Turkey: 78% of appeals on state of emergency concluded

ANKARA

Nearly 78% of applications concerning measures under Turkey’s state of emergency after a defeated coup orchestrated by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in June 2016 have been concluded, and 9,600 were accepted, according to a presidential commission examining the process.

In a report released Thursday, Turkey's Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures gave details of applications over measures such as the dismissal of public officials, scholarship cancellations, retired personnel having their ranks annulled, and the closure of some institutions.

The commission took nearly 131,922 measures, including some 125,678 dismissals from public service over links to FETO, the terrorist group behind the coup and a plot to infiltrate the Turkish state.

According to the report, the commission started its decision-making process in December 2017, and over 126,300 applications were submitted as of Thursday.

The commission concluded nearly 78% of these applications, said the report.

Out of 98,300 applications decided on, 9,600 were accepted and 88,700 rejected, it said, adding that 50 of the accepted applications were on re-opening of organizations such as associations, foundations, television channels that were shut down.

Some 28,000 applications await for decisions.

A data processing infrastructure was set up in order to receive, archive, and examine applications in an electronic environment, the commission said, adding that the system currently has information acquired from over 20 institutions and organizations.

Some 250 staffers, including 80 rapporteurs -- judges, experts, and inspectors -- were employed for the application review process.

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

The institutions, where the applicants most recently held the office were notified of the commission’s rulings, and they are due to re-appoint dismissed state workers whose applications were accepted.

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

The applicants can track their status on the commission's website.

"The mandate of the Commission has been extended for one year in line with Article 3 of the Law no. 7075 with the Presidential Decree no. 2019/443 published on 26 December 2019 in the Official Gazette."