AFP, Istanbul :
Turkish authorities have fired over 10,000 additional civil servants as the government presses a crackdown over the failed July coup, the official gazette said.
A total of 10,131 government employees were removed, mainly from the education, justice and health ministries, according to announcements published late Saturday.
The government also announced the closure of 15 pro-Kurdish and other media outlets. University rector elections have also been suspended, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set to pick the winners from a pool of candidates selected by the nation’s education authority.
The moves came three months after the government declared a state of emergency following a failed bid by a rogue faction of the army to oust Erdogan.
More than 35,000 people have been arrested since then, and many dozens of teachers, police officers and judges have either been suspended or fired. ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish authorities have dismissed more than 10,000 civil servants over their suspected links with U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating the failed coup in July.
Thousands of academics, teachers and health workers were among those removed through a new emergency rule decree published on the Official Gazette late on Saturday while 15 media outlets, almost all of which reported from the largely Kurdish southeast, were shut down.
Through the decrees, elections to choose a rector at the universities have also been abolished. President Tayyip Erdogan will directly appoint the rectors from the candidates nominated by the High Educational Board (YOK).
Meanwhile, the United States ordered the relatives of staff members in its consulate in Istanbul to leave the country Saturday, warning that “extremist groups” are targeting American citizens for attack.
The order was announced in the second travel warning that the State Department issued for Americans in Turkey in less than a week, reflecting US concerns about “increased threats from terrorist groups.”
The decision to evacuate the families of staff was made “based on security information indicating extremist groups are continuing aggressive efforts to attack US citizens in areas of Istanbul where they reside or frequent.”
On Monday, the State Department had advised US citizens to “carefully consider the need to travel to Turkey at this time.” There is also a long-standing warning against travel to the southeast of the country.
Turkish authorities have fired over 10,000 additional civil servants as the government presses a crackdown over the failed July coup, the official gazette said.
A total of 10,131 government employees were removed, mainly from the education, justice and health ministries, according to announcements published late Saturday.
The government also announced the closure of 15 pro-Kurdish and other media outlets. University rector elections have also been suspended, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set to pick the winners from a pool of candidates selected by the nation’s education authority.
The moves came three months after the government declared a state of emergency following a failed bid by a rogue faction of the army to oust Erdogan.
More than 35,000 people have been arrested since then, and many dozens of teachers, police officers and judges have either been suspended or fired. ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish authorities have dismissed more than 10,000 civil servants over their suspected links with U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating the failed coup in July.
Thousands of academics, teachers and health workers were among those removed through a new emergency rule decree published on the Official Gazette late on Saturday while 15 media outlets, almost all of which reported from the largely Kurdish southeast, were shut down.
Through the decrees, elections to choose a rector at the universities have also been abolished. President Tayyip Erdogan will directly appoint the rectors from the candidates nominated by the High Educational Board (YOK).
Meanwhile, the United States ordered the relatives of staff members in its consulate in Istanbul to leave the country Saturday, warning that “extremist groups” are targeting American citizens for attack.
The order was announced in the second travel warning that the State Department issued for Americans in Turkey in less than a week, reflecting US concerns about “increased threats from terrorist groups.”
The decision to evacuate the families of staff was made “based on security information indicating extremist groups are continuing aggressive efforts to attack US citizens in areas of Istanbul where they reside or frequent.”
On Monday, the State Department had advised US citizens to “carefully consider the need to travel to Turkey at this time.” There is also a long-standing warning against travel to the southeast of the country.
