Turkey suspends over 7,000 civil servants on eve of failed coup anniv.July 15, 2017 - 14:04 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey fired more than 7,000 police officers, government officials and academics on Friday, July 14, the eve of the one-year anniversary of a failed military coup, the Voice of America reports. A government order, published by the official state-run Gazette, shows those dismissed include 2,303 police — including some high-ranking officers — along with more than 300 academics from universities. The decree also strips 342 retired officers and soldiers of their ranks. The order was published under a state of emergency imposed after last year's attempted coup to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. More than 240 people were killed in the violence. Turkey claims the coup was led by a cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who has been living in self-imposed exile in the United States for nearly two decades. Gulen denies any involvement. Since the coup attempt, Erdogan dismissed at least 100,000 civil servants he has characterized as supporters of the aborted coup. The government has arrested another 50,000 people. The Turkish opposition says that Erdogan's government has been moving toward authoritarianism, while the Turkish leader says that the crackdown on rights is necessary to thwart security threats to the ruling government. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |