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Education incrimination? Turkey demands all university deans step down after coup attempt

His evidence is the USA haven granted to Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan blames for orchestrating the failed military coup.

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And US officials privately point to Erdogan’s comments this weekend about cleansing the military to explain their concerns that he could use the attempted coup as an opportunity to consolidate power.

But he stressed that he hopes Turkey will “remain a full and compliant member of Nato”.

Speaking to parliament, the chairman of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahceli, said his party would back legislation to reintroduce the death penalty if it was put forward by the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

“One of the people arrested was the commander of the 3rd Army, which is based in the southeast and has been one of the main forces dealing with threats from the Kurds”, Unluhisarcikli said.

The prime minister urged Washington not to “harbor this terrorist any longer”.

The death toll does not include the number of coup plotters killed, said to be 24 by various government officials.

It was unclear when he would be returning to the capital Ankara.

“Being part of a unique community of values, it is essential for Turkey, like all other allies, to ensure full respect for democracy and its institutions, the constitutional order, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms”, said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Ms Thornberry questioned if United Kingdom officials were surprised by the coup, also telling MPs that 500,000 people of Turkish and Kurdish descent live in the United Kingdom and are “desperately worried” about their families.

She added: “With two million visitors a year, Turkey is greatly loved in this country and the interests of our two countries can’t be separated”.

Kerry said that in three conversations with Turkey’s foreign minister in the last few days, “he assured me they fully intend to respect the democratic process and the law”. It has tightened its grip even more since the weekend: About 2,750 of Turkey’s almost 15,000 judges and prosecutors were removed from their jobs, according to Metin Feyzioglu, head of the country’s bar association. “I don’t know about other teachers, but I am very concerned”.

This measure is in no way against democracy, the law and freedoms.

Cracking down on alleged subversives in education, Turkey also said yesterday that it would close more than 600 private schools and dormitories following the attempted coup, spurring fears that the state’s move against perceived enemies is throwing key institutions in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally into disarray.

Theresa May spoke to President Erdogan yesterday evening, No 10 said.

“You have to understand that we survived a coup – we could have been killed”, Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for the president, told foreign journalists in Istanbul.

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“We will be disappointed, even questioning our friendship may be brought to the agenda if our friends still insist for evidence while members of the organization that tried to destroy will of this elected government and a person who instructs it”, Yildirim stated.

Protesters during Turkey coup