Turkey 'suspends 15,000 state education employees' after attempted coup

Turkey's High Education Board also orders resignation of 1,577 deans at all universities

Peter Yeung
Tuesday 19 July 2016 16:46 BST
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been carrying out widespread purges
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been carrying out widespread purges

Turkey has suspended 15,000 state education employees following the weekend's attempted coup, state-run media has said.

According to state broadcaster TRT, Turkey's High Education Board has also ordered the resignation of 1,577 deans at all universities, part of a wide-ranging purge of dozens of state institutions following a failed coup in which over 161 people were killed.

The resignations are being sought at both state and privately run universities, TRT reported.

The Government has vowed that those behind failed military intervention earlier this month would pay a heavy price after more than 200 people were killed.

State news agency Anadolu said 399 employees of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies had been stripped of their responsibilities. The Turkish government has also removed 2,745 judges from duty following an emergency meeting of Turkey’s Judges and Prosecutors High Council.

Thousands of others have been suspended from the police force, the military, Finance Ministry and other public sector positions.

The Turkish Prime Minister has suspended the annual leave of more than three million civil servants nationwide on Monday, according to a government order.

John Kerry: Turkey coup could threaten country's Nato membership

The Turkish government's response to the failed coup has alarmed both the US and the EU, after it described the plotters as a "cancer" which had to be "cleansed" from public institutions.

The government has repeatedly blamed the influence of the Gülen movement for the coup and has said the overthrow attempt was carried out by a clique of supporters within the military.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Turkey could fall foul of Nato's "requirement with respect to democracy" if it fails to uphold the rule of law in the wake of an attempted coup.

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