Erdogan says he is ready to reinstate death penalty

Turkey revokes licences of 21,000 teachers; orders resignation of 1,577 deans of all universities

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is ready to reinstate the death penalty “if the people demand it”, following the recent coup attempt.

He was addressing supporters outside his Istanbul residence who were chanting for capital punishment to be restored, BBC reported.EU officials have warned that Turkey’s bid to join the bloc would be finished if Ankara restored the death penalty.

Erdogan has overseen a crackdown since the coup attempt was quashed.Thousands of police officers, military personnel and judges have been suspended or arrested.

Speaking to his supporters on Tuesday morning, the president said Turkey was “a democratic state run by the rule of law”.He said he was ready to reinstate the death penalty if the Turkish people demanded it and parliament approved the legislation, adding: “You cannot put aside the people’s demands.”

“Today is there no capital punishment in America? In Russia? In China? In countries around the world? Only in European Union countries there is no capital punishment,” he said. Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to become a member of the EU.

On Monday, Mr Erdogan said suggestions that he was using the coup attempt to crack down on his political opponents were "libel". "I'd like to know what a crackdown by Tayyip Erdogan looks like... It's just libel," he said.

"If Tayyip Erdogan was an oppressive figure, he wouldn't have won 52% of the vote at the presidential elections."   AFP adds: Meanwhile, the Turkish army said Tuesday that the vast majority of its members had no links with Friday’s attempted coup and warned that the putschists would face severe punishment.

"The overwhelming majority of our members who love their people, nation and flag have absolutely nothing to do" with this coup "attempted by traitors," it said in a statement.

The army said the plotters would be punished severely for the "humiliation and disgrace" on the Turkish republic. "Believers of the rule of law, democracy and the high value of our nation and its noble aims were the victors," it added.

The armed forces blamed the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation" (FETO) for the failed putsch, referring to Fethullah Gulen, a one-time ally turned foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan has accused Gulen of leading the coup from afar in the United States -- charges which the Islamic preacher strongly denies.

The army said its chief of staff Hulusi Akar had refused at gunpoint to sign a document in support of the attempted overthrow of the government.

"An illegal gang of terrorists in FETO tried to force the Chief of General Staff to sign a document and read a statement live on television by making threats against him," it said.

"The traitors made this request of the chief of General Staff which he strongly refused."   Reuters adds: Turkey´s education ministry has revoked the licences of 21,000 teachers working in private institutions, an official at the ministry told Reuters on Tuesday, part of an expanding government crackdown following a failed coup attempt.

The announcement came shortly after a report that the High Education Board had ordered the resignation of 1,577 deans at all universities across Turkey. "The licences of 21,000 teachers working in privately-run institutions have been cancelled.

Tip-offs that these (people) are mostly linked with terrorist activities have been taken into consideration," the ministry official said, without elaborating. Meanwhile, Turkey´s National Intelligence Organisation suspended 100 people, most of whom who were not active agents, on suspicion they maintain links to a religious movement blamed for a failed coup plot, a senior Turkish official said.