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turkey purge

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Almost 4,000 public officials have been fired by Turkish government in what appears to be the latest purge related to a failed coup in July 2016.

They include more than 1,000 justice ministry workers, a similar number of army staff and more than 100 air force pilots, officials said.

In a separate decree, TV dating shows were banned – a move previously mooted by the government.

Earlier on April 29, Turkish government blocked access to Wikipedia.

The ban on TV dating shows follows a warning in March by Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus that the programs do not fit in with Turkish traditions and customs.

“There are some strange programs that would scrap the institution of family, take away its nobility and sanctity,” he said at the time.

Critics of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) say they fear Turkey is sliding toward conservative Islam under President Erdogan.

However, AKP supporters say dating shows receive thousands of complaints and the ban is in the public interest.

The block on Wikipedia was detected at about 08:00 on April 29, the Turkey Blocks monitoring group said.

Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority said an “administrative measure” had been taken but did not give details.

According to Turkish media, Wikipedia had been asked to remove content by certain writers whom the authorities accuse of “supporting terror” and of linking Turkey to terror groups.

Wikipedia had not responded to the demands, the daily newspaper Hurriyet said, and the ban was imposed as a result.

A formal court order backing up the provisional order is expected in the coming days.

Responding to the ban, Wikipedia’s founder Jimmy Wales wrote on Twitter: “Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people, I will always stand with you to fight for this right.”

The latest sackings follow the suspension of more than 9,000 police officers and the arrest of 1,000 more on April 26 on suspicion of having links to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Fethullah Gulen of instigating the 2016 coup attempt, a charge the cleric denies.

The government said in its Official Gazette that all those fired were suspected of links to “terrorist organizations and structures presenting a threat to national security”.

President Erdogan narrowly won a controversial April 16 referendum on increasing his powers.

Opponents fear the vote, which has divided Turkey, brings Recep Tayyip Erdogan closer to authoritarian rule.

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Over 50,000 people have been detained, fired or suspended from their jobs by Turkey’s government in the wake of last week’s failed coup.

The purge of those deemed disloyal to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan widened on July 19 to include teachers, university deans and the media.

According to the government, they are allied to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who denies claims he directed the uprising.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Fethullah Gulen led a “terrorist organization”.

“We will dig them up by their roots,” the prime minister told parliament.

Turkey is pressing the US to extradite Fethullah Gulen and the issue was raised during a phone call between President Barack Obama and President Erdogan on July 19, the White House said.Turkey purge coup attempt

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said a decision on whether or not to extradite would be made under a treaty between the two countries.

A Turkish government spokesman suggested that the US should be able to extradite Fethullah Gulen “on grounds of suspicion” rather than requiring facts of the case against him.

“There is very strong suspicion for his [Fethullah Gulen’s] involvement in this coup attempt. So this is sufficient grounds,” said spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.

For his part, the preacher says claims he was behind the coup attempt are “ridiculous”.

“I urge the US government to reject any effort to abuse the extradition process to carry out political vendettas,” Fethullah Gulen said in a statement.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to chair meetings of his national security council and cabinet in the capital, Ankara, on July 20, after returning to the city for the first time since the attempted coup.

The meeting will be Erdogan’s first chance since the coup attempt to sit and talk in person with all key members of the government and armed forces.

His task is to re-impose stability amid the turmoil and to reassure the country and Turkey’s allies abroad that he is not embarking on a witch-hunt against his many critics.

The Pentagon said that talks also took place on July 19 between Defense Secretary Ash Carter and his Turkish counterpart, regarding the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.

The base is used by the US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government crackdown widened on July 19 to include the education sector and government departments.

According to Turkish media,15,200 teachers and other education staff had been sacked; 1,577 university deans were ordered to resign; 8,777 interior ministry workers were dismissed; 1,500 staff in the finance ministry had been fired; 257 people working in the prime minister’s office were sacked.

Turkish media regulation body also revoked the licenses of 24 radio and TV channels accused of links to Fethullah Gulen.

The news came on top of the arrests of more than 6,000 military personal and the sackings of nearly 9,000 police officers. About 3,000 judges have also been suspended.

The removal of thousands of officials has alarmed international observers, with the UN urging Turkey to uphold the rule of law and defend human rights.

A senior German official said on July 19 that “a deep split” had opened in Turkey, and he feared the divisions would cause unrest among Germany’s large Turkish community.

“The danger of an escalation in violence between Erdogan supporters and opponents has also risen in Germany,” Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.

President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz has accused Turkey of carrying out “revenge” against its opponents and critics.

He also said a debate around restoring the death penalty was “deeply worrying”. The EU has warned such a move would end talks over Turkey joining the bloc.

According to official figures, last week’s coup attempt left 232 people dead and 1,541 wounded.