Turkish prosecutors have demanded two life sentences and an additional 1,900 years in prison for US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for masterminding last month&#39;s failed coup, state media reported today. 
 
In a 2,527-page indictment approved by prosecutors in the Usak region of western Turkey, Gulen is charged with &quot;attempting to destroy the constitutional order by force&quot; and &quot;forming and running an armed terrorist group&quot; among other accusations, the Anadolu news agency reported. 
 
Thirteen out of 111 suspects in the case are remanded in custody, it said. All face prison terms ranging from two years to life in jail. 
 
The so-called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), the name Ankara gives for the group led by Gulen, had infiltrated state archives through its members in the state institutions and intelligence units, according to the indictment. 
 
The group has used foundations, private schools, companies, student dormitories, media outlets and insurance companies to serve its purpose of taking control of all state institutions, it added. 
 
It has also collected funds from businessmen in the name of &quot;donations&quot; and transferred the money to the United States by means of front companies, and by using banks in the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Germany, Anadolu reported. 
 
The case dates back to September 2015, even before the failed coup, and had been launched by the Usak prosecutor&#39;s office into the financial assets of FETO. 
 
Gulen, the reclusive cleric in who has lived in the United States since 1999, has been repeatedly accused of running a &quot;parallel state&quot; since a corruption scandal embroiling President, then premier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several of his ministers erupted in 2013. 
 
Since July 15, Turkey&#39;s crackdown on his supporters has intensified with tens of thousands of people from the military, judiciary, civil service and education sector dismissed from their jobs or detained. 
 
Turkey has pressed the United States to extradite Gulen to face trial at home and expressed frustration that Washington seems in no hurry to consider the matter. From his secluded Pennsylvania base, Gulen has vehemently denied playing any part in the coup. 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Gulen is charged with 'attempting to destroy the constitutional order by force' and 'forming and running an armed terrorist group'

Turkish prosecutors have demanded two life sentences and an additional 1,900 years in prison for US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for masterminding last month's failed coup, state media reported today. In a 2,527-page indictment approved by prosecutors in the Usak region of western Turkey, Gulen is charged with "attempting to destroy the constitutional order by force" and "forming and running an armed terrorist group" among other accusations, the Anadolu news agency reported. Thirteen out of 111 suspects in the case are remanded in custody, it said. All face prison terms ranging from two years to life in jail. The so-called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), the name Ankara gives for the group led by Gulen, had infiltrated state archives through its members in the state institutions and intelligence units, according to the indictment. The group has used foundations, private schools, companies, student dormitories, media outlets and insurance companies to serve its purpose of taking control of all state institutions, it added. It has also collected funds from businessmen in the name of "donations" and transferred the money to the United States by means of front companies, and by using banks in the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Germany, Anadolu reported. The case dates back to September 2015, even before the failed coup, and had been launched by the Usak prosecutor's office into the financial assets of FETO. Gulen, the reclusive cleric in who has lived in the United States since 1999, has been repeatedly accused of running a "parallel state" since a corruption scandal embroiling President, then premier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several of his ministers erupted in 2013. Since July 15, Turkey's crackdown on his supporters has intensified with tens of thousands of people from the military, judiciary, civil service and education sector dismissed from their jobs or detained. Turkey has pressed the United States to extradite Gulen to face trial at home and expressed frustration that Washington seems in no hurry to consider the matter. From his secluded Pennsylvania base, Gulen has vehemently denied playing any part in the coup. (AFP)

Turkish prosecutors demand 2 life sentences, 1,900 years in prison for Gulen: Reports

Turkish police on Monday raided four major courts in Istanbul in search of 190 suspects wanted over last month&#39;s attempted coup, state media said. 
 
In total, 136 of the wanted prosecutors and other judicial staff working at the courts have been detained, the official Anadolu news agency said. 
 
They are suspected of links to US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for the putsch against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of July 15. 
 
According to official figures, more than 35,000 people have been detained so far in the post-coup crackdown against alleged Gulen supporters, although almost 11,600 have since been released. 
 
Erdogan has said the purge is needed to wipe out what he calls the &quot;virus&quot; of Gulen from Turkish institutions. But critics have expressed alarm that its sheer scope has turned it into a witch hunt. 
 
In a separate development, the former chief prosecutor for the eastern region of Erzurum was detained late Sunday while trying to cross into Syria. 
 
Ekrem Beyaztas was caught by border guards just south of the Turkish town of Kilis, a Turkish official said, asking not to be named, there was no indication over why he had been heading to Syria.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

136 of the wanted prosecutors and other judicial staff working at the courts have been detained, the official Anadolu news agency said

Turkish police on Monday raided four major courts in Istanbul in search of 190 suspects wanted over last month's attempted coup, state media said. In total, 136 of the wanted prosecutors and other judicial staff working at the courts have been detained, the official Anadolu news agency said. They are suspected of links to US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for the putsch against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of July 15. According to official figures, more than 35,000 people have been detained so far in the post-coup crackdown against alleged Gulen supporters, although almost 11,600 have since been released. Erdogan has said the purge is needed to wipe out what he calls the "virus" of Gulen from Turkish institutions. But critics have expressed alarm that its sheer scope has turned it into a witch hunt. In a separate development, the former chief prosecutor for the eastern region of Erzurum was detained late Sunday while trying to cross into Syria. Ekrem Beyaztas was caught by border guards just south of the Turkish town of Kilis, a Turkish official said, asking not to be named, there was no indication over why he had been heading to Syria. (AFP)

Istanbul police raid courts for coup suspects: Reports

Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for its former international football star striker Hakan Sukur as it probes last month&#39;s failed coup aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media said on Friday.&nbsp;Prosecutors in Sakarya province east of Istanbul accuse Sukur of being a member of the organisation of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara claims was behind the coup. 
 
His arrest is sought on charges of &quot;membership of an armed terror group&quot;, the state-run Anadolu agency said, referring to what Ankara calls the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO).&nbsp;Gulen denies such a group exists and accusations that he masterminded the coup.&nbsp;A warrant on identical charges has also been issued for his father, Selmet Sukur, the agency said.&nbsp; 
 
Neither man had been found at their residences in Istanbul and Sakarya residences, the report said, adding that Sukur and his family had left Turkey last year.&nbsp;Both properties were searched by Sakarya police, Dogan news agency said. 
 
The former striker is currently believed to be in the United States, and Turkish media said an Interpol Red Notice would be requested for extradition.&nbsp;Sukur was one of the stars of Turkey&#39;s third-place performance in the 2002 World Cup, and a household name in the football-mad country. 
 
With a football career stretching from 1987 to 2007, Sukur was by far the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the Turkish national side, finding the net 51 times in 112 appearances. 
 
He was a stalwart player for Istanbul side Galatasaray but also had stints abroad for Inter Milan, Parma and Blackburn Rovers.&nbsp;His goal after just 11 seconds of play against South Korea in 2002 remains the fastest goal in World Cup history. 
 
After football, Sukur went into politics and was elected an MP with Erdogan&#39;s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2011.&nbsp;But he resigned in 2013 after a vast corruption probe that targeted Erdogan and his inner circle, siding with the movement of Erdogan&#39;s arch-foe Gulen. 
 
Sukur had voiced objections to the government move to shut down schools run by Gulen&#39;s movement Hizmet, which means service in Turkish. He had gone on trial in absentia in June on charges of insulting Erdogan on social media. 
 
He is not the only Turkish sports star caught up in the controversy after the coup bid. 
 
The family of Enes Kanter, one of the most prominent Turkish basketball players in the NBA, disowned him after he openly supported Gulen after the coup.&nbsp;Kanter, 24, a centre for the NBA outfit Oklahoma City Thunder, responded by saying he would sacrifice himself a thousand times for Gulen. 
 
