A former teacher who was dismissed under a government decree following the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey has been banned from working as a school bus driver, drawing criticism from rights groups and opposition lawmakers who accuse the government of extending its post-coup purge to the private sector.
Burhan Çelebi, who had been driving a school bus for children with special needs in the southern town of Manavgat, was ordered to be “urgently replaced,” according to an official letter signed by Manavgat District Education Director Ali Hakan Öz. The document cited Çelebi’s previous dismissal from public service as the reason for his removal.
Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and a prominent advocate for victims of Turkey’s purges, posted the letter online and condemned the action in a strongly worded post on X.
“This is disgraceful. Are you Nazis? This is a document of insult to the nation,” he wrote. “What should this teacher eat, rocks? Shame on you!”
Although school buses are operated by private companies, their regulation is overseen by the Ministry of Education. However, the ministry does not have direct authority to decide who can be employed as a driver, raising questions about the legality of the directive.
Following the failed coup in July 2016, the Turkish government declared a state of emergency and launched a massive crackdown across public institutions. More than 130,000 civil servants were dismissed, many accused of links to the faith-based Gülen movement, which Ankara blames for orchestrating the coup.
Critics say that individuals dismissed under these decrees have faced systematic blacklisting, barring them not only from public service but also from formal employment in the private sector. Many have been denied passports, and notes on their social security records have reportedly deterred potential employers.
The charges against Çelebi remain unclear, but human rights groups argue that his removal from a job unrelated to public office illustrates the enduring impact of Turkey’s state of emergency decrees—years after the emergency rule officially ended
