Turkey Suspends 12,800 Police After Failed Coup

Mass Suspensions of Police and Workers in Turkey

The Turkish government has suspended more than 12,800 police officers they allege were either involved in a failed coup on July 15 or had links to US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

CNN report says of the 12,801 suspended police officers, 2,523 of them are ranking officers.

The Turkish government accused Gulen as the mastermind of the failed coup attempt that rocked the nation three months ago.

Gulen has repeatedly denied any involvement in the uprising that left 270 people dead, including 24 accused in the plot.

The suspensions were ordered hours after Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus announced that the cabinet had approved a 90-day extension to a state of emergency. This renewed President Tayyip Erdogan’s powers to govern by decree until at least January.

Massive Crackdown on Gulen’s Followers

Immediately following the failed coup attempt, Turkey declared a state of emergency and launched a mass probe to rid them of Gulen’s followers. Crackdowns were launched in the armed forces, the police, the education system, the media and the judiciary.

Reports say more than 81,000 people were terminated from various Turkish institutions after the uprising including 28 mayors dismissed by Turkey’s government last month.

Aside from that, Turkey has shut down more than 2,000 institutions linked to Gulen. The cleric is known for founding hundreds of secular co-ed schools, free tutoring centers, hospitals and relief agencies.

Looking Back: Turkey’s Failed Coup

The attempted coup that hit July 16th across Turkey killed a total of 265 people and left 1,440 injured. The Turkish government also said 104 ‘plotters’ were killed.

Some factions of Turkey’s army had officially declared a coup and martial law late Friday night. Following the announcement that they had control of the country, army factions blocked bridges, low-flying fighter jets circled the skies and deafening gunfire and loud explosions rocked Ankara and Istanbul.

The planned coup failed when thousands of people followed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call to rise up against the coup-plotters and protect the country’s democracy. The next day, the rebel soldiers began to surrender their positions.