Turkey has now fired or suspended about 50,000 people after a failed coup over the weekend as it intensifies its vast purge – battering the country’s security forces and many of its democratic institutions.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the nation is imposing a three-month state of emergency in the aftermath of last week’s bloody coup attempt.
The country, observers say, could veer deeper into the authoritarian conduct that Erdogan has increasingly been accused of, or it could eventually honor pledges to uphold democracy after a temporary suspension of freedoms. But the fact remains that if the coup had been successful, Turkey would have lost its democratically elected government to yet another military junta. He has denied any involvement in the abortive coup.
“The terrorist organization who attempted the coup, it should be disposed of rapidly”, Erdogan said in a televised address.
Some Western leaders have voiced concern he is using the opportunity to firm his grip on power.
Authorities also removed from office about 9,000 police, almost 3,000 judges, 15,200 teachers and others in the education realm, 1,577 university deans, 8,777 interior ministry officials, 1,500 finance officials and 257 employees of the prime minister’s office.
In order to change the constitution without a referendum, Erdogan’s party will need support from 367 members in Turkey’s 550-seat parliament, Cavusoglu said. It needs 330 votes to hold a referendum.
Aaron Stein, a Turkey scholar at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, said there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with more civilian control over the military.
The statement said that the ministry “is continuing work in this direction”, and “the public will be informed about the developments”.
“It is ridiculous, irresponsible and false to suggest I had anything to do with the horrific failed coup”.
Erdogan accused Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen as mastermind for the coupt attempt and demanded that the USA government extradite Gulen.
– 1,577 university deans have been asked to resign.
Reuters reported that on Tuesday that 257 employees from Yildirim own office had been removed from duty.
Last year, a Turkish court overturned an order to close Gulen-linked schools in the country. But since the coup attempt, Turkey has also sacked 2,745 judges.
On Tuesday, foreign media were taken on a tour of government buildings that were targeted by F-16 air strikes, including the headquarters of the Turkish special forces police where 47 officers were killed.
A Turkish intelligence official said he believes elements of the Gulen movement have infiltrated opposition political parties.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Thursday that the government planned to suspend the European Convention on Human Rights, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
“We will dig them up by their roots”, he told parliament.
Erdogan has vowed to clean the “virus” responsible for the plot from all state institutions.
Erdogan said the government has sent request to the U.S. for extradition of Gulen.
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However, a White House spokesman said Gulen is protected by the law, noting that President Barack Obama has discussed Gulen’s extradition request with Erdogan by telephone. Any extradition request from Turkey, once submitted, would be evaluated under the terms of a treaty between the two countries, he added.
