Turkiye concludes nearly all applications related to coup bid measures

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye said Friday it has concluded nearly all of the applications related to the measures adopted in the aftermath of the defeated coup bid of 2016.

The country's Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures said 98% of all applications have concluded.

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

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.

The commission started the decision-making process in December 2017 and concluded 124,235 of 127,130 applications as of May 27.

Some 17,265 applications were accepted, while 106,970 were rejected. There are 2,895 pending applications.

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

Some 220 staffers, including 70 rapporteurs -- judges, experts, and inspectors -- worked in the application review process.

A total of 496,822 files -- including personnel files transferred from relevant institutions, court files, and former applications -- were classified, registered, and archived.

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 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 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.