Turkey fires 492 religious staff as tensions rise after failed military coup

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sacked nearly 500 religious officials amid massive arrests and seeming purge before declaring a state of emergency following Friday's blotched military coup.

The Religious Affairs Directorate, also known as the Diyanet, said in a statement that the president sacked 492 religious officials for charges of "terrorism" links. This happened Tuesday, July 19 after the failed coup on Friday night, July 15 that claimed the lives of 265 people and wounded 1,440. 

Erdogan declared a state of emergency subsequently on Thursday, July 21 which is bound to last for at least three months.

Authorities also removed from office about 9,000 police, nearly 3,000 judges, 15,200 teachers and others in the education realm, 1,577 university deans, 8,777 interior ministry officials, 1,500 finance officials and 257 employees of the prime minister's office.

While the United Nations praised the Turkish civilians by taking to the streets in a peaceful rally against the military coup, it also reminded the government to respond in accordance to the rule of law.

"In the aftermath of such a traumatic experience, it is particularly crucial to ensure that human rights are not squandered in the name of security and in the rush to punish those perceived to be responsible," said a statement by Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Hussein expressed alarm on the mass suspension and removal in the judiciary and stressed that judges and lawyers must be able to act independently without pressure or threat in order to mete out justice. He also cautioned the government to observe due process and practice the presumption of innocence to those under investigation.

Amnesty International warned that the government's crackdown only endangered human rights especially as Erdogan expressed plans to bring back death penalty.

"The coup attempt unleashed appalling violence and those responsible for unlawful killings and other human rights abuses must be brought to justice, but cracking down on dissent and threatening to bring back the death penalty are not justice," said Amnesty.

Erdogan accused Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen as mastermind for the coupt attempt and demanded that the U.S. government extradite Gulen.

The cleric, however, accused Erdogan for plotting the coup that gave the Turkish strongman an excuse to clamp down on civil liberties and political opponents.