The purge of suspected supporters of a failed military coup has escalated in Turkey as rights groups claim detainees are being subjected to torture, beatings and rape.
"The grim details that we have documented are just a snapshot of the abuses that might be happening in places of detention. It is absolutely imperative that the Turkish authorities halt these abhorrent practices and allow international monitors to visit all these detainees in the places they are being held," said Colm O'Gorman of Amnesty International Ireland.
Under emergency powers introduced on Thursday, Turkish authorities have increased from four to 30 the number of days detainees can be held without charge.
Fifteen universities, more than 1,000 schools and dormitories, as well as associations, unions and health associations with ties to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen are to be closed following the July 15th military insurrection attributed by the government to Mr Gulen's supporters.
More than 13,000 people have been detained since then, including a senior aide and a nephew of Mr Gulen this weekend. The 2,500-strong presidential guard is to be disbanded following the coup attempt.
"The head of the terrorists, Fethullah Gulen, is more dangerous than Osama Bin Laden, " Turkey's EU minister Omer Celik said on Saturday.
"We would expect officials of the European Union, European Parliament and European Council to visit Turkey to voice their support for the common democratic values we share by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Turkey."
The government says it plans to hire 20,000 new teachers to replace those fired, and has taken measures to prevent their returning to work in the education sector. Government spokespersons have openly said criticism of the crackdown equates to an attack on Turkey.
Traditional enemies
At a rally in Istanbul on Sunday attended by tens of thousands and organised by the secular opposition party the Peoples’ Republican Party (CHP), Istanbul’s AK Party mayor and other government figures, traditional enemies of the CHP, were present.
During a speech, CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu unveiled a 10-point manifesto calling for a restructuring of the state. "The ones who have attempted a coup should stand trial within the law and by abiding with the rule of law. The dignity and seriousness of the state obliges this," he said.
It was the first major gathering by opposition parties allowed by the authorities in Taksim Square since anti-government demonstrations broke out in the adjacent Gezi Park three years ago. Though organisers said only banners and flags bearing the Turkish national flag and state founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were permitted, fringe leftist and socialist groups displayed their own emblems.
Sunday’s gathering was the first involving the AK Party and the CHP, who have been bitter political rivals, for 14 years.
Security at the rally was tight with security forces manning high-rise buildings surrounding the plaza. However, some groups held posters criticising the implementation of the state of emergency, which is to remain in place for three months. Massive screens have been erected in city squares around the country to broadcast nationalist images and video footage.
Public transportation in the city has been free to all since the coup attempt as authorities have continued to encourage people to come out on to the streets to rally behind the government.
The scene at Taksim Square on Sunday was in stark contrast to previous days and nights when pro-government supporters gathered and chanted religious slogans and criticism of the United States and Israel.