(AFP)<img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif" />

Prosecutors accuse Sukur, a household name in Turkey, of supporting Gulen, who is believed to be behind last month's coup

Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for its former international football star striker Hakan Sukur as it probes last month's failed coup aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media said on Friday. Prosecutors in Sakarya province east of Istanbul accuse Sukur of being a member of the organisation of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara claims was behind the coup. His arrest is sought on charges of "membership of an armed terror group", the state-run Anadolu agency said, referring to what Ankara calls the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO). Gulen denies such a group exists and accusations that he masterminded the coup. A warrant on identical charges has also been issued for his father, Selmet Sukur, the agency said. Neither man had been found at their residences in Istanbul and Sakarya residences, the report said, adding that Sukur and his family had left Turkey last year. Both properties were searched by Sakarya police, Dogan news agency said. The former striker is currently believed to be in the United States, and Turkish media said an Interpol Red Notice would be requested for extradition. Sukur was one of the stars of Turkey's third-place performance in the 2002 World Cup, and a household name in the football-mad country. With a football career stretching from 1987 to 2007, Sukur was by far the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the Turkish national side, finding the net 51 times in 112 appearances. He was a stalwart player for Istanbul side Galatasaray but also had stints abroad for Inter Milan, Parma and Blackburn Rovers. His goal after just 11 seconds of play against South Korea in 2002 remains the fastest goal in World Cup history. After football, Sukur went into politics and was elected an MP with Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2011. But he resigned in 2013 after a vast corruption probe that targeted Erdogan and his inner circle, siding with the movement of Erdogan's arch-foe Gulen. Sukur had voiced objections to the government move to shut down schools run by Gulen's movement Hizmet, which means service in Turkish. He had gone on trial in absentia in June on charges of insulting Erdogan on social media. He is not the only Turkish sports star caught up in the controversy after the coup bid. The family of Enes Kanter, one of the most prominent Turkish basketball players in the NBA, disowned him after he openly supported Gulen after the coup. Kanter, 24, a centre for the NBA outfit Oklahoma City Thunder, responded by saying he would sacrifice himself a thousand times for Gulen. (AFP)

Turkey football legend Hakan Sukur faces arrest warrant for alleged coup attempt

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 32 diplomats who went on the run after they were recalled by Ankara as part of investigations into last month&#39;s failed coup attempt, the foreign minister said on Friday. 
 
Turkish authorities have arrested, detained or dismissed tens of thousands of people, including military personnel, civil servants, judges, and teachers, following the July 15 coup bid which President Tayyip Erdogan has blamed on a network led by a US-based cleric. 
 
The purge is worrying Western allies concerned about stability in the NATO member and partner in the fight against Islamic State. But Turkish officials are angered over a perceived lack of sympathy by Western officials, who they say are more worried about the crackdown than the coup itself. 
 
Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking at a news conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart, said a total of 208 Turkish diplomats had been recalled as part of the coup investigation, but 32 of them had fled to other countries. 
 
&quot;We have been in contact with the countries where they fled and are working on their extradition,&quot; he said. 
 
Three military attaches have also gone on the run, including two who fled from Greece to Italy, and another who fled Bosnia, the minister said, without specifying where the third attache had gone. 
 
Two Turkish generals based in Afghanistan who travelled to Dubai and another attache who was working in Saudi Arabia have all already been sent back to Turkey. 
 
The extradition moves expand a domestic purge that authorities say targets a &quot;parallel state&quot; set up by followers of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating the coup plot.&nbsp;Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States for years, denies any part in the putsch. 
 
&quot;If a tenth of accusations against me are established, I pledge to return to Turkey and serve the heaviest sentence,&quot; Gulen said in an opinion piece in French daily Le Monde on Friday. 
 
&#39;Positive signals&#39; 
 
Erdogan demands the cleric be extradited to Turkey, saying Washington must choose between Turkey and Gulen, in a case that has strained Ankara&#39;s relations with Washington.&nbsp;American officials have said they need to see clear evidence of Gulen&#39;s involvement in the coup plot. 
 
Cavusoglu said Turkey had sent documents to the United States and had received positive signals about the case, without giving any details. He said a US Department of Justice team would visit Turkey later this month. 
 
&quot;Everything is out in the open. We have an extradition agreement,&quot; he said. &quot;The whole world knows who is behind the coup attempt. Our expectation for the US to extradite Gulen as soon as possible.&quot; 
 
Erdogan says the armed forces have been infiltrated in recent years by Gulen&#39;s supporters.&nbsp;The president has vowed to restructure the military after the coup attempt, during which soldiers used jets, military helicopters and tanks to attack government institutions including parliament and the intelligence agency. 
 
Despite the purge of the military, including nearly half of the country&#39;s generals, defence minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that Turkey&#39;s role in the US-led coalition against Islamic State would continue without interruption. 
 
Turkey, which has NATO&#39;s second-largest military, allows the United States to use the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey to launch attacks against Islamic State militants.&nbsp;Isik said a decree would soon be ready to order the recruitment of new air force pilots following the purge. 
 
&quot;Our priority in this decree is the 265 pilots who have been dismissed. We have enough pilots in the Turkish Air Force in the case of an emergency, but we are below the necessary number,&quot; Isik said of the decree. 
 
The ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan has long had testy relations with the military, which for decades saw itself as the guardian of Turkey&#39;s secular order and the legacy of the nation&#39;s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The military has ousted four governments in the past 60 years. 
 
(Reuters)

A total of 208 Turkish diplomats had been recalled as part of the coup investigation, but 32 of them had fled the country

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 32 diplomats who went on the run after they were recalled by Ankara as part of investigations into last month's failed coup attempt, the foreign minister said on Friday. Turkish authorities have arrested, detained or dismissed tens of thousands of people, including military personnel, civil servants, judges, and teachers, following the July 15 coup bid which President Tayyip Erdogan has blamed on a network led by a US-based cleric. The purge is worrying Western allies concerned about stability in the NATO member and partner in the fight against Islamic State. But Turkish officials are angered over a perceived lack of sympathy by Western officials, who they say are more worried about the crackdown than the coup itself. Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking at a news conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart, said a total of 208 Turkish diplomats had been recalled as part of the coup investigation, but 32 of them had fled to other countries. "We have been in contact with the countries where they fled and are working on their extradition," he said. Three military attaches have also gone on the run, including two who fled from Greece to Italy, and another who fled Bosnia, the minister said, without specifying where the third attache had gone. Two Turkish generals based in Afghanistan who travelled to Dubai and another attache who was working in Saudi Arabia have all already been sent back to Turkey. The extradition moves expand a domestic purge that authorities say targets a "parallel state" set up by followers of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating the coup plot. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States for years, denies any part in the putsch. "If a tenth of accusations against me are established, I pledge to return to Turkey and serve the heaviest sentence," Gulen said in an opinion piece in French daily Le Monde on Friday. 'Positive signals' Erdogan demands the cleric be extradited to Turkey, saying Washington must choose between Turkey and Gulen, in a case that has strained Ankara's relations with Washington. American officials have said they need to see clear evidence of Gulen's involvement in the coup plot. Cavusoglu said Turkey had sent documents to the United States and had received positive signals about the case, without giving any details. He said a US Department of Justice team would visit Turkey later this month. "Everything is out in the open. We have an extradition agreement," he said. "The whole world knows who is behind the coup attempt. Our expectation for the US to extradite Gulen as soon as possible." Erdogan says the armed forces have been infiltrated in recent years by Gulen's supporters. The president has vowed to restructure the military after the coup attempt, during which soldiers used jets, military helicopters and tanks to attack government institutions including parliament and the intelligence agency. Despite the purge of the military, including nearly half of the country's generals, defence minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that Turkey's role in the US-led coalition against Islamic State would continue without interruption. Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest military, allows the United States to use the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey to launch attacks against Islamic State militants. Isik said a decree would soon be ready to order the recruitment of new air force pilots following the purge. "Our priority in this decree is the 265 pilots who have been dismissed. We have enough pilots in the Turkish Air Force in the case of an emergency, but we are below the necessary number," Isik said of the decree. The ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan has long had testy relations with the military, which for decades saw itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular order and the legacy of the nation's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The military has ousted four governments in the past 60 years. (Reuters)

Turkey seeks extradition for 32 diplomats in post-coup inquiry

Two Turkish military attaches in Greece fled to Italy, others were caught overseas and some diplomats were on the run after being recalled as part of an inquiry into last month&#39;s failed military coup, Turkey&#39;s foreign minister, Mevl?t ?avusoglu, said on Thursday. 
 
