Turkish Airlines said on Monday it had fired 211 employees over suspected links to US-based preacher Fethullah Gülen and behaviour “conflicting with the interest of our country” in the wake of last week’s attempted coup.
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“But (rebel Gen.) Mehmet Disli said ‘we have taken that path”. “If not today, tomorrow”.
One demonstrator held a flag with Turkey’s secular founder, Ataturk, superimposed on Turkey’s red, crescent moon banner.
Since the outset of a coup attempt by a group of military forces in Turkey in the early hours of July 16, Iran voiced its backing for the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and dismissed any military approach to settle the conflicts.
“We’re talking about the coup, not about secularity”, another told CNN’s Nic Robertson.
“Who is going to protect us? But now, if there will be a coup, we can’t change it”.
The U.S. government however, has not yet agreed to do so.
The rally marked a show of solidarity for a country that has struggled to stand together in the aftermath of terrorist attacks this year.
Erdogan’s government had been under fire even before the coup for restricting press freedoms in Turkey, accusations the authorities strongly deny.
An operation is still underway to capture other soldiers who attacked the hotel the night of the coup, narrowly missing the president, who had left for Istanbul. Since the arrests, 1,200 troops have been released, the government said.
The roundup of suspected coup plotters is not the only government response to the uprising.
Erdogan has declared a state of emergency, which allows him to sign new laws without prior parliamentary approval and limit rights as he deems necessary.
Mahrous, a member of the Democratic Peace Party, told parliamentary reporters that his statement reflects the wish of millions of Egyptians who have closely followed the recent dramatic developments in Turkey.
Before the coup attempt, Turkey’s detention period without charges was 24 hours, extendable to as long as four days.
In a new tactic against suspected coup plotters, Turkey on Saturday announced it had seized more than 2,250 social, educational or health care institutions and facilities that it claims pose a threat to national security.
Turkey has formally requested that the USA extradite him back to Turkey for his alleged involvement and has warned that its ties with Washington would be impacted if the United States did not extradite the cleric.
Berat Albayrak, the energy minister and Erdogan’s son-in-law, said the government would take care to ensure that anyone not involved in the coup conspiracy is not harmed during the crackdown.
The authorities have announced they will disband the 2,500-strong presidential guard, which has seen nearly 300 members detained.
A total of 13,165 people have been detained in connection with the foiled coup attempt in Turkey, President Erdogan said on Sunday.
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Gulen’s nephew, Muhammet Sait Gulen, was also detained, Anadolu reported.
