He addressed the nation live on television after meeting all day with his national security council and the cabinet. During that it allowed officials to set curfews, issue search and arrest warrants and restricts gatherings as the security forces fought Kurdish rebels in the region.
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German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed it was “vital that the state of emergency is limited for the required time and then immediately lifted”.
The president suggested military purges would continue.
Also Tuesday, the National Intelligence Organization suspended 100 staff from their duties, a senior Turkish official said. “They will have to make their judgments applying our legal standards to whatever has been put forward”, he said.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier noted that Turkey might reconsider its friendly relations with the United States if Washington did not extradite Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is a Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania in self-exile. The cleric’s movement, which espouses moderation and multi-faith harmony, says it is a scapegoat. But recent years have been marred by instability that Erdogan’s opponents blame on the 62-year-old’s quest to consolidate executive power in the presidential office.
He also commended the citizens of Turkey who heeded his call and took to the streets.
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Turkey has demanded Gulen’s extradition from the United States.
“If and when we receive a request, we will evaluate that request based on the extradition treaty that was signed by the USA and Turkey more than 30 years ago”, said Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr. “You need to provide evidence, ‘” he told The Canadian Press.
Turkey’s domestic situation is increasingly a concern as the crackdown widens.
Erdogan also said there could be a link between Gulen movement and the pilots who shot down Russian jet in November past year.
Gulen, who actively promotes educational institutions in Turkey and other countries, has condemned the coup attempt and rejected any connection to it.
The private NTV broadcaster says at least 262 military judges and prosecutors were suspended.
Saban Ceylan, a taxi driver in Istanbul, said he expected his income to drop because of the state of emergency.
Had I stayed 10, 15 additional minutes, I would have been killed or I would have been taken.
He is using last weekend’s botched coup to crack down mercilessly – not just on those who plotted the attempted military takeover but on tens of thousands of others throughout Turkish society.
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Naylor reported from Istanbul.