Turkey, which has NATO&#39;s second-biggest armed forces, has dismissed or detained thousands of soldiers, including nearly half of its generals, since the July 15 coup bid, in which rogue troops commandeered tanks and warplanes in an attempt to seize power. 
 
Western allies worry President Tayyip Erdogan is using the failed putsch and purge to tighten his grip on power, but many Turkish officials are frustrated over what they see as a lack of Western sympathy over a violent coup in which 240 people died. 
 
Turkey Foreign Minister told private broadcaster NTV that two military attaches in Greece, a naval officer and an army officer, had fled by car and ferry to Italy, but Turkish officials would seek their return. 
 
?avusoglu said a military attache based in Kuwait had also tried to escape through Saudi Arabia, but had been sent back, as well as two generals based in Afghanistan who had been caught in Dubai by UAE authorities. 
 
The hunt for fugitive Turkish officers and officials overseas expands from the crackdown at home, where tens of thousands of troops, police, teachers and bureaucrats have been detained, dismissed or put under investigation for alleged links to the coup, which authorities blame on a US-based cleric. 
 
 
&quot;TIME HAS RUN OUT&quot; 
 
&quot;There are those who have escaped. There have been escapees among our diplomats as well,&quot; ?avusoglu told NTV in an interview. &quot;As of yesterday, time has run out for those initially called back. We will carry out the legal operations for those who have not returned.&quot; 
 
Interior Minister Efkan Ala was quoted on Thursday as saying almost 76,100 civil servants have now been suspended. 
 
The Greek foreign ministry said the two attaches fled before Ankara asked them to return to Turkey, and before officials cancelled their diplomatic passports. 
 
US officials told Reuters this week that a Turkish military officer on a US-based assignment for NATO is also seeking asylum in the United States after being recalled by the government. 
 
One official said the foreign ministry sent instructions to Turkish diplomatic missions around the world where those suspected of links to the plotters were thought to be working, ordering them back as part of the investigations. 
 
?avusoglu has previously said around 300 members of the foreign ministry have been suspended since the coup plot, including two ambassadors. He said on Thursday two officials in Bangladesh fled to New York, and another official had fled to Japan through Moscow.&nbsp;&quot;We will return these traitors to Turkey,&quot; ?avusoglu said. 
 
 
&quot;PARALLEL STATE&quot; 
 
Erdogan accuses US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of staging the attempted putsch, harnessing his extensive network of schools, charities and businesses built up in Turkey and abroad over decades to create a &quot;parallel structure&quot;. 
 
Gulen denies any involvement and has condemned the coup bid. But he says Erdogan is using the purges to shore up his own power in Turkey. 
 
The abortive July 15 coup and the subsequent purge of the military has raised concern about the stability of Turkey, a key member of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State and battling an insurgency at home by Kurdish militants. 
 
Turkey has been angered by the Western response to the attempted coup, viewing Europe as more concerned about the rights of the plotters than the events themselves and the United States as reluctant to extradite Gulen.&nbsp;That has chilled relations with Washington and the European Union (EU), bringing repeated Turkish warnings about an EU deal to stem the flow of migrants. 
 
Turkey President Erdogan has also repaired ties with Russia&#39;s President Vladimir Putin, a detente Western officials worry may be used to pressure the West.&nbsp;&quot;Sooner or later the United States of America will make a choice. Either Turkey or FETO,&quot; Erdogan told a rally late on Wednesday, using an abbreviation standing for the &quot;Gulenist Terror Group&quot; which is how Ankara refers to Gulen&#39;s movement. 
 
A total of 160 members of the military wanted in connection with the failed coup are still at large, including nine generals, officials have said.&nbsp;The purge inside Turkey also presses on. Turkey has cancelled the work permits of 27,424 people working in the education sector as part of its investigations, Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz said on Thursday. 
 
Ankara prosecutors on Thursday also ordered the detention of 648 judges and prosecutors suspended a day earlier, Hurriyet newspaper and broadcasters said. They are among 3,500 judges and prosecutors, a quarter of the national total, suspended in the coup probe, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. 
 
(Reuters)

We will return these traitors to Turkey: Foreign Affairs Minister, Mevl?t ?avusoglu

Two Turkish military attaches in Greece fled to Italy, others were caught overseas and some diplomats were on the run after being recalled as part of an inquiry into last month's failed military coup, Turkey's foreign minister, Mevl?t ?avusoglu, said on Thursday. Turkey, which has NATO's second-biggest armed forces, has dismissed or detained thousands of soldiers, including nearly half of its generals, since the July 15 coup bid, in which rogue troops commandeered tanks and warplanes in an attempt to seize power. Western allies worry President Tayyip Erdogan is using the failed putsch and purge to tighten his grip on power, but many Turkish officials are frustrated over what they see as a lack of Western sympathy over a violent coup in which 240 people died. Turkey Foreign Minister told private broadcaster NTV that two military attaches in Greece, a naval officer and an army officer, had fled by car and ferry to Italy, but Turkish officials would seek their return. ?avusoglu said a military attache based in Kuwait had also tried to escape through Saudi Arabia, but had been sent back, as well as two generals based in Afghanistan who had been caught in Dubai by UAE authorities. The hunt for fugitive Turkish officers and officials overseas expands from the crackdown at home, where tens of thousands of troops, police, teachers and bureaucrats have been detained, dismissed or put under investigation for alleged links to the coup, which authorities blame on a US-based cleric. "TIME HAS RUN OUT" "There are those who have escaped. There have been escapees among our diplomats as well," ?avusoglu told NTV in an interview. "As of yesterday, time has run out for those initially called back. We will carry out the legal operations for those who have not returned." Interior Minister Efkan Ala was quoted on Thursday as saying almost 76,100 civil servants have now been suspended. The Greek foreign ministry said the two attaches fled before Ankara asked them to return to Turkey, and before officials cancelled their diplomatic passports. US officials told Reuters this week that a Turkish military officer on a US-based assignment for NATO is also seeking asylum in the United States after being recalled by the government. One official said the foreign ministry sent instructions to Turkish diplomatic missions around the world where those suspected of links to the plotters were thought to be working, ordering them back as part of the investigations. ?avusoglu has previously said around 300 members of the foreign ministry have been suspended since the coup plot, including two ambassadors. He said on Thursday two officials in Bangladesh fled to New York, and another official had fled to Japan through Moscow. "We will return these traitors to Turkey," ?avusoglu said. "PARALLEL STATE" Erdogan accuses US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of staging the attempted putsch, harnessing his extensive network of schools, charities and businesses built up in Turkey and abroad over decades to create a "parallel structure". Gulen denies any involvement and has condemned the coup bid. But he says Erdogan is using the purges to shore up his own power in Turkey. The abortive July 15 coup and the subsequent purge of the military has raised concern about the stability of Turkey, a key member of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State and battling an insurgency at home by Kurdish militants. Turkey has been angered by the Western response to the attempted coup, viewing Europe as more concerned about the rights of the plotters than the events themselves and the United States as reluctant to extradite Gulen. That has chilled relations with Washington and the European Union (EU), bringing repeated Turkish warnings about an EU deal to stem the flow of migrants. Turkey President Erdogan has also repaired ties with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, a detente Western officials worry may be used to pressure the West. "Sooner or later the United States of America will make a choice. Either Turkey or FETO," Erdogan told a rally late on Wednesday, using an abbreviation standing for the "Gulenist Terror Group" which is how Ankara refers to Gulen's movement. A total of 160 members of the military wanted in connection with the failed coup are still at large, including nine generals, officials have said. The purge inside Turkey also presses on. Turkey has cancelled the work permits of 27,424 people working in the education sector as part of its investigations, Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz said on Thursday. Ankara prosecutors on Thursday also ordered the detention of 648 judges and prosecutors suspended a day earlier, Hurriyet newspaper and broadcasters said. They are among 3,500 judges and prosecutors, a quarter of the national total, suspended in the coup probe, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. (Reuters)

Military attaches and diplomats are fleeing Turkey fearing coup trials

NATO said on Wednesday that Turkey&#39;s membership of the military alliance is &quot;not in question&quot; following the failed coup in July, and stressed its &quot;very clear position&quot; of continued support for Ankara. 
 
