“The aim of the declaration of the state of emergency is to be able to take fast and effective steps against this threat against democracy, the rule of law and rights and freedoms of our citizens”, Erdogan said.
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“The cabinet meeting is classified at the highest level for national security reasons”.
A state of emergency will be introduced in Turkey for three months following a coup attempt last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday. Government officials have publicly said that capital punishment might be reintroduced for coup plotters. In his most recent effort to seize more control, Erdogan banned all academics from leaving the country.
Mr Erdogan is expected to make a major announcement today, with some in Turkey fearing he will declare martial law, set curfews or even bring back the death penalty.
Secretary of State John Kerry is calling on Turkey to provide hard evidence that a US-based cleric was behind a foiled coup attempt last weekend if it wants him extradited. The Turkish currency dropped 1.8 percent against the USA dollar Wednesday, trading at a low for the year of just over 3 lira to the dollar.
Erdogan also tried to assure markets and investors, saying economic reforms would continue.
At the height of the abortive coup, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan’s plane in their sights as he returned to Istanbul from a holiday on the coast.
Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, ministers, senior commanders and generals had been due to be taken one by one during the night of the coup bid, the testimony said.
The licences of 21,000 staff working in private schools have been revoked, more than 20,000 employees at the education ministry fired, and the state-run higher education council has demanded the resignation of 1,577 university deans.
Turkey’s opposition parties have united against the coup attempt, condemning it in the harshest terms and underscoring their determination to preserve democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.
Erdogan’s spokesman said on Tuesday the government was preparing a formal request to the United States for the extradition of Gulen.
Turkey submitted a dossier of documents about Mr Gulen, who lives in exile in Pennsylvania, to the Justice Department on Tuesday.
Gulen has denied the claims that he was involved in the coup, implying instead that Erdogan staged it as part of a power grab.
Turkey has accused the group of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup.
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“I don’t think we have come to the end of it yet”, he had said.
