Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkey’s ruling and main opposition parties, usually bitter foes, rallied together on Sunday in support of democracy following a failed military coup as President Tayyip Erdogan tightens his grip on the country. He has extended his emergency powers from four to thirty in order to maintain the ability to detain suspects while the investigation continues.
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Also detained in the sweep was Halis Hanci, an alleged senior aide to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen – the reclusive spiritual leader whom Turkey accuses of having orchestrated the plot to overthrow Erdogan.
Turkey’s government is setting up an inner cabinet to oversee the implementation of the state of emergency it declared after last week’s botched coup, ramping up the effort to purge the influence of its accused mastermind from all walks of Turkish life.
The coup began on July 15 and left 260 people dead.
His critics fear he is using the aborted coup to wage an indiscriminate crackdown on dissent.
Turkey plans to dismantle the special presidential guard, he added.
Under a new presidential decree following the attempted coup, suspects can be detained for as long as 30 days without charge and the government can listen in on all conversations they have with their lawyers.
Erzurum is thought to be home to many Gulen supporters and members of his Hizmet movement, which Turkish authorities say was behind the July 15 coup.
“With respect to Mr. Gulen, we have consistently said to our friends in Turkey and allies in Turkey that we need evidence”, Kerry told reporters at the State Department.
Amnesty International has said Erdogan is going “well beyond what might be considered a legitimate response to the coup attempt“. Power to the facility was cut during the coup attempt and was restored Friday, the USA miltiary said.
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”.
Another public demonstration of unity came from the head of Turkey’s air force, which released a rare statement emphasizing “absolute obedience” to the chief of the military General Staff, Hulusi Akar.
Pro Kurdish supporters gather during a rally against military coup and the state of emergency, one week after a failed coup, at the Gazi district in Istanbul on July 23, 2016.
Earlier on Saturday, Erdogan issued a decree to close 2,341 institutions – including schools, charities, unions and medical centres – in the wake of the failed coup.
Bilateral relations were already strained over USA support of a Syrian Kurdish militant group that Turkey considers a terrorist organization.
US Secretary of State John Kerry had sought concrete proof against Gulen from Turkey before any extradition proceeding could be initiated by the US government. “The state should not be governed by anger and revenge”.
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The hard-line moves contrasted sharply with an effort by Turkish officials to reassure the country that the post-coup upheavals would not harm the economy or permanently damage Turkey’s relations with the West. Celik told a foreign media briefing.
