Turkey will grant early release to some 38,000 prisoners who committed crimes before July 1, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has said, to make room for the tens of thousands of detentions made in connection with last month’s failed coup attempt.
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Gulen, a reclusive cleric who has lived in the U.S. since 1999, has been repeatedly accused of running a “parallel state” since a corruption scandal embroiling then premier Erdogan and several of his ministers erupted in 2013.
“I’m really happy to be released from jail”. Previously they were required to have already served two thirds of their sentences.
Ankara has accused US-based Turkish opposition figure Fethullah Gulen of being behind the failed coup.
In addition to the arrests, the government has purged the police force, military and civil service of people it says are connected to Gulen.
Ankara requested extradition nearly a month ago for the USA -based preacher it accuses of orchestrating a recent coup attempt in Turkey.
The 11-month investigation focused on alleged wrongdoing by the Gulen movement from 2013, but includes charges Gulen organised an armed “terrorist” group to topple the government, scrap the constitution and murder Erdogan on July 15. Police began searches in the Uskudar and Umraniye districts of Istanbul, including buildings belonging to an unnamed holding company, the agency said.
Toner was asked whether the U.S hasn’t seen minimum evidence against Gulen as the US has not arrested the cleric since the extradition process began.
Numerous people who have been either suspended from their government jobs or detained have been linked to the US -based imam Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of the Turkish president turned enemy.
Erdogan is piling pressure on the U.S. to extradite Gulen, who is in self-imposed exile there.
The decree also said 196 people were being dismissed from the government’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority, while another decree announced the closure of the Telecommunications Directorate. Although Gulen has denied the accusation, Turkey has demanded that the USA extradite him.
“Neither Germany, nor Europe have a reason to question this significant agreement”, Seibert said, answering a question if the German assessment of the deal would change following media reports that Turkey was described as “platform of action for Islamist groups”.
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Erdogan backers have demonstrated in several German cities since July’s attempted putsch, shops have been boycotted by political rivals and hate mail has been sent to anti-Erdogan politicians.
