News / Turkey

Turkey has sent seven extradition demands for Gulen to US: Minister

Thursday, 23 November 2017 1:27 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 23 November 2017 3:15 PM ]

This file photo shows Turkish opposition figure Fethullah Gulen at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, the United States. (Photo by AP)

Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul says his country has submitted a total of seven requests to US officials concerning the extradition of Pennsylvania-based opposition figure Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the failed July 2016 coup.

Gul said on Thursday that Ankara still expects Washington to hand over the 76-year-old cleric to the “independent and impartial Turkish judiciary.”

“It is the Turkish nation's right to expect such a move within the framework of international and bilateral agreements between Turkey and the US,” he pointed out.

The Turkish minister further accused the US of protecting Gulen by not taking the necessary steps to extradite him.

Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul (C) (Photo by Anadolu news agency)

On July 15, 2016, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.

Turkey also accuses Gulen of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the government via infiltrating the country’s institutions, particularly the army, police and the judiciary.

Additionally, the Ankara government has outlawed Gulen’s movement and has branded it as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Gulen has denounced the “despicable putsch” and reiterated that he had no role in it.

“Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless and politically-motivated slanders,” he said in a statement in July.

Members of the Turkish armed forces are escorted by police on July 17, 2016 over their suspected involvement in an attempted coup. (Photo by AP)

The cleric has also called on Ankara to end its “witch hunt” of his followers, a move he said was aimed at “weeding out anyone it deems disloyal to President Erdogan and his regime.”

Turkish officials have frequently called on their US counterparts to extradite Gulen, but their demands have not been taken heed of.

Turkey, which remains in a state of emergency since the failed coup, has been engaged in suppressing the media and opposition groups suspected to have played a role in the botched coup.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the failed coup. More than 110,000 others, including military staff, civil servants and journalists, have been sacked or suspended from work over the same accusations.

The international community and rights groups have been highly critical of the Turkish president over the massive dismissals and the crackdown.

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