamic State.
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More than 13,000 people, including almost 9,000 soldiers, 2,100 judges and prosecutors and 1,485 police, have been detained in Turkey’s post-rebellion crackdown, according to the president.
