Turkey is preparing a formal extradition request for U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen on suspicion that he organized an attempted coup involving several thousand soldiers, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said on Tuesday.
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Prime Minister Binali Yildirim accused Washington, which said it will only consider extradition if clear evidence is provided, of double standards in its fight against terrorism.
Turkish indignation over Gulen’s residence in the United States was voiced Monday by Egemen Bagis, a Turkish politician and longtime adviser for Erdogan, in a telephone interview from Turkey and a subsequent email.
The foreign ministry has said criticism of the government’s response amounts to backing the coup attempt. He called on the United States to extradite him.
He says the government appreciates world leaders who have condemned the attempted overthrow of a democratically elected president.
“I’m sorry but this parallel terrorist organization will no longer be an effective pawn for any country”, Yildirim said. We must continue our cooperation with them.
At the height of the abortive coup, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan’s plane in their sights as he returned to Istanbul from a holiday on the coast.
Today’s firings come on top of the roughly 9,000 people who have been detained by the government, including security personnel, judges, prosecutors, religious figures and others.
Erdogan said the state of emergency, which would last three months, would allow his government to take swift and effective measures against supporters of the coup and was allowed under the constitution. But Mr Erdogan’s critics claim he is using the backlash against coup plotters to consolidate power and stifle dissent.
Kalin also said the number of people detained is high – and may rise further – because of the scale of the plot. “Obviously a lot of people have been arrested and arrested very quickly”, Kerry said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry indirectly warned Turkey of losing its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership.
Some 1,500 finance ministry officials have also been removed from their posts. The purge also extended to civil servants in the environment and sports ministries. He called Gulen “a traitor to his country” who “through his network of henchmen was able to instruct and encourage a military coup”. Waving Turkish flags, the crowd walked across the bridge linking the European and Asian sides of the city, some defiantly chanting, “Our martyrs are immortal, our nation can not be divided!”
“In the aftermath of such a traumatic experience, it is particularly crucial to ensure that human rights are not squandered in the name of security and in the rush to punish those perceived to be responsible”, Hussein’s statement said.
Every night, people still go into the streets, as the president has asked.
He said on Monday that he might have died if he had left Marmaris any later.
“I said I will approve death penalty for coup plotters if parliament approves it”, he said.
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As part of the crackdown the Turkish government on Tuesday has cancelled the licences for a number of radio and television channels whose reports had been critical of Mr Erdogan and his actions, or have been associated with Gulen, even via showing support to charity and schools funded by his movement.
