Stephen Lendman

Purging suspected regime opposition elements rages into its sixth day, all sectors of Turkish society affected. Anyone suspected of disloyalty is vulnerable.

Mass arrests and detentions targeted thousands of military, judiciary, police, civil servants and other civilian personnel.

According to Bloomberg LP, 60,000 academics were suspended, fired or stripped of professional accreditation.

Turkey’s High Education Board (HEB) reported “licenses of 21,000 teachers working in privately-run institutions…cancelled” - claiming “(t)ip-offs” about their alleged link to “terrorist activities,” no further elaboration given.

HEB ordered the resignation of 1,577 deans at all universities nationwide. Parliamentarians were removed from office, including two vice secretary-generals, a law services head and deputy, a budget services deputy head, a research services head, a press and public relations deputy head, among others.

Various ministries sacked personnel. Purging continues nationwide, hugely destabilizing Turkey and the region. It’s unclear how much further this has to go or what things will look like when completed.

On Thursday, Erdogan returned to Ankara ahead of convening his top military and civilian security officials for the first time since last Friday’s uprising, vowing an “important” announcement to follow.

Turkey is in a state of lockdown. Academics, deans and university presidents are barred from traveling abroad until further notice, according to state-controlled Anadolu news agency.

It reported plans to establish a special court to try alleged coup plotters. A new prison will be built to incarcerate them. Enactment of new police state laws is planned.

Sweeping witch-hunt state terror continues. Moody’s Investor Services put Turkish debt on review. A possible downgrade from its lowest investment grade Baa3 rating may follow because of continuing unsettling events.

Erdogan is using Friday’s uprising to solidify dictatorial rule - purging anyone suspected of regime disloyalty, imprisoning opponents en masse.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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