“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today once again demonstrated he will go to any length necessary to solidify his power and persecute his critics”, read Gulen’s statement.
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Erdogan on Wednesday was helming an emergency meeting of Turkey’s National Security Council, the highest advisory body on security issues.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Turkey’s state of emergency should only last as long as it’s “absolutely necessary”.
Fethullah Gulen is believed by Ankara to be the mastermind behind the recent military coup attempt.
Anadolu, Turkey’s state-run news agency, published what it said were excerpts from the testimony to prosecutors of the closest aide to the Turkish military chief, in which he allegedly confessed to being a follower of Gulen and of knowing of the coup plans.
Around 50,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended or detained since the coup attempt, stirring tensions across the country of 80 million which borders Syria’s chaos and is a Western ally against Daesh. Along with the ongoing ones initiated in respect of FETO, required measures are now being taken against those involved in the coup attempt, so that those responsible are brought before justice swiftly.
Almost 22,000 education ministry workers, who are mostly teachers, have been fired – and steps are also being taken to revoke the licences of a further 21,000 teaching professionals.
The pro-government death toll in the botched coup now stands at 246. It has also detained 9,000 military personnel, including more than 100 generals.
Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli told Bloomberg HT television in an interview on Tuesday that measures to be announced would include a “new framework in line with the Constitution” for the prosecution of the coup plotters.
Muslim cleric Gulen, the president’s rival who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, U.S.as the head of a billion dollar religious movement, has often been blamed for political unrest in Turkey. “We need assurances that all those who have been arrested in connection to this coup d’état will have the chance to defend themselves in a robust and legitimate process, and those are the concerns we have underlined with Turkey”.
“I don’t think we have come to the end of it yet”, the president said.
Mr Erdogan’s task is to re-impose stability amid the turmoil, our correspondent adds, and to reassure Turkey and its allies overseas that he is not embarking on a witch-hunt against his many critics.
The U.S.-Turkish relationship has been tested by recent events, with officials trading barbs in the last few days about Turkey’s request that the U.S. extradite Gulen, who has denied any involvement in the failed putsch.
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Turkey reportedly placed a temporary ban on academics leaving the country for work-related purposes on Wednesday as part of its investigation into an attempted coup last week.