&quot;Turkey&rsquo;s NATO membership is not in question,&quot; spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement issued in response to &quot;speculative press reports&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;NATO counts on the continued contributions of Turkey, and Turkey can count on the solidarity and support of NATO,&quot; Lungescu said. 
 
The statement comes the day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a highly symbolic visit to Russia to mend fences with Moscow, sparking speculation that Ankara&#39;s close ties with the West could be at risk.&nbsp;In Ankara, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu insisted the Russian visit had no wider agenda but did warn of the possible consequences if relations with Europe did not improve. 
 
&quot;Our relations with Russia are not a message to the West. We worked very hard to have good relations with Europe for 15 years,&quot; Cavusoglu said, as he blasted the European Union for having &quot;encouraged the putschists.&quot; 
 
&quot;If the West one day loses Turkey, whatever our relations with Russia and China, it will be their fault,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The Russian media on Wednesday hailed Putin&#39;s meeting with Erdogan as a major breakthrough, with past grievances forgotten in the interests of building new ties. 
 
Early last month, NATO leaders including Erdogan had endorsed the alliance&#39;s largest military revamp since the end of the Cold War to counter a more assertive Russia in the fallout from the Ukraine crisis. 
 
Turkey is NATO&#39;s second largest military power after the United States, and is a crucial ally as the West faces unprecedented conflict and upheaval across the Middle East.&nbsp;In November, Turkish aircraft shot down a Russian fighter jet along the border with Syria, sparking a crisis in ties with Moscow and strong expressions of support from NATO. 
 
Growing hostility to West 
 
Recent reports in the Turkish media, picked up and amplified by the Russian press, have blasted Turkey&#39;s allies for their lukewarm condemnation of the coup attempt and suggested that they may even have had a hand in it. 
 
Erdogan has sharply criticised the United States and the EU for not doing more to show support in the aftermath of the abortive putsch.&nbsp;He has also bristled at their warnings that he should not undermine human rights and democratic norms in the subsequent crackdown which has netted thousands of people. 
 
In the NATO statement, Lungescu recalled that alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg had telephoned Erdogan in the immediate aftermath of the putsch, &quot;strongly condemning the attempted coup and reiterating full support for Turkey&rsquo;s democratic institutions&quot;. 
 
&quot;He expressed support for the elected government of Turkey and respect for the courage of the Turkish people,&quot; she noted.&nbsp;&quot;He also conveyed his condolences for those who had lost their lives during the coup attempt.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

NATO counts on the continued contributions of Turkey, and Turkey can count on the solidarity and support of NATO: Spokeswoman

NATO said on Wednesday that Turkey's membership of the military alliance is "not in question" following the failed coup in July, and stressed its "very clear position" of continued support for Ankara. "Turkey’s NATO membership is not in question," spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement issued in response to "speculative press reports". "NATO counts on the continued contributions of Turkey, and Turkey can count on the solidarity and support of NATO," Lungescu said. The statement comes the day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a highly symbolic visit to Russia to mend fences with Moscow, sparking speculation that Ankara's close ties with the West could be at risk. In Ankara, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu insisted the Russian visit had no wider agenda but did warn of the possible consequences if relations with Europe did not improve. "Our relations with Russia are not a message to the West. We worked very hard to have good relations with Europe for 15 years," Cavusoglu said, as he blasted the European Union for having "encouraged the putschists." "If the West one day loses Turkey, whatever our relations with Russia and China, it will be their fault," he said. The Russian media on Wednesday hailed Putin's meeting with Erdogan as a major breakthrough, with past grievances forgotten in the interests of building new ties. Early last month, NATO leaders including Erdogan had endorsed the alliance's largest military revamp since the end of the Cold War to counter a more assertive Russia in the fallout from the Ukraine crisis. Turkey is NATO's second largest military power after the United States, and is a crucial ally as the West faces unprecedented conflict and upheaval across the Middle East. In November, Turkish aircraft shot down a Russian fighter jet along the border with Syria, sparking a crisis in ties with Moscow and strong expressions of support from NATO. Growing hostility to West Recent reports in the Turkish media, picked up and amplified by the Russian press, have blasted Turkey's allies for their lukewarm condemnation of the coup attempt and suggested that they may even have had a hand in it. Erdogan has sharply criticised the United States and the EU for not doing more to show support in the aftermath of the abortive putsch. He has also bristled at their warnings that he should not undermine human rights and democratic norms in the subsequent crackdown which has netted thousands of people. In the NATO statement, Lungescu recalled that alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg had telephoned Erdogan in the immediate aftermath of the putsch, "strongly condemning the attempted coup and reiterating full support for Turkey’s democratic institutions". "He expressed support for the elected government of Turkey and respect for the courage of the Turkish people," she noted. "He also conveyed his condolences for those who had lost their lives during the coup attempt." (AFP)

NATO says Turkey membership 'not in question', stresses continued support to Ankara

Turkey accused the European Union on Wednesday of &quot;encouraging&quot; the plotters on the night of the July 15 coup in an escalating row that has raised questions over Ankara&#39;s future relationship with the bloc. 
 
A day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a highly symbolic visit to Russia, foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkish people&#39;s confidence in the EU had &quot;unfortunately fallen&quot; in the wake of the coup, saying the bloc &quot;failed a test&quot; on the night of the putsch. 
 
&quot;Let me say openly, this is because the EU adopted a favourable position to the coup (and) encouraged the putschists,&quot; the minister told reporters during a televised briefing in the capital Ankara without expanding further. 
 
He claimed support for the EU, which Turkey has sought to join since the 1960s, had plummeted to some 20 per cent. 
 
Relations between Brussels and Ankara have become increasingly strained since Turkey launched a crackdown, imprisoning and dismissing tens of thousands within the military, judiciary and education in the wake of the putsch which it has blamed on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen. 
 
The EU has urged Ankara to act within the rule of law while condemning Erdogan for suggesting the country could bring back the death penalty, abolished in 2004 as part of Turkey&#39;s reforms to join the union. 
 
Ankara has expressed astonishment that no EU official has visited Turkey in the wake of the coup.&nbsp;Cavusoglu&#39;s comments came a day after Erdogan travelled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin for the first time since Ankara downed one of Moscow&#39;s warplanes in November, triggering a diplomatic crisis between them. 
 
It was his first foreign trip since the failed coup, but the foreign minister said it was not a move to turn Turkey&#39;s focus to the East. 
 
&quot;Our relations with Russia are not a message to the West. We worked very hard to have good relations with Europe for 15 years,&quot; he said, warning that any deterioration in ties would not be Turkey&#39;s fault. 
 
&quot;If the West one day loses Turkey, whatever our relations with Russia and China, it will be their fault.&quot; 
 
Russia and Turkey would work together on military, foreign affairs and intelligence, he said, stressing that both were united in seeing the need for a political solution in Syria. 
 
