Türkiye concludes all applications related to coup bid measures

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye said Thursday the commission on the state of emergency concluded all of the applications related to the measures adopted in the aftermath of the defeated coup bid of 2016.

In an annual report, the country's Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures said it started the decision-making process in December 2017 and concluded 127,292 applications as of Jan 12.

The measures included the dismissal of public officials, scholarship cancellations, annulment of the ranks of retired personnel, and the closure of some institutions, the parliamentary report said.

The commission took nearly 132,000 measures, including 125,678 dismissals from public service over links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the terrorist group which orchestrated the coup, it said.

- Nearly 18,000 applications accepted

The commission said the number of accepted applications stood at 17,960, with 109,332 rejected.

It added that of the total applications it had accepted, 72 were for the reopening of institutions closed down after the defeated coup attempt, including associations, foundations, newspapers, schools, and TV channels.

"Accordingly, decisions were delivered on all of the applications during the Commission's mandate," said its report.

A data processing infrastructure was set up to handle applications, to electronically receive, archive, and examine them, the commission said, adding that the system has recorded information from over 20 institutions and organizations.

For this, the commission employed some 205 professionals, including 65 rapporteurs – judges, experts and inspectors – in the application assessment process.

A total of 497,698 files have been classified, registered, and archived, including personnel files transferred from their institutions, court files, and past applications.

The institutions where the applicants most recently held office were notified of the commission's rulings, and they are due to re-appoint dismissed state employees whose applications were accepted.

Within 60 days starting from the notification date, the Council of Judges and Prosecutors may appeal an annulment action by the commission, the institution or organization where the applicant last held office, said the report.

The applicants can track their status on the commission's website.

Since the coup attempt, Turkish institutions, including the military, have been working to find and expel elements of FETO, the group behind the plot.

A two-year state of emergency was declared after the July 25, 2016, defeated coup was lifted on July 20, 2018.

A total of 251 people were martyred, and nearly 2,200 were injured in the coup attempt.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.