Turkey Dismisses More Than 6,000 Workers In Post-Coup Purge

Turkey has dismissed more than 6,000 more police, civil servants, and academics under emergency rule, continuing a purge in the wake of a failed coup last July.

A new government decree published late on January 6 ordered the dismissals of 2,687 police officers, 1,699 officials from the Justice Ministry, 838 from the Health Ministry, more than 630 academics, and 135 officials from the religious affairs directorate.

Around 120,000 people have been suspended or sacked since the failed July 15 coup attempt.

The crackdown has led to international concern with rights groups accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using the coup as a pretext to muzzle dissent.

On January 3, Turkish lawmakers voted to extend by a further three months a state of emergency that was declared following the July 15 coup attempt.

The state of emergency was declared to crack down on a network linked to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of orchestrating the failed coup. Gulen denies any involvement.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters