‘Unlawfully Sacked Public Sector Staff Must Be Returned to Their Duties’

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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Education and Science Laborers Union (Eğitim Sen), Medical and Social Service Laborers Union (SES), and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) have called for public sector staff  who were sacked through a Statutory Decree to be returned to their duties.

The call was made at a press meeting organized at the İstanbul Chamber of Medicine, which was attended by TTB President Raşit Tükel, TİHV President Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Eğitim Sen President Kamuran Karaca and SES Co-Chair İbrahim Kara was.

A statement read by Tükel said, “Coup investigations must be carried out delicately within legal framework, and those who haven’t been determined to have solid links with the coup must be returned to their duties”.

Karaca: We are concerned

Karaca, recalling Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım’s announcement that 14,000 teachers would be suspended, said “We are concerned that, by including union activities within the scope of ‘terrorism’, dissident circles will be suspended.”

Fincancı: Political will owes an apology

“It is the students who lose here. Within these restrictions, they may not always be able to find the opportunity to access scientists. Therefore this unlawfulness must come to an end.

“In addition to returning people to their public duties, the political will must also apologize to all these people. It owes an apology to the scientists as well”.

Kara: Elimination of dissidents

“Even though the justification [for the dismissals] is related to the coup, what is in question is the elimination of all opponents”, said İbrahim Kara.

“If the government seriously wants to run a democracy, it must take a step back and apologize to those whom it has been trying to discredit”. (BK/TK)