Turkey’s Board of Higher Education requested resignations from 1,577 university deans.
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Turkey’s academics found themselves in the government’s crossfire once again on Wednesday amid a continued crackdown following a failed military coup last week.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Mr Erdogan announced a cabinet decision to seek additional powers, saying the state of emergency would give the government the tools to rid the military of the “virus” of subversion.
Turkey’s state-run news agency says courts have ordered 85 generals and admirals jailed pending trial over their roles in a botched coup attempt.
Prime Minister Yildirim was speaking after meeting the leader of the main opposition CHP party.
One Turkish insider has described the crackdown as a “counter-coup”, whereby Mr Erdogan is now cleansing the system of his enemies.
WikiLeaks said it had brought forward publication “in response to the government’s post-coup purges”, which have seen around 50,000 public officials removed from their jobs. It needs 330 votes to hold a referendum.
“There also is due process to which people who live in the United States are entitled to. He further urged that the investigations and prosecution of the coup’s perpetrators be conducted in ways that reinforce public confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law”.
The ministry of education accused them of links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric the Turkish government says was behind Friday’s uprising. 208 people, consisting of mostly civilians, have been killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 1,400 people were injured.
492 clerics, preachers and religious teachers have been fired.
Turkey’s armed forces have been dealt a significant psychological blow by the attempted coup, and their prestige and status have been damaged.
It follows last weekend’s failed military coup, with tens of thousands arrested, suspended or dismissed in the fallout.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that Turkey would need to provide “evidence, not allegations” against Gulen in order to have him extradited to Turkey.
“I’m sorry but this parallel terrorist organisation will no longer be an effective pawn for any country”, Mr Yildirim said.
Earnest said Monday that “the suggestion that somehow the United States is harboring Mr. Gulen is factually incorrect”. Ankara has called for Gulen’s extradition from the United States, where he resides in the Pennsylvania town of Saylorsburg.
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Meanwhile, since the coup attempt, 100 million Turkish flags have been sold, leading to a shortage of cloth.
