“Universities have always been crucial for military juntas in Turkey and certain individuals are believed to be in contact with cells within the military”, the official said.
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Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen speaks to members of the media at his compound, Sunday, July 17, 2016, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Turkish officials have blamed a failed coup attempt on Gulen, who denies the accusation.
Erdogan’s post-coup purge of state institutions has since been extended to the education sector.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says Turkey’s state of emergency should only last as long as it’s “absolutely necessary”.
Following the coup attempt, eight Turkish military personnel fled to Greece on a helicopter and on Tuesday appeared before authorities to pursue applications for asylum.
More than 9,000 suspects have been detained, including some of Turkey’s most senior generals, who are accused of being the ringleaders of the plot.
The lira hit a 10-month low in early trade on Wednesday, touching 3.063 to the dollar. The cost of insuring Turkish debt against default also surged.
After a cabinet meeting to discuss plans to stablilise the country, President Recip Tayyip Erdogan gave a live television address, where he said he would work as President and Commander in Chief with armed forces to cleanse a “virus” from the military. The two pilots have been detained. Erdogan said he was nearly killed or captured by the mutineers.
“Even Gulen himself said that ‘someone who loves us might be among those conducted the coup”, Kalin said.
Yildirim said 208 people were killed during the coup bid, including 145 civilians, 60 police and three loyalist soldiers.
According to the Anadolu news agency, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called Yildirim on Sunday night and confirmed that the extradition process had begun.
Statements by the President and government officials that the death penalty could be brought in retrospectively as a punishment for those found to be responsible for the coup attempt are a significant concern, as this would violate human rights conventions to which Turkey is a party, and protections within Turkey’s constitution. The Ministry of Education also fired 15,200 teachers on Tuesday for the same reason. In addition, 257 people working at the office of the prime minister were dismissed and the Directorate of Religious Affairs announced it had sacked 492 staff including clerics, preachers and religious teachers.
It is unclear how many soldiers continued on with the attack.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein voiced “serious alarm” at the mass suspension of judges and prosecutors.
He also issued a stern warning to Washington: “Do not protect this traitor any more, for this has no benefit for you, humanity nor Islam”, he said.
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The crackdown on military, police and the judiciary has widened to include schools and the media, and Turkish authorities Tuesday scrapped all TV and radio station licenses linked to what they call the “Fethullah Terrorist Organization”, the government’s derogatory name for the Gulen movement.
