Turkey’s president orders closure of 1,000 private schools linked to Gülen

President Erdoğan has launched a purge of state personnel who he believes are linked to the exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen. Photograph: Kayhan Ozer/AFP/Getty Images
President Erdoğan has launched a purge of state personnel who he believes are linked to the exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen. Photograph: Kayhan Ozer/AFP/Getty Images


Date posted: July 25, 2016

CONSTANZE LETSCH

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also uses state of emergency powers granted after coup attempt to extend detention period of criminal suspects

Turkey’s president has signed a decree that allows for the extension of the pre-charge detention period and the closure of institutions linked to Fethullah Gülen, the exiled cleric blamed for masterminding last weekend’s failed military coup.

According to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office, the decree will close 1,043 private schools, 1,229 foundations and associations, 35 medical institutions, 19 unions, and 15 universities. Their assets will be seized by the treasury. The presidency said that parliament will be able to vote on the measure.

It is the first presidential decree since the announcement of a three-month state of emergency on Wednesday. This enables Erdoğan’s cabinet to bypass parliament and suspend rights as they deem necessary. Decrees passed during the state of emergency have the force of law and cannot be appealed.

The government says the measure is necessary to prevent further unrest and insists it will only target those immediately associated with the coup attempt. However, there are concerns that the crackdown has been widened to root out all potential sympathisers of Gülen’s movement, turning the investigation of coup plotters into an all-out witch hunt.

The decree also extends the current maximum pre-charge detention from four to 30 days, a move that was criticised by human rights groups who have recently flagged up an increase of cases of severe ill-treatment of soldiers currently in detention.

“The decision to extend the detention period to 30 days is disproportionate,” said Andrew Gardner, Turkey researcher for Amnesty International. “It is too long and given the reports we have received so far it will facilitate torture and undermine the right to a fair trial.”

He added that the extension was a worrying sign of measures to come. “This decree is a telling indication of what the authorities have in store and might hint at more mass detentions.”

Since the bloody coup attempt last Friday, whichkilled at least 265 people and injured more than 1,000, tens of thousands of soldiers, security officers, judges, prosecutors, civil servants and academics suspected of ties to the movement founded by Gülen, who lives in the US, have been detained or suspended from their jobs.

Erdoğan has vowed to “cleanse” all Gülen supporters from the state apparatus and civil services, drawing concern from Turkey’s western allies over his increasingly authoritarian stance.

Source: The Guardian , July 23, 2016


Related News

Turkish teacher dies of cancer, buried in Australia

Sezer Morkoç (43), a chemistry teacher at a Turkish school in Australia, died of cancer on Monday and was buried in Adelaide. Morkoç graduated from the chemistry department of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), one of the most prestigious universities in Turkey. He and his family moved to Australia in 2001. He had been teaching at Burc College, a private school founded by Turkish entrepreneurs in Adelaide.

Abant Platform discusses thriving relations between Turkey and Africa

SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, ABANT The unprecedented level of interaction between Turkey and Africa was the dominant theme of the 29th meeting of the Abant Platform on Friday, which convened with the theme of Africa in Abant, Bolu. Participants from Turkey and Africa in the fields of academia, politics and the media agreed that mutual understanding is […]

Karaca’s lawyers to ask Constitutional Court to reverse detention order

Lawyers for Samanyolu Broadcasting Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca, who was arrested after government-initiated operations targeting the managers of the Zaman and Samanyolu media outlets on Dec. 14, are preparing to file an appeal with the Constitutional Court to overturn the decision to detain Karaca on Tuesday.

Romanian Judge Blocks Extradition of Second Arrested ‘Gulenist’

A Romanian judge has blocked the extradition to Turkey of a Turkish schools director linked to the man accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup, hours after the director was arrested on Tuesday.

Turkish schools praised by Uganda’s education minister

Ugandan Education Minister Jessica Alupo commented on the success of Galaxy International Schools in Uganda during a recent trip to Turkey. Alupo stressed that the five Galaxy International Schools, which were opened by Turkish entrepreneurs and operate across Uganda with nearly 1,500 students, encourage pupils to grow as individuals.

Erdogan plotted purge before coup, say Brussels spies

he European intelligence contradicts the Turkish government’s claim that Fethullah Gülen, an exiled cleric, was behind the plot to overthrow the Turkish government. Ankara is seeking Mr Gülen’s extradition from the US.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Torture – Black Sites of Turkey

2-month-old denied breast milk for 17 days while under detention with mother

International “Evolution of Teacher Training Conference” took place in Minsk

Obama Adviser Praises Fethullah Gulen and Gulen Movement

Gov’t ban on charity Kimse Yok Mu hits orphans

US says it does not consider Gülen movement a terror organization

Gov’t keeps purging, dozens of police officials across Turkey have been removed

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News