Thousands of public employees suspended after failed coup attempt in Turkey

ANKARA

AP photo

Thousands of public employees have been suspended from their duties amid a nationwide move against those suspected of having links to the July 15 failed coup attempt.

A total of 15,200 Education Ministry personnel were suspended due to their alleged links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), which the government blames for the attempted coup. The licenses of 21,000 teachers working in private institutions were also canceled. 

“Our ministry is carrying out extensive efforts aimed at public personnel in central and rural districts who have connections to FETÖ. As of today, 15,200 public officials have been suspended and investigations were launched into them,” the statement released from the ministry’s Twitter account read. 

A total of 100 people from National Intelligence Organization (MİT) were also suspended. The suspended personnel were on passive duty due to a supervision decision against them and didn’t have access to intelligence, Anadolu Agency reported. 

In a related case, Turkey’s Prime Ministry suspended a total of 257 personnel, including 230 judicial clerks, 19 specialists, six advisers and two legal advisers. The IDs of the suspended personnel were also seized. 

Elsewhere, Turkey’s Higher Education Board (YÖK) has demanded the resignation of all deans on duty at all private and state universities throughout the country. The resignation of 1,557 deans was demanded by YÖK, of which 1,176 are from state universities and 401 are from private universities. 

The first resignations came from Akdeniz University, after YÖK’s decision, daily Hürriyet reported. 

In addition, a total of 492 people were suspended from Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) on July 18. Three of the suspended individuals were provincial muftis, one was the head of a department and one was a directorate consultant. 

A total of 393 personnel were also suspended from the Family and Social Policies Ministry and 16 were suspended from the Development Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched investigations into the suspended personnel from the Interior Ministry for being members of FETÖ, Anadolu Agency reported. Police weren’t among the personnel whom the investigations were launched into.

Other personnel suspended from their duties on July 18 included 7,899 police officers, 614 gendarmerie officers, 30 provincial governors and 47 district governors. 

Former Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, who was in charge during the Gezi Park protests in 2013, was among the 246 local authorities who have been suspended.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on July 18 said that 1,500 officials in the Finance Ministry had also been suspended.

In a related case, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş told reporters that 9,322 people were currently under legal proceedings in relation to the attempted coup.

A total of 240 people, of whom 62 were police officers, 173 were civilians and five were soldiers, were killed during the failed coup attempt and 1,535 people were wounded, Anadolu Agency reported. A total of 24 coup plotters were also killed and 50 coup plotters were wounded.