Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to chair meetings of his national security council and cabinet in Ankara Wednesday after returning to the capital for the first time since the failed coup aimed at ousting him from power, officials said.
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Over the last several days, thousands of judges, members of the military, civil servants and police officers have been detained, suspended, or removed from their posts.
They were accused of links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric whom the Turkish government claims was behind last Friday’s uprising.
Mr Erdogan said his administration was complying with Washington’s request to provide evidence of the cleric’s involvement in the coup, which United States officials have demanded before his deportation. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini [official website] has also weighed in on the Erdogan’s announcement, saying that “no country can become an European Union member state if it introduces the death penalty”.
Also Tuesday, Anadolu reported that Turkey’s media regulatory agency canceled all broadcast rights and licenses for any media outlets linked to or supporting the group behind the failed coup.
Gulen, who is resident in the U.S., has denied any involvement in the military plot to topple the government of President Recep Tayipp Erdogan, and hinted that the coup might have been staged to justify his arrest.
Earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan suggested that foreign nations may have played a role in the attempt.
Washington has said it could only consider an extradition request for Gulen if the Ankara government can provide clear evidence of his involvement. “However, I am telling them that there is a global threat, an attempt to overthrow the legitimate government, there is no religion and no religious values here”, Yildirim said on Monday.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim did not say whether the dossier amounted to an official extradition request, but pledged to supply U.S. authorities with evidence linking the coup attempt to Gulen, who has been exiled in Pennsylvania since the late 1990s.
On the matter Erdoğan said: “S&P’s decision to downgrade Turkey’s note does not reflect the reality about Turkey’s economy, it’s a political move”.
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“Even Gulen himself said that ‘someone who loves us might be among those conducted the coup”, Kalin said.
