US Secretary of State John Kerry said that although America stands “squarely on the side of the elected leadership in Turkey, we urge the government of Turkey to uphold the highest standards of respect for the nation’s democratic institutions and the rule of law”.
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Yildirim said Tuesday that Turkey had sent four dossiers to the United States over Gulen’s alleged links to the overthrow plot.
The Turkish prime minister earlier noted that Turkey might reconsider its friendly relations with the United States if Washington did not extradite Fethullah Gulen.
Yildirim said the justice ministry had sent a dossier to USA authorities on Gulen, a former Erdogan ally whose religious movement blends conservative, Islamic values with a pro-Western outlook and who has a network of supporters within Turkey. “We will provide more proof than they want”, Yildirim said. “There is no need to prove the coup attempt, all evidence shows that the coup attempt was organised on his will and orders”.
Germany called for the measure to be ended as quickly as possible, while an worldwide lawyers’ group warned Turkey against using it to subvert the rule of law and human rights, pointing to allegations of torture and ill-treatment of people held in the mass roundup.
Ankara has said it will seek the extradition of Gulen, who has denounced the coup attempt and denied any involvement.
Almost 20,000 members of the police, civil service, judiciary and army have been detained or suspended since Friday night’s coup, in which more than 200 people were killed when a faction of the armed forces tried to seize power.
He said the small team of “dissatisfied individuals” never stood a real chance against the might of Turkey’s combined military. “We risk our lives for the people”.
The coup bid was the most serious threat to Erdogan since he took power first as prime minister in 2003, and saw rebel troops close down bridges in Istanbul, parliament bombed from the sky and protesters shot in the streets.
In the aftermath of the incident, the government has targeted as many as 20,000 people, claiming that most are part of state-run bodies like military, police and civil service.
The Directorate of Religious Affairs announced it had sacked 492 staff including clerics, preachers and religious teachers.
He said 9,000 people have been detained so far, of whom 80 were later released.
By Monday Turkey arrested 6,000 soldiers, 100 police officers, 755 judges and prosecutors and 650 civilians, DW reports.
He said he had no answer, but that Turkey would make the coup plotters answer “in such a way that the whole world will see”.
Prime Minister Yildirim was speaking after meeting the leader of the main opposition CHP party.
The reclusive cleric said in an interview with several media outlets including AFP at his compound in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that he has “no concerns personally” about the extradition request.
Since the coup, Erdogan has roused crowds of thousands in his home district of Istanbul, vowing to listen to their calls for the reimposition of the death penalty.
Mr Erdogan’s suggestion that the death penalty could be reinstated has sent shudders through Europe, with the European Union warning that such a move would be the nail in the coffin of Turkey’s already embattled bid to join the bloc.
In Greece, a court sentenced eight Turkish military personnel who fled there aboard a helicopter during the coup attempt to two months in prison for entering the country illegally.
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The Defence Ministry is investigating all of the country’s military judges and prosecutors and has suspended 262 of them, private broadcaster NTV reported yesterday.
