A total of 15,726 personnel have been dismissed, mostly from the police, over suspected links to the movement of the U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gülen, believed to have masterminded the failed July 15 coup attempt.
Some 7,586 personnel from the police force, 1,259 from ground forces command, 391 from naval forces command, 338 from air forces command and 403 from the gendarmerie have been dismissed with the new decree. The total number dismissed since Turkey’s thwarted coup now exceeds 110,000.
The number of personnel dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) totaled 1,988 with the recent decrees.
Some 2,696 personnel from the Interior Ministry and its related institutions, 1,184 from the Higher Education Board (YÖK), 752 from the Health Ministry, 526 from the Finance Ministry, 131 from the Family and Social Policies Ministry, 119 from the National Education Ministry, 94 from the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), 73 from the Energy Ministry, 52 from the Forestry and Water Affairs Ministry, 45 from the state-run broadcaster TRT, 23 from the National Defense Ministry, 15 from the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), 14 from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), 13 from the Youth and Sports Ministry, 11 from the Culture and Tourism Ministry, and one from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) were dismissed with the latest decrees.
Meanwhile, 157 public personnel have returned to their duties with the new decrees. Some 36 have returned to the Diyanet, one to TİKA, one to the General Directorate for Foundations, 41 to the Social Security Institution (SGK), 10 to the Food, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry, one to the Forestry and Water Affairs Ministry, 18 to the Health Ministry, 31 to the Transport Ministry, and 16 to higher education institutions.
The decrees also announced the closure of 550 associations, 19 private health institutions and nine media outlets.
According to the decrees, the dismissals and the closures were carried out for their alleged “contact with terrorist organizations, groups or structures that commit acts against Turkey’s national security.”
Turkey declared a three-month-long state of emergency after the failed coup attempt, which was later extended for another three months.