Large scale purges against thousands of ‘traitor’ state servants in Turkey

Turkey gripped by an atmosphere of division and distrust

Amid an atmosphere of general distrust and suspicion in Turkey, the country’s President Tayyip Erdogan continues his pogrom against dissenting voices deemed to be a threat to the his rule after last Friday’s failed coup attempt. The Erdogan regime has unleashed a sweeping ‘head-hunting’ operation across the nation against people in the military, state structure, judicial system and education suspected to have ties with US-based Turkish cleric leader, and foe of Erdigan, Fetullah Gulen, who has been dubbed as the traitor and mastermind behind the coup. The number of public servants purged by Erdogan are reportedly in the tens of thousands, including doctors, military personnel, secret service officers etc. Over 1,500 university professors have been removed from their chairs, while the immediate removal of 15,200 public educators and 21,000 private educators has been ordered by Erdogan. Meanwhile, tensions between the US and Turkey have escalated over the extradition of Gulen to Turkey, with the Erdogan regime sending the US evidence of his involvement in the coup and the US responding it would consider the evidence. The EU has made it clear in all tones that the doors of the EU would close for Turkey if Erdogan passed a law to reinstate the death penalty, something the Turkish President promised his supporters he would examine.