Turkey dismisses thousands more over failed coup
Turkey has dismissed more than 6,000 people and ordered the closure of dozens of associations under the state of emergency imposed after the failed coup in July, in a purge that showed no sign of slowing.
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More than 100,000 people have already been suspended or sacked so far in a crackdown on those alleged to have links to coup plotters while dozens of media outlets have been shut down.
In the latest government decrees published in the country's official gazette late on Friday, 2,687 police officers including 53 high-ranking commissioners were dismissed.
Meanwhile, 1,699 civil servants were removed from the ministry of justice, including eight members of the Council of State and one from the Supreme Electoral Council, Anadolu, the state news agency, reported late on Friday.
Eight hundred thirty-eight health officials and hundreds of employees from other ministries were also dismissed, in addition to another 631 academics and eight members of the Council of State.
State of emergency
The dismissals are permitted under the state of emergency, which was extended by another three months in October, and was originally imposed in the wake of the coup.
But its scope has been vehemently criticised by the European Union and human rights activists.
The three decrees also ordered the closure of more than 80 associations accused of "activities affecting the security of the state".
Critics have claimed that the crackdown goes well beyond the suspected coup plotters and targets anyone who has dared show opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ankara blames the coup plot on US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen and says an unrelenting campaign is needed to root out his influence from public life. Gulen denies the allegations.
Turkey also argues the exceptional security measures are necessary in the face of rising threats from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The country has been hit by two attacks this week, one claimed by ISIL against a high-end Turkish nightclub , and the other which authorities blamed on the PKK in the western city of Izmir .