(AFP)

Turkey's confidence in the EU has fallen because the bloc 'failed a test' on the night of the coup, said the foreign minister

Turkey accused the European Union on Wednesday of "encouraging" the plotters on the night of the July 15 coup in an escalating row that has raised questions over Ankara's future relationship with the bloc. A day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a highly symbolic visit to Russia, foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkish people's confidence in the EU had "unfortunately fallen" in the wake of the coup, saying the bloc "failed a test" on the night of the putsch. "Let me say openly, this is because the EU adopted a favourable position to the coup (and) encouraged the putschists," the minister told reporters during a televised briefing in the capital Ankara without expanding further. He claimed support for the EU, which Turkey has sought to join since the 1960s, had plummeted to some 20 per cent. Relations between Brussels and Ankara have become increasingly strained since Turkey launched a crackdown, imprisoning and dismissing tens of thousands within the military, judiciary and education in the wake of the putsch which it has blamed on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen. The EU has urged Ankara to act within the rule of law while condemning Erdogan for suggesting the country could bring back the death penalty, abolished in 2004 as part of Turkey's reforms to join the union. Ankara has expressed astonishment that no EU official has visited Turkey in the wake of the coup. Cavusoglu's comments came a day after Erdogan travelled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin for the first time since Ankara downed one of Moscow's warplanes in November, triggering a diplomatic crisis between them. It was his first foreign trip since the failed coup, but the foreign minister said it was not a move to turn Turkey's focus to the East. "Our relations with Russia are not a message to the West. We worked very hard to have good relations with Europe for 15 years," he said, warning that any deterioration in ties would not be Turkey's fault. "If the West one day loses Turkey, whatever our relations with Russia and China, it will be their fault." Russia and Turkey would work together on military, foreign affairs and intelligence, he said, stressing that both were united in seeing the need for a political solution in Syria. (AFP)

Turkey accuses European Union of 'encouraging' coup plotters

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan today looked to rebuild ties as they met for the first time since Ankara downed one of Moscow&#39;s warplanes in November. 
 
Erdogan&#39;s visit to Putin&#39;s hometown of Saint Petersburg is also his first foreign trip since the failed coup against him last month that sparked a purge of opponents and cast a shadow over Turkey&#39;s relations with the West.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Your visit today, despite a very difficult situation regarding domestic politics, indicates that we all want to restart dialogue and restore relations between Russia and Turkey,&quot; Putin said after the two leaders shook hands.&nbsp; 
 
Erdogan, who has said the trip represents a &quot;new milestone&quot;, told Putin that ties had entered a &quot;very different phase&quot; and thanked the Kremlin leader for his backing after the coup attempt.&nbsp; 
 
Thaw after jet downing rift&nbsp; 
 
The shooting down of a Russian fighter jet by a Turkish F-16 over the Syrian border last fall saw a furious Putin slap economic sanctions on Turkey and launch a blistering war of words with Erdogan that seemed to irrevocably damage burgeoning ties. 
 
But in late June, Putin surprisingly accepted a letter expressing regret over the incident from Erdogan as an apology and quickly rolled back a ban on the sale of package holidays to Turkey and signalled Moscow would end measures against Turkish food imports and construction firms. 
 
Now in the wake of the failed July 15 coup attempt, there are fears in Western capitals that NATO-member Turkey could draw even closer to Moscow -- with Erdogan bluntly making it clear he feels let down by the United States and the European Union. 
 
Putin was one of the first foreign leaders to phone Erdogan offering support after the coup attempt and shares none of the scruples of EU leaders about the ensuing crackdown. 
 
In the latest sign of rocky relations with the West, Turkey&#39;s justice minister today warned that the United States will &quot;sacrifice relations&quot; unless it extradites Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for the failed coup.&nbsp; 
 
Relations between Turkey and Russia -- two powers vying for influence in the strategic Black Sea region and Middle East -- have historically not been straightforward.&nbsp; 
 
Yet before the plane downing crisis, Moscow and Ankara managed to prevent disputes on Syria and Ukraine harming strategic cooperation on issues like the TurkStream gas pipeline to Europe and a Russian-built nuclear power station in Turkey. 
 
Those projects were all put on ice with trade between the two countries falling 43 per cent to $6.1 billion in January-May this year and Turkey&#39;s tourism industry seeing visitor numbers from Russia fall by 93 per cent. 
 
Now with Russia mired in economic crisis due to Western sanctions over Ukraine and low oil prices along with Turkey&#39;s outlook flagging, both men want to get business started again. 
 
&#39;Assad must go&#39; 
 
Turkish media said Erdogan&#39;s entourage was made up of over half a dozen ministers including his son-in-law energy minister Berat Albayrak and the powerful head of the country&#39;s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) Hakan Fidan. 
 
The earlier uptick in relations between Turkey and Russia was built on a macho friendship between Putin and Erdogan, two combative leaders in their early 60s credited with restoring confidence to their nations in the wake of financial crises but also criticised for clamping down on human rights. 
 
But after such a bitter dispute -- which saw Putin accuse Erdogan of stabbing Russia in the back and profiting from an illegal oil trade with the Islamic State group -- it will take a lot for the pair to reheat relations. 
 
Russia, which is conducting a bombing campaign in support of Erdogan&#39;s foe President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, transformed the balance of the Syrian civil war last September when it intervened militarily, to Turkey`s consternation. 
 
Erdogan has insisted that Assad must still go -- a position opposed by Putin -- but told Russian media that the conflict at the heart of the falling out with Moscow could now become the focus for renewed cooperation between the two sides. 
 
&quot;Russia is a main, key and very important player in establishing peace in Syria,&quot; Erdogan said in comments translated into Russian. &quot;The problem needs to be solved with the help of joint steps between Russia and Turkey.&quot; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

'Your visit today indicates we all want to restart dialogue and restore relations,' Putin said after the two leaders shook hands

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan today looked to rebuild ties as they met for the first time since Ankara downed one of Moscow's warplanes in November. Erdogan's visit to Putin's hometown of Saint Petersburg is also his first foreign trip since the failed coup against him last month that sparked a purge of opponents and cast a shadow over Turkey's relations with the West. "Your visit today, despite a very difficult situation regarding domestic politics, indicates that we all want to restart dialogue and restore relations between Russia and Turkey," Putin said after the two leaders shook hands. Erdogan, who has said the trip represents a "new milestone", told Putin that ties had entered a "very different phase" and thanked the Kremlin leader for his backing after the coup attempt. Thaw after jet downing rift The shooting down of a Russian fighter jet by a Turkish F-16 over the Syrian border last fall saw a furious Putin slap economic sanctions on Turkey and launch a blistering war of words with Erdogan that seemed to irrevocably damage burgeoning ties. But in late June, Putin surprisingly accepted a letter expressing regret over the incident from Erdogan as an apology and quickly rolled back a ban on the sale of package holidays to Turkey and signalled Moscow would end measures against Turkish food imports and construction firms. Now in the wake of the failed July 15 coup attempt, there are fears in Western capitals that NATO-member Turkey could draw even closer to Moscow -- with Erdogan bluntly making it clear he feels let down by the United States and the European Union. Putin was one of the first foreign leaders to phone Erdogan offering support after the coup attempt and shares none of the scruples of EU leaders about the ensuing crackdown. In the latest sign of rocky relations with the West, Turkey's justice minister today warned that the United States will "sacrifice relations" unless it extradites Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for the failed coup. Relations between Turkey and Russia -- two powers vying for influence in the strategic Black Sea region and Middle East -- have historically not been straightforward. Yet before the plane downing crisis, Moscow and Ankara managed to prevent disputes on Syria and Ukraine harming strategic cooperation on issues like the TurkStream gas pipeline to Europe and a Russian-built nuclear power station in Turkey. Those projects were all put on ice with trade between the two countries falling 43 per cent to $6.1 billion in January-May this year and Turkey's tourism industry seeing visitor numbers from Russia fall by 93 per cent. Now with Russia mired in economic crisis due to Western sanctions over Ukraine and low oil prices along with Turkey's outlook flagging, both men want to get business started again. 'Assad must go' Turkish media said Erdogan's entourage was made up of over half a dozen ministers including his son-in-law energy minister Berat Albayrak and the powerful head of the country's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) Hakan Fidan. The earlier uptick in relations between Turkey and Russia was built on a macho friendship between Putin and Erdogan, two combative leaders in their early 60s credited with restoring confidence to their nations in the wake of financial crises but also criticised for clamping down on human rights. But after such a bitter dispute -- which saw Putin accuse Erdogan of stabbing Russia in the back and profiting from an illegal oil trade with the Islamic State group -- it will take a lot for the pair to reheat relations. Russia, which is conducting a bombing campaign in support of Erdogan's foe President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, transformed the balance of the Syrian civil war last September when it intervened militarily, to Turkey`s consternation. Erdogan has insisted that Assad must still go -- a position opposed by Putin -- but told Russian media that the conflict at the heart of the falling out with Moscow could now become the focus for renewed cooperation between the two sides. "Russia is a main, key and very important player in establishing peace in Syria," Erdogan said in comments translated into Russian. "The problem needs to be solved with the help of joint steps between Russia and Turkey." (AFP)

Putin, Erdogan meet for first time since Ankara downed Moscow warplane

The United States ambassador to Turkey has again denied allegations his country was involved in last month&#39;s failed coup attempt, Turkish media reported today. 
 
