Turkey: Culture and Tourism Ministry Suspends 317 Staff
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - At least 317 Culture and Tourism Ministry personnel have been suspended for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) following the July 15 failed coup, Nabi Avci, the minister responsible for the ministry, said Tuesday.
Speaking at Anadolu Agency's Editors' Desk in Ankara, Avci said the ministry had so far probed 490 personnel, out of whom 317 were suspended and the rest were dismissed for allegedly being FETO members.
He also announced his ministry would organize three major poster, design and video competitions in commemoration of the July 15 martyrs, he said.
“Many documentary and film projects about July 15 have been submitted to the ministry. I have already promised a film project for Ankara’s heroic district of Kazan. We will also open a museum to cherish the memories of our martyrs,” Avci said.
Seven civilians were martyred near the Akinci 4th Central Jet Command Base in Ankara’s Kazan district.
Turkey accuses Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which is led by US-based Fetullah Gulen, of organizing the defeated coup as well as a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
The failed coup left 241 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.