Turkey detains more judges and military officers

AP , Thursday 21 Jul 2016

Turkey
Relatives and friends of detained soldiers, accused of participating on the July 15 attempted coup stand outside the gates of the Istanbul courthouse, Wednesday, July 20, 2016 (Photo: AP)

Turkish state media say a further 32 judges and two military officers have been detained by authorities during the crackdown on alleged conspirators following last week's failed coup.

The detentions reported Thursday by Anadolu news agency come hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency that is expected to expand the crackdown.

Already, nearly 10,000 people have been arrested while hundreds of schools have been closed. And nearly 60,000 civil service employees have been dismissed from their posts since the failed coup Friday.

The Turkish government has laid the blame for the coup on a movement led by a U.S-based Turkish cleric.

The Turkish Parliament is meeting later to approve Erdogan's proposed state of emergency.

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