Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan (L) shaking hands with a guard during his visit to the
Police Special Operation Department's Headquarters in Golbasi district
of Ankara on July 29, 2016 (AFP)
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says from now on all military commanders
will report directly to the country’s defense minister and that all
military academies will be closed. During an interview with the Turkish broadcaster A Haber
on Saturday, Erdogan said that the new measures were aimed at bringing
the military under full civilian control. He added that the military
academies would be replaced with a national defense university. "We
are going to introduce a small constitutional package (to parliament)
which, if approved, will bring the National Intelligence Organization
(MIT) and chief of staff under the control of the presidency," he said. Erdogan
also announced cuts in the size of the country’s gendarmerie security
forces along with upgrades to their weaponry. He also noted that his
lawyers had started work on withdrawing lawsuits against persons who had
insulted him. The Turkish
president has filed hundreds of court cases against critics, including
many journalists, for insulting him since he took office in August 2014.
On Friday, he had announced that in the spirit of "unity” following the coup he would revoke the said lawsuits. Earlier,
Turkish authorities announced the release of over 750 soldiers who were
detained following the failed coup, noting that 231 soldiers still
remain in custody.
A
detained Turkish soldier who allegedly took part in a military coup
arrives with his hands bound behind his back at the Istanbul Justice
Palace on July 20, 2016. (AFP)
On
Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the country had
succeeded in purging the military from all elements linked to US-based
opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for the failed coup
attempt. “Those who show tolerance to traitors are also traitors themselves,” he said. The
putsch began overnight on July 15, when rebel soldiers declared they
were in control of the country and the Ankara administration was no more
in charge. Tanks, helicopters and soldiers then clashed with police and
people on the streets of the capital and Istanbul. The
coup was gradually suppressed by military forces and people loyal to
Erdogan. Over 60,000 people have been removed, suspended or detained
over suspected links with the putsch.
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