Turkey fires another 10,000 civil servants in post-coup purge

Turkey has purged thousands more civil servants as the crackdown on suspected 'Gulenists' continues.

1 min read

30 October, 2016

Turkey has embarked on a harsh crackdown following a failed coup last July [AFP]

Turkish authorities have fired more than 10,000 civil servants in its latest crackdown on government workers suspected of involvement or sympathising with July's failed coup, the official gazette said.

A total of 10,131 government employees were removed, mainly from the education, justice and health ministries, according to announcements published late Saturday.

The government also announced the closure of 15 pro-Kurdish and other media outlets.

University rector elections have also been suspended, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set to pick the winners from a pool of candidates selected by the nation's education authority.

The moves came three months after the government declared a state of emergency following a failed bid by a rogue faction of the army to oust Erdogan.

More than 35,000 people have been arrested since then, and many dozens of teachers, police officers and judges have either been suspended or fired.

It follows a coup attempt by factions in the Turkish army in July, which attempted to take control of the government and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and soldiers.

Turkey has been criticised by its western allies for an excessive crackdown on government workers, soldiers, and journalists suspected of links to US-based cleric Fathullah Gullen who Ankara blames for the coup attempt.