Turkey: 27,700 teachers dismissed over terror links

By Humeyra Atilgan Buyukovali

ANKARA

Just over 27,700 teachers across Turkey have been dismissed for suspected links to terrorist organizations, Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Monday.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara, Canikli said another 9,464 teachers had been suspended over similar allegations. Among these, the minister said, 455 had already been restored to their earlier posts.

However, suspended teachers are still under investigation Canikli added, saying: "If their links to terrorist organizations become definite, they will all [be] dismissed from public institutions."

The minister did not specify the terrorist groups in question, but earlier Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed to suspend all teachers associated with the PKK organization.

Yildirim said around 14,000 teachers, serving mostly in southeastern Turkey, were somehow associated with terrorism.

A number of teachers were also arrested following the July 15 coup bid, suspected of having links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO is accused of leading the defeated coup as well as a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Canikli said "determination on fighting against terrorism" was high on the agenda of Monday's meeting.

Amid concerns about the effects on schools and teaching after the dismissals, Canikli said around 20,000 new teachers would start working on Oct. 10.

Canikli also said centers had been established under Turkey's prime ministry to evaluate appeals into claims of unfair dismissals.

There had been less than 1,000 such requests so far, he said, adding: "Our basic principle is zero injustice."

- German MPs can visit soldiers at Incirlik -

The Turkish minister also confirmed German parliamentarians would be allowed to visit their soldiers at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey's Adana province.

Canikli said Turkey previously restricted the lawmakers from visiting the facility after Germany’s parliament approved a non-binding resolution in June backing Armenian claims of “genocide” in 1915.

However, Canikli said, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's remarks that the resolution was a political one, Turkey's expectations were met.

Now, there is no obstacle to German MPs visiting their soldiers at Incirlik in October, he added.