“Death penalty is death for one time”.
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Turkish authorities moved to close Gulen’s network of schools and detained thousands of military and state officials after the coup attempt that killed over 200 people in Ankara and Istanbul on July 15.
Ankara blames Erdogan’s ally-turned-foe Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic preacher in self-exile in the United States, and his movement for ordering last month’s coup bid.
“Anyone who spilled the blood of our martyrs will be held to account”.
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry are both expected to visit Turkey later this month. The two also discussed recent developments in Syria.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday said a fair trial for perpetrators of terror acts would be a greater punishment than the death penalty, adding that Turkish courts will prosecute those “not in revenge, but with justice”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Gulen of orchestrating the failed military coup attempt in Turkey, by placing his followers into positions of power decades ago. Parliament was bombed, while Erdogan escaped an attack on his hotel at a seaside resort. The eight deny involvement and have applied for asylum, saying they fear for their safety amid widespread purges in the aftermath of the attempted overthrow of the government.
He also said that Palestinian official Mohammed Dahlan, a close adviser to the heir to the UAE throne, Mohammed Bin Zayed, has disrupted his schedule after he was accused by the Turks of being instrumental in staging and financing the coup.
According to official figures, more than 35,000 people have been detained so far in the post-coup crackdown against alleged Gulen supporters, although nearly 11,600 have since been released.
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Since the abortive coup as many as 35,000 people have been detained, of which 17,000 have been placed under formal arrest. More than 26,000 people were arrested after parts of the military tried to take control of the country, and another 82,000 were dismissed or suspended from their positions, a lot of them government workers and school employees.
