Turkey dismisses thousands of police and civil servants

Turkey’s government has issued a new executive decree under the ongoing state of emergency imposed after last year’s failed coup, dismissing more than 7,000 police, civil servants and academics.

A total of 7,563 people — including police — have been dismissed in the latest purge, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Turkish authorities also stripped 342 retired army personnel of their rank, Anadolu said.

The new decree came a day before Turkey marks the first anniversary of the failed coup, which Ankara says was organised by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Gulen denies the accusations.

More than 240 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the failed coup attempt.

In all, Turkey has sacked or suspended more than 150,000 officials and arrested some 50,000 people from the military, police, judiciary, academia and other sectors.

Extend state of emergency

Turkey’s government is looking to extend the ongoing state of emergency by another three months, with President Erdogan saying the sweeping powers will only be lifted when “unrest ends”.

“Given the current outlook, we still need state of emergency,” Erdogan said on Friday, as he addressed a human rights seminar before the anniversary of the failed coup.

The state of emergency, put in place days after the July 15, 2016, coup attempt, grants the government wide-ranging powers, allowing it to rule by decree, including carrying out mass arrests and purges.

Parliament, which is dominated by Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), would have to approve the request of extending the state of emergency with a simple majority.