TURKEY
The Turkish Government’s war on its public sector continues with another 18,632 members dismissed.
In a decree announced as President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan took office with vastly expanded powers, 6,152 servicemen and servicewomen were dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces, including 3,077 people from the Turkish Land Forces, 1,126 people from the Navy and 1,949 people from the Air Force.
Some 8,998 employees of the security service were dismissed and 649 from the police.
The dismissals also affected employees of the Ministry of Justice (1,051 dismissed), the Ministry of National Education (658), the Directorate of Religious Affairs (240), the Foreign Ministry (38) and public universities (199).
In addition, 12 public organisations, three newspapers and one television channel were closed.
The sackings are believed to stem from the unsuccessful coup on 15 July 2016.
This resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency in the country, which has since been extended six times.
The sweeping dismissals bring to about 130,000 the number of members purged from Turkey’s Public Service since the coup attempt.
Founder of the London-based political risk consultant Cornerstone Global Associates, Ghanem Nuseibeh said the latest purge was surprising in its magnitude.
“Many will accuse Erdogan of going after anyone who opposes him,” Mr Nuseibeh said.
Ankara, 9 July 2018
