“The Turkish people encumbered important responsibilities on all of our institutions by their decisive stance against the coup attempt and now expect our political parties to carry out the same responsibilities in this extremely critical period when we need to be in solidarity”.
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Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkey’s main opposition group, joined by some ruling-party members, rallied Sunday in Istanbul to denounce a July 15 coup attempt in a rare show of unity.
The number of alleged conspirators who have been rounded up has surged above 13,000 with soldiers, police, justice officials and civilians all targeted in a purge that has alarmed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies and European leaders.
A Turkish flag flies near the Bosporus strait prior to the Bosporus Cross-Continental Swimming Race in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, July 24, 2016.
“The Turkish republic is stronger than it was in the past”, wrote Yildirim in an editorial in the HaberTurk daily. “This watch continues until the anti-democratic elements are cleaned out”.
In other crackdown measures, Turkey has disbanded the presidential guard after already detaining almost 300 unit members suspected of plotting against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and authorities detained Muhammet Sait Gulen, a nephew of the cleric who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.
Nearly 300 of its officers have been detained after some of them forced TV news presenters to read statements stating that martial law had been declared during the abortive coup attempt.
Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz said late on Saturday that the new teachers will replace state educators who have been dismissed as well as teachers in private schools with alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric accused by Turkey of directing a July 15 coup attempt.
Security forces detained Hails Hanci in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, the official said, describing Hanci as a “right-hand man” of Gulen and responsible for transferring funds to him.
The preacher – who lives in a secluded compound in rural Pennsylvania and whose foundation runs a global network of schools, charities and media interests – has strongly denied the accusations against him. Turkish lawmakers approved a three-month state of emergency that allows the government to extend detention times and issue decrees without parliamentary approval.
Erdogan’s government has also sacked thousands of teachers and university lecturers, and ordered the closure of thousands of schools and associations as it seeks to wipe out what he has called the Gulenist virus.
Lieutenant Colonel Hakan Karakus was detained in Ankara, it said.
President Erdogan has hit out at leaders from the European Union for its “prejudiced” attitude attitude to Turkey, while 1,200 soldiers detained after the coup bid have now been freed.
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Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Mr Erdogan, has called on the United States government to block Turkey’s attempts to extradite him. Erdogan has blamed Gulen and his supporters for planning the coup.
