13,165 detained over failed coup attempt: Erdoğan

ANKARA

A total of 13,165 people have been detained over the July 15 failed coup attempt, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, as he commented on the ongoing operations against members of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) says was behind the failed attempt. 

“Some 8,838 among the detained are soldiers, 2,101 are judges and prosecutors, 1,485 are police officers, 52 are local authorities and 689 are civilians,” Erdoğan said in a speech broadcast in squares around Turkey, while adding that 123 among the jailed 5,863 individuals were generals, 282 were high-ranking police officers and 1,559 were judges and prosecutors. 

“The interrogations of the others are ongoing,” he also said. 

Saying that a total of 246 people were killed, of whom 62 were police officers, 179 were civilians and five were soldiers, Erdoğan noted that 2,186 people were also wounded. 

“A total of 934 schools, 109 dormitories, 15 universities, 104 foundations, 35 health institutions, 1,125 associations and 19 unions belonging to FETÖ have been closed down. Their assets were seized by the state,” he added.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said a total of 3,000 judges and prosecutors would be appointed in November, as he added there were a sufficient number of personnel to fill the spots emptied due to suspensions in the framework of the anti-FETÖ operations. 

“There won’t be any disruption or problems in the trial processes of our citizens. They won’t have a hard time. We’ve taken precautions regarding this issue. We had planned to appoint 1,500 judges and prosecutors in November. Upon the recent developments we decided to appoint 3,000 of them,” Bozdağ said in a TV interview, adding that 800 lawyers would become judges and prosecutors. 

“The other 2,200 will be appointed from the graduates of law schools,” he also said. 

Elsewhere, Education Minister İsmet Yılmaz also commented on appointments, saying that 20,000 teachers would fill the spots emptied due to suspensions of teachers linked to FETÖ. 

“I previously said that the appointment of new teachers will be done in February 2017. However, upon the new situation that emerged, we will appoint teachers this year on contract or interview,” Yılmaz told journalists in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas, after attending a meeting to protest the fail coup attempt. 

“The licenses of the suspended teachers have been canceled,” he also said.