President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the state of emergency in a live television broadcast, saying it is not against democracy, rule of law or freedoms, but rather is aimed at protecting these values and strengthening them.
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The removal of thousands of officials has alarmed global observers, with the United Nations urging Turkey to uphold the rule of law and defend human rights.
“And the cabinet has made a decision to declare a state of emergency in our nation for a period of three months”. The Turkish military has been regularly hitting suspected PKK hideouts and position in Iraq since previous year, but Wednesday’s strikes were the first since the July 15 botched takeover attempt by a faction within the armed forces, in which several F-16 pilots were involved.
He reiterated the government’s position that the exiled cleric Fehtullah Gülen, who lives in the USA, is behind the coup attempt.
“These people are not human”, she said of the coup-plotters.
The White House said on Tuesday that an official request has been submitted by Turkey for the extradition of Fetullah Gulen, accused of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt, and that the USA administration is ready to provide all necessary assistance for the coup investigation.
The FETO is the term used by the government to describe supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen – who has been blamed for the coup but denies involvement.
Speaking through an interpreter in an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera, Erdogan also dismissed suggestions that he was becoming authoritarian and that Turkish democracy was under any threat. “Regardless of whether the death penalty is imposed or not, they believe that in the end they will be killed”, she said. “There will be no restriction of movement other than for the suspects”, Simsek said.
The state of emergency will give broad powers to security forces and the government, NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of the military, courts and other institutions that are now being purged. “I want to ask our friends in the US, did you ask for proof when you demanded the terrorists after the Twin Towers fell on September 11?”
The crackdown was escalated Tuesday, as the government announced the firing of almost 24,000 teachers and Interior Ministry employees and demanded the resignations of another 1,577 university deans as well as hundreds of other government employees.
The White House said President Barack Obama discussed the extradition request during a phone call with Mr Erdogan, during which he pledged United States assistance in investigating the coup attempt.
Asked about the scale of the purges, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner cautioned Turkish authorities not to overreach.
The two allies cooperate in the USA -led war against the Islamic State group, with American military planes flying missions from Turkey’s Incirlik air base into neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Turkey’s domestic situation is increasingly a concern as the government seeks to rid broad sectors of society of alleged antagonists. It does not cover offences “of a political character”, although it does cover “any offence committed or attempted against a head of state”, the treaty says. The country’s leadership later said that the coup was quashed.
On Tuesday, the government suspended 15,200 state education employees and demanded the resignation of nearly 1,600 deans from private and state universities over alleged links to Gulen.
According to official figures from the prime minister’s office, Friday night’s coup attempt left 232 people dead and 1,541 wounded.
The government has also revoked the press credentials of 34 journalists who it alleges are connected to Gulen, according to Turkish media. It is unclear how many soldiers continued on with the attack.
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Earlier Wednesday, the president said 9,004 people had been arrested so far, and that efforts would continue to uproot coup plotters in the military, judicial system and civil service.
