Voice of America. Turkey dismissed more than 2,700 employees from its public service sector Sunday – the latest firings in a widescale crackdown since a failed military coup in July 2016.
A total of 2,756 people, including academics, soldiers, and military personnel were dismissed on Sunday, accused of links to what Ankara has labeled as terror groups, according to the Official Gazette.
In a separate emergency decree Sunday, Turkey the country’s defense procurement agency was ordered to report to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan instead of the defense ministry. Seventeen Turkish institutions, including two newspapers, were also ordered shut.
Under emergency rule introduced last year following the botched military coup, more than 50,000 people have been arrested and 150,000 others have lost their jobs over suspicion of links to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Turkey claims that Gulen and his movement, which it calls the “Fethullah Terrorist Organization” was behind the failed coup in July 2016 and has asked the U.S. to extradite him. Gulen has denied all involvement.
Photo – Demonstrators protest against a purge of thousands of education staff since an attempted coup in July in front of the Istanbul University, November 3, 2016. (VoA)