But he warned that the new draconian measures “pave the way for more injustice, will increase pressure on society”, adding that the new 30-day pre-charge detention “amounts to a torture in itself”.
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Meanwhile, Turkey’s government is setting up an inner cabinet to oversee the implementation of the state of emergency it declared after the botched coup, ramping up the effort to purge the influence of its accused mastermind. However, concerns have been voiced about the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. Turkey is also a key North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member, with the second largest standing military force in the alliance.
Reinforcing that message, the YAS meeting – which usually takes place every August – will be held this time in the presidential palace, not as is customary at the headquarters of the military General Staff.
Turkey’s Supreme Military Council (YAS) will meet under Erdogan’s supervision on July 28.
Speaking in an interview with the Reuters press agency on Thursday, Erdogan said he planned to restructure the armed forces and bring in “fresh blood”.
Those freed were said to be low-ranking soldiers.
Due to that, the US President, Barack Obama, asked for real proofs that show the participation of Gulen in the insurgent activities occurred last week, since Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, affirmed Turkey was in negotiations and expected to complete the Gulen’s extradition to open a trial in Turkey because of his subversive actions.
Parliament must approve the decree but this only requires a simple majority, which the governing AK Party has.
Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz said the new teachers will replace state educators who have been dismissed as well as teachers in private schools with alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric who has denied Turkish accusations that he directed the coup attempt that killed about 290 people.
Gulen’s movement known as Hizmet, once claimed as many as 2,000 officers within the Turkish military prior to crackdowns by Turkish President Erdogan.
Rights group Amnesty International said it had received credible evidence of detainees being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, since the coup attempt.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew met Mr. Simsek at the G-20 and said in a statement afterward that the U.S. supports Turkey’s elected government.
Earlier Saturday, Muhammet Sait Gulen, Fettulah Gulen’s nephew, was arrested on the orders of the chief prosecutor of Ankara.
The secularists have said their denouncement of the coup does not mean carte blanche for the measures the government will try to enact in the failed coup’s wake.
Conkar, co-chair of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, said the coup attempt on July 15 was quickly revealed to be a terrorist action and pro-coup soldiers fired on Turkish civilians, bombed the Turkish parliament and the presidential complex. The country’s leaders were not immediately arrested and removed from the public eye and while State broadcasting was taken over, the internet was still functioning – so everyone was aware of what was going on.
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Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday authorities had taken around 13,000 people into custody over the coup attempt, including 8,831 soldiers.
