Years after coup, purged civil servants feel trapped in Turkey

More than 130,000 dismissed civil servants continue to fight for their jobs and basic rights in post-coup Turkey, including those acquitted of their original charges.
Turkish soldiers walk outside the Silivri Prison and Courthouse complex during the first trial related to Turkey's failed coup, in Istanbul, Turkey, December 27, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1D5933D280
Turkish soldiers walk outside the Silivri Prison and Courthouse complex during the first trial related to Turkey's failed coup, in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 27, 2016. - REUTERS/Osman Orsal
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Diego Cupolo
@diegocupolo

ISTANBUL — Leyla Simsek Rathke was acquitted of terror-related charges in September, but she continues to struggle to regain basic rights such as the freedom to travel, work and access social services.

Simsek Rathke, a former academic at Marmara University in Istanbul, was dismissed under a state of emergency in February 2017 in mass purges that saw more than 130,000 civil servants lose their positions following a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.

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