Turkey coup attempt: 15,200 education personnel suspended from duty

Ankara, July 20 (IANS) Turkey suspended 15,200 Education Ministry personnel from duty on Tuesday amid a nationwide purge of state officials suspected of having links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation (FETÖ), which Turkey blames for the July 15 failed coup attempt.

Licenses of 21,000 teachers working in private institutions were also cancelled.

"Our ministry is carrying out extensive efforts aimed at public personnel in central and rural districts who have connections to FETÖ. As of today (Tuesday), 15,200 public officials have been suspended and investigations were launched into them," Hurriyet Daily News quoted the statement released from the Ministry's Twitter account as saying.

A total of 100 people from National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) were also suspended. The suspended personnel were on passive duty due to a supervision decision against them and didn't have access to intelligence, Anadolu Agency reported.

Besides, Turkey's Higher Education Board (YÖK) has demanded the resignation of 1,557 deans on duty at all private and state universities throughout the country, of which 1,176 are from state universities and 401 are from private universities.

The first resignations came from Akdeniz University, after YÖK's decision, daily Hürriyet reported.

Turkey's Prime Ministry suspended a total of 257 personnel, including 230 judicial clerks, 19 specialists, six advisers and two legal advisers. The IDs of the suspended personnel were also seized.

In addition, a total of 492 people were suspended from Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) on July 18. Three of the suspended individuals were provincial muftis, one was the head of a department and one was a directorate consultant.

A total of 393 personnel were also suspended from the Family and Social Policies Ministry and 16 were suspended from the Development Ministry.

Other personnel suspended from their duties on July 18 included 7,899 police officers, 614 gendarmerie officers, 30 provincial governors and 47 district governors.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on July 18 said that 1,500 officials in the Finance Ministry had also been suspended.

In a related case, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters that 9,322 people were currently under legal proceedings in relation to the attempted coup, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

A total of 240 people, of whom 62 were police officers, 173 were civilians and five were soldiers, were killed during the failed coup attempt and 1,535 people were wounded, Anadolu Agency reported.

A total of 24 coup plotters were also killed and 50 coup plotters were wounded.