Turkey’s higher education council has banned academics from leaving the country and urged ones overseas to quickly return home as a temporary measure, according to state media and a Turkish official.
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TRT also reported that Istanbul University had removed 95 academics from their posts.
The Turkish government has blamed the attempted overthrow on Fethullah Gulen, a cleric living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania who has links to education networks in Turkey and the United States, framing the widespread sackings as an effort to cleanse state institutions of his followers.
Turkey’s state-run media says two Turkish military officers detained for alleged involvement in the thwarted coup have fled from a military hospital in Istanbul where they were being treated.
The coup bid by rebel soldiers was the most serious blow to Erdogan’s 13-year domination of Turkey, and the president has said he came within 15 minutes of being killed or kidnapped by the plotters before escaping.
While rights organizations have complained that the dismissals and detentions appear to have been carried out with little investigation, Turkish officials contend that there has been a long-standing investigation into Gulen’s movement.
The lira traded as low as 3.06 to the dollar, compared with about 2.90 in the days before the attempted coup.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has accused Washington, which has said it will consider Gulen’s extradition only if clear evidence is provided, of double standards in its fight against terrorism.
Turkish media says the government is expanding its purge of suspected coup backers and has begun to revoke the licenses of 21,000 teachers at private schools.
The soldiers involved in the President’s apprehension were informed of the details of the coup as they were being airlifted to a hotel in a resort town where Erdogan and his family were vacationing during Friday’s deadly attempted takeover.
Turkey’s National Security Council is holding an emergency meeting following a coup attempt last week that was derailed by security forces and protesters loyal to the government.
“When he refused, they couldn’t convince the senior commanders either”.
Authorities said 492 people had been fired from the Religious Affairs Directorate, 257 from the prime minister’s office and 100 intelligence officials.
CNN’s Turkey channel has reported this includes the dismissal of around 30 governors and more than 50 high-ranking civil servants, while thousands of judges and prosecutors have been suspended.
The foreign ministry has said criticism of the government’s response amounts to backing the coup.
Any extradition request from Turkey, once submitted, would be evaluated under the terms of a treaty between the two countries, Mr Earnest said.
“In a country where our youths are killed with tanks and bombs, if we stay silent, as political people we will be held responsible in the afterlife”, Erdogan said, pointing out that capital punishment exists around the world, including in the United States and China.
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A former ally-turned critic of President Tayyip Erdogan, he suggested the president staged it as an excuse for a crackdown after a steady accumulation of control during 14 years in power.
