Erdogan has accused US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has many followers in Turkey and overseas, of masterminding last Friday’s failed coup, in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,100 others sustained injuries.
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All those institutions are suspected of links to Fethullah Gulen, a US -based cleric accused by Turkey of directing the insurrection that left about 290 people dead and was put down by loyalist forces and pro-government protesters.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a widespread crackdown following the attempted coup, arresting thousands of service personnel and sacking or suspending thousands of government officials, teachers and university rectors. Even so, these are tense times in Turkey, which has declared a three-month state of emergency and detained more than 13,000 people in the military, judiciary and other institutions.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters after the Friday prayers in Ankara, Turkey, July 22, 2016.
The chief of Turkey’s Air Force, Abidin Unal, issued a statement saying efforts were continuing “day and night to cleanse the Turkish armed forces of Gulenist terrorists and traitors who have became a tumour within our army”.
But in stark contrast to the broadly celebratory mood in Istanbul, human rights group Amnesty International in London claimed it had “credible evidence” of the beating and torture of post-coup detainees.
The failed coup attempt, which began on July 15, was crushed the next day; at least 290 people, including more than 100 “coup plotters”, were killed, authorities said.
But in its first major release of suspects amid global criticism of the crackdown, Turkey set free 1,200 soldiers. Erdogan has blamed Gulen and his supporters for planning the coup.
“Some European colleagues think this is a Pokemon game, this coup attempt”, said Omer Celik, Turkey’s minister for EU affairs.
Turkey’s secular Republican People’s Party has planned a rally for Sunday.
In the meantime, Gulen himself has repeatedly denied any links to the coup, and has condemned it.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told private broadcaster NTV that Turkey expected to complete within 10 days a dossier requesting Mr Gulen’s extradition from the United States.
Authorities have fired almost 9,000 police officers, bureaucrats and others, while detaining thousands more alleged to have been involved in Friday night’s attempted coup, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Lawyers say that process could take many years.
“We are very surprised that our allies have not come to Turkey to visit even after one week has passed”, Omer Celik told reporters.
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“I want to say that despite what has happened a week ago in Turkey, that we will continue to strongly adhere to democratic principles and apply the rule of law”, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said at a G-20 finance ministers meeting in Chengdu, China.