&quot;I just want to say again, as I&#39;ve said before and as we&#39;ve said from Washington, the United States government did not plan, direct, support or have any advance knowledge of any of the illegal activities that occurred the night of July 15 and into July 16. Full stop,&quot; US ambassador John Bass said in remarks published in English daily Hurriyet Daily News. 
 
He added that he was &quot;deeply disturbed and offended by the accusations&quot; targeting his country. 
 
The July 15 military action blamed by Ankara on US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen has rattled Turkey&#39;s relations with the United States and the European Union. 
 
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the West of supporting the plotters and warned Washington that relations will suffer if it fails to extradite Pennyslvania-based Gulen.&nbsp; 
 
Erdogan has also accused the US of hiding and sheltering the preacher and described the failed military action as a &quot;scenario written from outside&quot; in an allusion to foreign involvement. 
 
Shortly after the coup attempt, Labour Minister Suleyman Soylu went even further to say &quot;the United States is behind the coup.&quot; 
 
And this week, Turkey`s former army chief, Ilker Basbug, claimed that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was also behind it.&nbsp; 
&quot;Frankly, if we would have had knowledge we would have told the Turkish government about it immediately,&quot; Bass said. 
 
He said the US wants to see a &quot;strong, prosperous, democratic, confident Turkey. 
 
&quot;Anyone who thinks that the United States somehow profits from Turkey being divided and destabilised I think is misreading history to a profound degree.&quot; 
 
Three days after the failed coup, Bass rebutted claims his country somehow supported the putsch. 
 
&quot;This is categorically untrue, and such speculation is harmful to the decades-long friendship between two great nations,&quot; he said in a statement on the embassy website. 
 
(AFP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused US of supporting plotters and warned that relations will suffer if it fails to extradite Gulen

The United States ambassador to Turkey has again denied allegations his country was involved in last month's failed coup attempt, Turkish media reported today. "I just want to say again, as I've said before and as we've said from Washington, the United States government did not plan, direct, support or have any advance knowledge of any of the illegal activities that occurred the night of July 15 and into July 16. Full stop," US ambassador John Bass said in remarks published in English daily Hurriyet Daily News. He added that he was "deeply disturbed and offended by the accusations" targeting his country. The July 15 military action blamed by Ankara on US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen has rattled Turkey's relations with the United States and the European Union. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the West of supporting the plotters and warned Washington that relations will suffer if it fails to extradite Pennyslvania-based Gulen. Erdogan has also accused the US of hiding and sheltering the preacher and described the failed military action as a "scenario written from outside" in an allusion to foreign involvement. Shortly after the coup attempt, Labour Minister Suleyman Soylu went even further to say "the United States is behind the coup." And this week, Turkey`s former army chief, Ilker Basbug, claimed that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was also behind it. "Frankly, if we would have had knowledge we would have told the Turkish government about it immediately," Bass said. He said the US wants to see a "strong, prosperous, democratic, confident Turkey. "Anyone who thinks that the United States somehow profits from Turkey being divided and destabilised I think is misreading history to a profound degree." Three days after the failed coup, Bass rebutted claims his country somehow supported the putsch. "This is categorically untrue, and such speculation is harmful to the decades-long friendship between two great nations," he said in a statement on the embassy website. (AFP)

US not involved in Turkey coup attempt, 'full stop', says envoy John Bass

Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric, has condemned Turkey&#39;s judicial system after a court issued an arrest warrant accusing him of ordering last month`s bid to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 
 
Gulen in a statement yesterday said the Turkish court system is without judicial independence. 
 
&quot;It is well-documented that the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President Erdogan`s drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy,&quot; the Dawn quoted his statement as saying. 
 
The arrest warrant issued by the court today, accuses Gulen of ordering the July 15 coup. 
 
Gulen strongly denied any involvement in the attempted coup. 
 
&quot;The issuance of an arrest warrant from a Turkish court changes nothing about my status or my views. I have repeatedly condemned the coup attempt in Turkey and denied any knowledge or involvement,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

'This warrant is yet another example of President Erdogan's drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy,' the US-based cleric said

Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric, has condemned Turkey's judicial system after a court issued an arrest warrant accusing him of ordering last month`s bid to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Gulen in a statement yesterday said the Turkish court system is without judicial independence. "It is well-documented that the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President Erdogan`s drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy," the Dawn quoted his statement as saying. The arrest warrant issued by the court today, accuses Gulen of ordering the July 15 coup. Gulen strongly denied any involvement in the attempted coup. "The issuance of an arrest warrant from a Turkish court changes nothing about my status or my views. I have repeatedly condemned the coup attempt in Turkey and denied any knowledge or involvement," he added. (ANI)

Gulen condemns Turkey's judicial system, denounces arrest warrant?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that US state secretary John Kerry intends to visit this month, in what would be the first trip by a top Western dignitary since a failed coup. 
 
Kerry&#39;s visit, if confirmed, comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Ankara in the wake of the attempted military takeover on July 15. 
 
Turkey has been furiously demanding the extradition of Pennsylvania-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom it accuses of masterminding the coup.&nbsp;The government has launched a crackdown in its wake that has seen over 60,000 people within the military, judiciary, civil service and education sector dismissed, detained or put under investigation. 
 
&quot;I think their secretary of state is coming on the 21th (August),&quot; Erdogan said in a live interview with state-run TRT television. 
 
Within the next two weeks, a delegation led by Turkey&#39;s foreign and justice ministers would also travel to the US to explain Gulen&#39;s alleged involvement in the coup bid, he added. 
 
US state department spokesman Mark Toner declined to comment.&nbsp;An Istanbul court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Gulen, accusing him of ordering the coup aimed at ousting Erdogan.&nbsp; 
 
Ankara has frequently called on the United States to extradite the Muslim cleric, sending two sets of documents to Washington as evidence of his involvement in the putsch attempt.&nbsp;Gulen strongly denies masterminding the coup and the movement he leads insists it is a charitable network promoting tolerant Islam. 
 
Kerry said on July 18 that Turkey must present &quot;genuine evidence&quot; and &quot;not allegations&quot; against Erdogan&#39;s former ally for his extradition. 
 
The crisis in Turkey has erupted at a time when the Ankara-Washington relationship is as important as ever, with the United States needing Turkish help in the battle against Islamic State militants in Syria.&nbsp;US fighter jets have been using Turkey&#39;s southern base of Incirlik as a crucial launch point for lethal raids against IS targets in neighbouring Syria. 
 
During Thursday&#39;s live broadcast, Erdogan broke down in tears while watching a TRT documentary about civilians who lost their lives on the night of the coup.&nbsp;At least 272 people including 34 plotters were killed after people took to the streets and squares against the putschists. 
 
