The Turkish Embassy in Malta has claimed that the three-month state of emergency announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not affect fundamental rights and freedoms of Turkish citizens. The U.S.it needs to see the evidence first.
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Officials in Ankara say former air force chief Akin Ozturk, who has appeared in detention with his face and arms bruised and one ear bandaged, was a co-leader of the coup. Turkey on Wednesday intensifie…
The latest suspensions came a day after the same ministry suspended 15,200 personnel and also revoked the licences of 21,000 teachers working in private institutions across Turkey.
The swift move against so many reflected the prior investigation, the government said.
Even as he called for unity, Yildirim said he would remove the movement of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, the man blamed for masterminding the coup attempt, “by its roots” so it can never betray the Turkish people again.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, meanwhile, reflected the triumphant mood of authorities.
The president, who critics have long accused of becoming increasingly autocratic, has spoken to supporters every night, urging them to maintain a “vigil” for democracy.
Kurtulmus said that the state of emergency could last for less than the declared three-month period. The Council of Europe said it had been informed of Turkey’s decision, and that the convention will still apply, but that individual exceptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
It is ridiculous, irresponsible and false to suggest I had anything to do with the horrific failed coup. “Any attempt to overthrow the country is a betrayal to our unity and is treason”. More than 20,000 teachers and administrators have been suspended from the education ministry.
He said Turks have been calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty because of the increased terror attacks and demand for swift justice.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek defended the move, saying he hoped the state of emergency would be short-lived. Interestingly, so did the AK Party’s opposition, as did President Erdogan’s supporters, who flocked to the streets to show their support when he returned to Istanbul in a last-minute press conference.
Simsek said that “standards of the European Court of Human Rights will be upheld”, but didn’t elaborate. Other media reports said police, military police and members of the coast guard also were removed from duty.
“Did they not detain people en masse? It’s not upholding the rule of law”.
This purge has already created discomfort overseas, particularly in the United States and European Union, which have urged Ankara that the coup attempt was not a blank check for the government to bypass the rule of law and democratic norms.
It allowed officials to set curfews, issue search and arrest warrants and restricts gatherings as the security forces fought Kurdish rebels in the region. Turkey’s Interior Ministry has fired almost 9,000 police officers, bureaucrats and others and detained thousands of suspected plotters following a foiled coup against the government, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported Monday. The hotel where President Erdogan had been staying on his vacation was bombed.
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The EU official overseeing Turkey’s bid to join, Johannes Hahn, expressed concern over Turkey’s post-coup purge, raising suspicions that a list of people to arrest had been prepared well in advance of the political upheaval.
