Turkey's emergency state body concludes 85% of appeals
Commission head Salih Tanrıkulu (L) speaking on the processes at the Inquiry Commission on the Emergency Measures archives in Ankara, Dec. 27, 2019. (AA Photo)


Turkey's presidential commission on the state of emergency has concluded 85% of appeal applications concerning measures taken in the aftermath of the July 2016 failed coup attempt, according to its latest report released Friday.

The Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures gave details of applications on measures adopted under the state of emergency decree laws, such as the dismissal of public officials, scholarship cancellations, annulment of the ranks of retired personnel and the closure of some institutions.

The commission took nearly 132,000 measures, including 125,678 dismissals from the public service, over links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the terrorist group behind the defeated coup and a plot to infiltrate the Turkish state.

The commission started the process in December 2017 and has made over 108,000 decisions as of July 3, the report said.

Some 12,200 applications were accepted, 96,000 were rejected and there are 18,100 pending applications, according to the report.

"Accordingly, 85% of the applications have been decided on within a period of 30 months since the date of the beginning of the commission's decision-making process," the report said.

A data processing infrastructure was set up to receive, archive and examine applications electronically, the commission said, adding that information acquired from over 20 institutions and organizations was recorded in the system.

Some 250 members of staff, including 80 rapporteurs, judges, experts and inspectors, participated in the application review process.

A total of 490,000 files, including personnel files transferred from relevant institutions, court files and former applications, were classified, registered and archived.

Within 60 days from the notification date, the Council of Judges and Prosecutors may appeal an annulment action by the commission, the institution or organization where the applicant last held office, the report said.

Since the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Turkey, Turkish institutions, including the military, have been working to find and expel elements of FETÖ.

A two-year state of emergency declared following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt was lifted on July 20, 2018.

The coup attempt was orchestrated by FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen, which left 251 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.