(AFP)

Ankara had called on Washington to extradite the Muslim cleric, sending documents claiming his involvement in the coup attempt

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that US state secretary John Kerry intends to visit this month, in what would be the first trip by a top Western dignitary since a failed coup. Kerry's visit, if confirmed, comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Ankara in the wake of the attempted military takeover on July 15. Turkey has been furiously demanding the extradition of Pennsylvania-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom it accuses of masterminding the coup. The government has launched a crackdown in its wake that has seen over 60,000 people within the military, judiciary, civil service and education sector dismissed, detained or put under investigation. "I think their secretary of state is coming on the 21th (August)," Erdogan said in a live interview with state-run TRT television. Within the next two weeks, a delegation led by Turkey's foreign and justice ministers would also travel to the US to explain Gulen's alleged involvement in the coup bid, he added. US state department spokesman Mark Toner declined to comment. An Istanbul court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Gulen, accusing him of ordering the coup aimed at ousting Erdogan. Ankara has frequently called on the United States to extradite the Muslim cleric, sending two sets of documents to Washington as evidence of his involvement in the putsch attempt. Gulen strongly denies masterminding the coup and the movement he leads insists it is a charitable network promoting tolerant Islam. Kerry said on July 18 that Turkey must present "genuine evidence" and "not allegations" against Erdogan's former ally for his extradition. The crisis in Turkey has erupted at a time when the Ankara-Washington relationship is as important as ever, with the United States needing Turkish help in the battle against Islamic State militants in Syria. US fighter jets have been using Turkey's southern base of Incirlik as a crucial launch point for lethal raids against IS targets in neighbouring Syria. During Thursday's live broadcast, Erdogan broke down in tears while watching a TRT documentary about civilians who lost their lives on the night of the coup. At least 272 people including 34 plotters were killed after people took to the streets and squares against the putschists. (AFP)

US state secretary Kerry to visit Turkey amid tensions over Islamic preacher Gulen's extradition

German striker Mario Gomez, the top scorer in Turkey&#39;s Super Lig last season, on Wednesday said he was leaving Istanbul club Besiktas after just one year due to the political situation in the wake of the failed coup. 
 
&quot;I have to tell you Besiktas fans personally that it is very heavy for me that I will not be playing for this great club in front of you wonderful fans in this unique stadium anymore,&quot; he said in a statement on his Facebook page. 
 
&quot;It is purely down to the terrible events that happened in the last few days. I hope you can understand that.&quot; 
 
Gomez is so far the first big football name to quit Turkey after the coup, which resulted in terrifying scenes in Istanbul and Ankara.&nbsp;Several top European stars play in Istanbul, such as the Netherlands&#39; Robin van Persie with Fenerbahce and Germany&#39;s Lukas Podolski at Galatasaray. 
 
Gomez, who was on a one-season loan from Fiorentina but had been widely expected to stay on in a full transfer, helped Besiktas last season surge to their first Turkish title since 2009.&nbsp;He rapidly became a firm favourite with the club faithful, scoring 26 goals in a special season for Besiktas that also saw the club move to a sparkling new stadium on the shores of the Bosphorus. 
 
&quot;The reason for this is completely down to the political situation,&quot; said Gomez in the heavy-hearted statement.&nbsp;&quot;There are no sporting or any other reasons that have made me make this decision. It is purely down to the terrible events that happened in the last few days,&quot; he added. 
 
He said that &quot;it was a fantastic year with the championship providing the absolute highlight&quot;. 
 
&quot;I hope that these political problems can be solved in a peaceful manner soon. Then it would be my great wish to play for Besiktas again. The club and the country grew very close to my heart in this past year.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Gomez is so far the first big football name to quit Turkey because of the political turbulence

German striker Mario Gomez, the top scorer in Turkey's Super Lig last season, on Wednesday said he was leaving Istanbul club Besiktas after just one year due to the political situation in the wake of the failed coup. "I have to tell you Besiktas fans personally that it is very heavy for me that I will not be playing for this great club in front of you wonderful fans in this unique stadium anymore," he said in a statement on his Facebook page. "It is purely down to the terrible events that happened in the last few days. I hope you can understand that." Gomez is so far the first big football name to quit Turkey after the coup, which resulted in terrifying scenes in Istanbul and Ankara. Several top European stars play in Istanbul, such as the Netherlands' Robin van Persie with Fenerbahce and Germany's Lukas Podolski at Galatasaray. Gomez, who was on a one-season loan from Fiorentina but had been widely expected to stay on in a full transfer, helped Besiktas last season surge to their first Turkish title since 2009. He rapidly became a firm favourite with the club faithful, scoring 26 goals in a special season for Besiktas that also saw the club move to a sparkling new stadium on the shores of the Bosphorus. "The reason for this is completely down to the political situation," said Gomez in the heavy-hearted statement. "There are no sporting or any other reasons that have made me make this decision. It is purely down to the terrible events that happened in the last few days," he added. He said that "it was a fantastic year with the championship providing the absolute highlight". "I hope that these political problems can be solved in a peaceful manner soon. Then it would be my great wish to play for Besiktas again. The club and the country grew very close to my heart in this past year." (AFP)

Top scorer Mario Gomez set to leave Besiktas after Turkey coup attempt

The foiled coup attempt seeking to unseat the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cost the Turkish economy 300 billion Lira ($100 billion), the trade minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday. 
 
Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tufenkci was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper that the heavy price tag may even increase, but insisted that Turkey&#39;s economic fundamentals were solid. &quot;Warplanes, helicopters, weapons, bombs, buildings: 300 billion Lira. Maybe I am underestimating a bit,&quot; he said, referring to the heavy destruction on the night of the coup. &quot;It might go up even more,&quot; he said. 
 
But the minister warned that the entire picture should be seen in a medium-term context, even if some investors had been put off in the short-term. &quot;The putschists made Turkey seem like a third world country,&quot; he fumed. &quot;They (investors) are not coming after the images revealed tanks were deployed on the streets, parliament was bombed,&quot; he said, adding that some foreign orders had been cancelled in the wake of the coup. 
 
But Tufenkci said despite all this Turkey had managed to control the situation. &quot;Had the coup taken place in another country, markets would not have opened earlier than in a week,&quot; he said. The coup took place on Friday July 15, but financial markets in Turkey opened as normal after the weekend. 
 
&quot;The interest rates didn&#39;t rise extraordinarily. The stock exchange&#39;s losses have been limited. There&#39;s no need to revise growth or export figures. The nation has stood firm.&quot; The government has suspended annual leave of public sector personnel in the wake of the coup attempt, blamed by the government on supporters of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. 
 
This measure has affected the tourism industry, already hit by foreigners staying away over security fears after a spate of attacks, as well as a crisis with Russia. &quot;Because of a ban on annual leave, one million (tourism) reservations had been cancelled,&quot; the minister said. The number of foreigners visiting Turkey dropped over 40 per cent in June to its lowest level this year, but there is optimism the Russians will come back after Ankara mended fences with Moscow. 
 
&quot;From now on tourism will also rally,&quot; said Tufenkci.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The number of foreigners visiting Turkey dropped over 40% in June, its lowest level this year

The foiled coup attempt seeking to unseat the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cost the Turkish economy 300 billion Lira ($100 billion), the trade minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tufenkci was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper that the heavy price tag may even increase, but insisted that Turkey's economic fundamentals were solid. "Warplanes, helicopters, weapons, bombs, buildings: 300 billion Lira. Maybe I am underestimating a bit," he said, referring to the heavy destruction on the night of the coup. "It might go up even more," he said. But the minister warned that the entire picture should be seen in a medium-term context, even if some investors had been put off in the short-term. "The putschists made Turkey seem like a third world country," he fumed. "They (investors) are not coming after the images revealed tanks were deployed on the streets, parliament was bombed," he said, adding that some foreign orders had been cancelled in the wake of the coup. But Tufenkci said despite all this Turkey had managed to control the situation. "Had the coup taken place in another country, markets would not have opened earlier than in a week," he said. The coup took place on Friday July 15, but financial markets in Turkey opened as normal after the weekend. "The interest rates didn't rise extraordinarily. The stock exchange's losses have been limited. There's no need to revise growth or export figures. The nation has stood firm." The government has suspended annual leave of public sector personnel in the wake of the coup attempt, blamed by the government on supporters of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. This measure has affected the tourism industry, already hit by foreigners staying away over security fears after a spate of attacks, as well as a crisis with Russia. "Because of a ban on annual leave, one million (tourism) reservations had been cancelled," the minister said. The number of foreigners visiting Turkey dropped over 40 per cent in June to its lowest level this year, but there is optimism the Russians will come back after Ankara mended fences with Moscow. "From now on tourism will also rally," said Tufenkci. (AFP)

Coup costs Turkey economy $100 billion: minister

Turkey admitted on Monday there may have been some &quot;unfair&quot; treatment in its post-coup crackdown as it voiced anger at Germany for barring President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing a rally in Cologne. 
 
