Turkish authorities have dismissed more than 10,000 civil servants over their links with the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which is behind the deadly July 15 coup attempt.
Thousands of academics, teachers and health workers were among those removed through a new emergency rule decree published on the Official Gazette late on Saturday, while 15 media outlets were shut down for the same reason.
Through the decrees, the election process for choosing university rectors has also been abolished. According to the new process, the president will directly appoint the rectors from the candidates nominated by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).
FETÖ, led by U.S.-based cult leader Fetullah Gülen, who was the mastermind behind the coup attempt staged on July 15, killed more than 240 people and wounded about 2,200 others who were demonstrating against the coup attempt on that devastating night.
Coup plotters used tanks, combat helicopters and F-16 fighter jets to hit civilians, public offices, police and intelligence unit's headquarters, the parliament building and presidential palace in Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his family members were targeted by an assassination team on the coup night, but the attempt was foiled as he left the hotel, where he was staying with his family members, about 30 minutes before the team arrived there.
A state of emergency imposed right after the failed bloody coup in July has been extended for another three months until January after President Erdoğan said the authorities needed more time to eradicate the threat posed by FETÖ as well as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists.
Ankara wants the Washington to detain and extradite Gülen so that he can be prosecuted in Turkey on the charge that he masterminded the attempt to overthrow the government.
Gülen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, has stablished a new type terrorist network worldwide.
FETÖ has numerous schools, charities and financial institutes across the world which have been used to organize Gülen terrorist group.
Ankara also requested those countries where Gülen's institutes are operating to either shut them down or hand them over to Turkish authorities.
The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has also declared Gülen's network as a terrorist organization and urged all member countries to support Turkey's fight against this group.
