Turkey defends state of emergency following 2016 coup attempt
KUALA LUMPUR: The Turkish government has defended its declaration of a state of emergency following a failed but deadly coup attempt in the republic on July 15 last year.
Turkish ambassador to Malaysia Basak Turkoglu said despite sentiments that the government was undermining democracy by doing so, Ankara had to take measures to suppress the threat posed by the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation (Feto).
She said Feto, the alleged architects of the coup, had been in the republic for at least 40 years.
The coup attempt led to 250 deaths and wounded more than 2,000 people, including civilians.
“The state of emergency, which was declared immediately after the foiled terrorist coup attempt and extended until now, in full conformity with our national legislation and international obligations, was necessary to make the state organs act swiftly and effectively.
“It is not intended to intervene in the lives of our citizens,” she said at the Turkish embassy here on Thursday.
Turkoglu said there was a need to strike a balance between freedom and national interest, especially after the nation was rocked by the unexpected tragedy.
Commenting on the newly-established Inquiry Commission to probe cases of civil servants dismissed from service during the state of emergency, Turkoglu said the government had taken several measures.
“To date, 345 institutions that were shut down have been reopened, of which 187 were associations, which included 21 foundations, 91 private education institutions, six radio and television channels, 17 newspapers and a private health institution.
“About 34,000 public employees have been reinstated through administrative boards of review, while 399 judges and prosecutors were reinstated to their duties.”
Those affected by the dismissal criticised the Turkish government, claiming unfair treatment.
It was reported that more than 50,000 people were jailed, in- cluding journalists and lawmakers, while about 100,000 people, including teachers, judges, prosecutors and civil servants, were fired from their jobs.
In response to the criticism, Turkoglu said it was due to the claims of mistreatment that the government decided to establish the commission.
The commission, she said, was formed to provide a “democratic right for the civil servants” dismissed from their posts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that those arrested and dismissed were suspected of having links to Feto, with USbased leader Fetullah Gulen having orchestrated the failed coup.
Gulen denied being the mastermind behind the coup attempt,
“We are committed to strengthening our democratic credentials because we know that this is the only way to counter terrorism in all forms and manifestations.
“We are determined to fight such enemies of democracy through democracy.
“In these critical times, we need support and encouragement from our friends,” Turkoglu said.
The incident last year began when several individuals, including members of the military, launched an attempt to overthrow the government, led by Erdogan.
The coup failed when Turkish people took to the streets to defend their democracy.
On May 11, three Turkish men living in Malaysia — Ihsan Aslan, Turgay Karaman and Ismet Ozcelik — were deported after they had been arrested, over suspected links to terrorist activities.