99 Generals and Admirals of the Turkish Army Officially Accused of 'Attempting a Coup'

Ninety-nine generals of the Turkish army were officially accused of attempting a coup in the country on Wednesday, July 20. At the same time, 262 judges and prosecutors from military courts and 900 police officers in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, were also suspended from their positions. Additionally, 6,500 other employees from the country's Ministry of National Education were suspended from their positions, following the dismissal of over 15,000 teachers by this ministry just a day earlier. The Turkish government also revoked the teaching licenses of 21,000 teachers working in the private sector on Tuesday. With these figures, more than 60,000 judges, teachers, soldiers, police officers, and government employees have been suspended so far. According to Reuters, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, described the widespread suspension of judges and government employees in Turkey as a 'serious warning' and urged the Turkish government to allow independent observers to visit prisons and detainees. Meanwhile, the Turkish government stated that these actions were taken to create stability and prevent any harm to the country's economy. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also stated that criticism of the government's actions in response to the coup is considered support for the military coup in the country. On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a security meeting with government officials and members of the National Security Council at the presidential palace, where a series of 'emergency measures' are expected to be announced. Following the government's actions after the failed coup, Turkish telecommunications company announced on Wednesday that access to the WikiLeaks website has been blocked. This decision came just hours after thousands of emails from the ruling party were leaked, while the Turkish government grapples with the aftermath of the failed military coup. WikiLeaks published about 300,000 emails from the ruling party from 2010 to July 6 this year. The Turkish Higher Education Council also banned academics from traveling abroad and requested those on missions abroad to return to the country immediately. Meanwhile, the Republican People's Party, Turkey's largest opposition party, announced on Wednesday that it would hold a large rally in Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday, with the slogan of defending democracy and the Turkish Republic and parliamentary system. The Turkish lira fell to its lowest level in months on Wednesday, trading at over three lira to one US dollar. The S&P agency also downgraded Turkey's economic credit rating by one notch, indicating a decrease in the country's economic stability. Furthermore, reports indicate that a significant percentage of travel tours from Russia and Europe to Turkey's beaches and Istanbul have been canceled, which will have a major economic impact on Turkey's tourism industry in the last two months of summer. Another notable news amidst the arrests and purges is the surge of people buying Turkish flags, with reports from Hurriyet stating that over 100 million flags have been sold in the last three to four days, leading to shortages of fabric and other essential materials for producers. A group of Turkish military forces attempted to seize power in the country last Friday night and announced early Saturday morning that they had taken control, but President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared on Saturday morning, July 16, that the coup had failed and the government was in control of the situation. The Turkish president and the ruling party have blamed Fethullah Gülen, a religious cleric living in the US, for the failed coup, but Gülen has denied the accusations. Turkish officials have repeatedly emphasized in recent days that the US must extradite Gülen. According to the Associated Press, US President Barack Obama and Turkish President Erdoğan discussed the developments in Turkey and Gülen's status during a phone call on Tuesday. Obama condemned the recent violence in Turkey and assured Erdoğan that Washington is ready to investigate the coup that occurred the previous week. According to reports, the Turkish government submitted the necessary documents for Gülen's formal extradition to the US government on Tuesday. In this context, Turkey has banned university professors from leaving the country, and the number of those dismissed from government and security institutions has reached 50,000. The phone conversation between Obama and Erdoğan regarding Gülen's extradition, the Turkish lira's decline, and WikiLeaks' release of about 300,000 emails from members of the ruling party are all significant developments.