Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on the alleged supporters of the failed July 15 coup attempt has involved the suspension of 15,200 state education employees.
Advertisement
Erdogan spoke after an extraordinary session of the country’s National Security Council in Ankara, lasting more than four hours, and a cabinet meeting.
“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. “And we will clean it out”.
Approximately 232 people were killed during the coup attempt, while another 1,400 were wounded.
“We need unity … and brotherhood now”, he said.
The United States and the European Union have expressed concern for the rule of law in Turkey as the purge accelerates, as have Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Turkish officials have rounded up more than 6,300 members of the military-including 118 generals and admirals.
Akin Ozturk. Turkey’s state-run Andalou news agency had previously quoted him telling Turkish authorities that he had “acted with intention to stage a coup”.
Meanwhile, Wikileaks released around 300,000 emails from the AKP.
Access was restricted because of a “violation of privacy and publication of illegally obtained data”, a Turkish official told CNN.
Announcements of the latest purges came via a series of rapid-fire bulletins on Tuesday.
“The consistent message that we have been sending into the Turkish government is that we would encourage a measured reap in response to events”.
Erdogan, who faced accusations of violating press freedom before the coup, also revoked the credentials of 34 journalists. The cleric has denied any involvement in the attempted coup.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters that 9,322 people were under legal proceedings in relation to the attempted coup.
Erdogan has blamed the foiled military intervention on supporters of US -based religious leader Fethullah Gulen.
Erdogan raised the issue in a phone call with U.S. President Barack Obama, and his spokesman said the government was preparing a formal extradition request for Gulen.
“A lot of people have been arrested and arrested very quickly”, he added.
The impending result has seen Erdogan use Gulen as the ideal strawman so that he can crackdown on any opponents – regardless of the actual extent of Gulen’s involvement.
Gulen is an influential figure in Turkey – mostly through his establishment of many private schools – and was formerly allies with Erdogan before a falling out led to a crackdown against Gulenists in influential positions.
“It is ridiculous, irresponsible and false to suggest I had anything to do with the horrific failed coup”, he reiterated in the statement. “I urge the USA government to reject any effort to abuse the extradition process to carry out political vendettas”, he said.
Since the coup, around 50,000 civil servants, including judges, soldiers and teachers, have been either arrested or suspended from work.
Advertisement
The agency later said Erdogan’s Air Force adviser, Lt. Col. Erkan Kivrak, had been detained at a hotel where he was vacationing in the Serik district of Turkey’s southern province of Antalya.
