Last week, Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency, allowing the president and the government to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms.
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However, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker questioned Ankara’s long-standing aspiration to join the EU and said that it seemed far from being realized.
NTV reported that among the 42 journalists subject to arrest warrants was well-known commentator and former parliamentarian Nazli Ilicak.
In the latest violence, rebels killed a soldier at a sentry post in southeast Turkey, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Tuesday.
Gulen has denied any involvement in the attempt to overthrow Erdogan.
Erdogan said the movement of US -based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who he blames for masterminding the attempt to seize power, would be treated as “another separatist terrorist organisation”, drawing a parallel to the state’s fight against Kurdish militants over the past three decades.
He said he supported Turkish appeals for the United States to extradite Gulen, though Sabah, a pro-government newspaper, criticized him for a speech at a rally Sunday in which he condemned the coup attempt but did not mention Gulen by name. Obama’s government said it is open to accept any evidence for judging Gulen.
Turkey will dispatch its justice and interior ministers to the U.S. next week to further negotiate for Gulen’s extradition.
He said a meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS), the top body overseeing the armed forces, which was due to be held on August 1, might be brought forward by a week to oversee the restructuring. According to Erdogan, Gulen created an intricate “parallel network” of supporters, including military, judicial, and political officials, as well as media and education workers, to stage the coup.
During the interview, Erdogan criticised Europe for doing little in the face of terrorism.
As a Turkish American, I am heartened to know that the USA authorities will cooperate with Turkey in the probe into the failed coup attempt during which hundreds of innocent civilians, police officers and military officials were killed.
He further said terrorists have continued to live in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, adding that although Turkey has provided intelligence on these people, they have not been handed over.
The retired U.S. Army general and former North Atlantic Treaty Organisation commander accused of masterminding the recent failed coup in Turkey has an alibi – he was having a beer with Fox News Channel’s Geraldo Rivera. His goal: to ensure my extradition, despite a lack of credible evidence and virtually no prospect for a fair trial. Four other soldiers are still on the run.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Twitter that Amnesty’s allegations were false, describing them as Gulenist “slander”.
Ankara is increasingly expressing frustration over what it says in the lack of solidarity from Western partners in the aftermath of the coup.
Last week, the minister for European Union affairs chided Western countries for not sending any representatives to demonstrate their solidarity with Turkey since the failed coup.
“Several thousand military officers and their accomplices in law enforcement and the judiciary have been suspended or arrested for having links to the coup”.
“I want to say one thing quite clearly: On the refugee issue, we will stand behind our promises”, Erdogan told German broadcaster ARD.
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Erdogan’s crackdown has been extensive.
