Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency following last weekend's failed army coup. The move will enable the authorities to take effective and swift action against those responsible for the failure of military coup.

Speaking at the presidential palace in Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that "all the viruses within the armed forces will be cleansed".

There are around thousands of people have been arrested or sacked since the failed coup. Adding to this, over 600 schools have been closed and thousands of state workers sacked in a crackdown by the president.

Mr Erdogan said after announcing the state of emergency that, "This measure is in no way against democracy, the law and freedoms."

The state of emergency will be implemented after it is published in official gazette of Turkey. It will enable the President and cabinet to bypass Parliament in passing new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary.

The announcement was made in a live television broadcast in front of government ministers after a meeting of the National Security Council.

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