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a top-ranking US that his government remained committed to principles of law in its fight against coup plotters and called for Washington to extradite US-based preacher Fethullan Gulen &quot;as soon as possible&quot;. 
 
Ankara accuses Gulen of masterminding the coup and says it is seeking to remove all trace of his influence in Turkish institutions. 
 
Apparently responding to widening international alarm about the crackdown, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim admitted there may have been some unfair treatment in the state sector. 
 
&quot;There must definitely be some among them who were subjected to unfair procedures,&quot; he said in comments published by state-run Anadolu news agency. 
 
&quot;We will make a distinction between those who are guilty and those who are not.&quot; 
 
Echoing Yildirim&#39;s tone, deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said: &quot;If there are any mistakes, we will correct them&quot;. 
 
Retaliating after a failed military attempt to unseat him, Erdogan has launched a purge that has seen tens of thousands of people suspended from their jobs and almost 19,000 detained. 
 
Germany bars live speeches from Turkish politicians, including Erdogan&nbsp; 
 
Turkey meanwhile summoned a senior German diplomat, a day after a rally of tens of thousands of Erdogan supporters in Cologne in opposition to the coup. 
 
Hours before the demonstration, Germany&#39;s constitutional court rejected an application to show via video link live speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, over fears they could work up the crowd. 
 
The decision sparked anger in Turkey, with presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin calling the move a &quot;violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly&quot;. 
 
A spokeswoman for the German embassy in Ankara told AFP that the charge d`affaires had &quot;been summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT)&quot; on Monday over the rally. 
 
Turkish foreign ministry sources said the envoy was summoned to &quot;strongly express our disappointment&quot; over the ban on a popularly elected leader from addressing the rally and called the German approach &quot;unacceptable.&quot; 
 
But Germany, which is home to the largest portion of Turkey&#39;s diaspora, played down the incident, saying such &quot;invitations&quot; were nothing out of the ordinary.&nbsp; 
 
General Joseph Dunford met with Yildirim, as well as Turkish chief of staff Hulusi Akar to &quot;deliver messages condemning in the strongest terms the recent coup attempt and reaffirming the importance of our enduring partnership for regional security,&quot; Dunford`s spokesman Greg Hicks said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
Yildirim told the US general to extradite &quot;terrorist group leader Fetullah Gulen and members of FETO to our country as soon as possible,&quot; his office said in a statement after the meeting, referring to what Turkey calls the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO). 
 
&quot;It is important that the United States, our strategic partner and ally, demonstrates a clear and determined approach against the terrorist coup attempt,&quot; Yildirim told the general. 
 
Tensions between the two NATO allies have been aggravated by the foiled putsch, with some Turkish officials even alleging that Washington could have had a hand in the plot. The suggestion has been firmly denied by top US officials. 
 
Last week, Erdogan lashed out at the top US general in the Middle East, General Joseph Votel, after he expressed concerns about the future of military relations between the two allies in the wake of the putsch. During their meeting, the Turkish premier also told Dunford that the Turkish armed forces were fulfilling its duties &quot;at full capacity&quot; after the reshuffling in the wake of the coup attempt and said that cooperation continued &quot;uninterrupted&quot; with the US and other allies in the fight against terrorist groups including the Islamic State. 
 
Before his meetings with the Turkish officials, the US general visited Incirlik air base - used by coalition planes for air raids on IS in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
Unexpectedly, Dunford also toured the Turkish parliament which was extensively damaged by rebel air strikes on the night of the coup, seen as a symbolic gesture. 
 
Meanwhile Turkey on Monday said it had arrested 11 fugitive soldiers suspected of involvement in an attack on Erdogan`s hotel during the night of the coup. 
 
Erdogan was staying in the western seaside resort of Marmaris on July 15 but dashed to Istanbul just before the hotel came under attack from rebel soldiers determined to oust him from power. 
 
Just one soldier from the attack group now remains at large, Kurtulmus said. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Ankara has called for Washington to extradite US-based preacher Fetullan Gullen, who it accuses of masterminding the coup

Turkey admitted on Monday there may have been some "unfair" treatment in its post-coup crackdown as it voiced anger at Germany for barring President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing a rally in Cologne. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a top-ranking US that his government remained committed to principles of law in its fight against coup plotters and called for Washington to extradite US-based preacher Fethullan Gulen "as soon as possible". Ankara accuses Gulen of masterminding the coup and says it is seeking to remove all trace of his influence in Turkish institutions. Apparently responding to widening international alarm about the crackdown, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim admitted there may have been some unfair treatment in the state sector. "There must definitely be some among them who were subjected to unfair procedures," he said in comments published by state-run Anadolu news agency. "We will make a distinction between those who are guilty and those who are not." Echoing Yildirim's tone, deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said: "If there are any mistakes, we will correct them". Retaliating after a failed military attempt to unseat him, Erdogan has launched a purge that has seen tens of thousands of people suspended from their jobs and almost 19,000 detained. Germany bars live speeches from Turkish politicians, including Erdogan Turkey meanwhile summoned a senior German diplomat, a day after a rally of tens of thousands of Erdogan supporters in Cologne in opposition to the coup. Hours before the demonstration, Germany's constitutional court rejected an application to show via video link live speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, over fears they could work up the crowd. The decision sparked anger in Turkey, with presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin calling the move a "violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly". A spokeswoman for the German embassy in Ankara told AFP that the charge d`affaires had "been summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT)" on Monday over the rally. Turkish foreign ministry sources said the envoy was summoned to "strongly express our disappointment" over the ban on a popularly elected leader from addressing the rally and called the German approach "unacceptable." But Germany, which is home to the largest portion of Turkey's diaspora, played down the incident, saying such "invitations" were nothing out of the ordinary. General Joseph Dunford met with Yildirim, as well as Turkish chief of staff Hulusi Akar to "deliver messages condemning in the strongest terms the recent coup attempt and reaffirming the importance of our enduring partnership for regional security," Dunford`s spokesman Greg Hicks said in a statement. Yildirim told the US general to extradite "terrorist group leader Fetullah Gulen and members of FETO to our country as soon as possible," his office said in a statement after the meeting, referring to what Turkey calls the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO). "It is important that the United States, our strategic partner and ally, demonstrates a clear and determined approach against the terrorist coup attempt," Yildirim told the general. Tensions between the two NATO allies have been aggravated by the foiled putsch, with some Turkish officials even alleging that Washington could have had a hand in the plot. The suggestion has been firmly denied by top US officials. Last week, Erdogan lashed out at the top US general in the Middle East, General Joseph Votel, after he expressed concerns about the future of military relations between the two allies in the wake of the putsch. During their meeting, the Turkish premier also told Dunford that the Turkish armed forces were fulfilling its duties "at full capacity" after the reshuffling in the wake of the coup attempt and said that cooperation continued "uninterrupted" with the US and other allies in the fight against terrorist groups including the Islamic State. Before his meetings with the Turkish officials, the US general visited Incirlik air base - used by coalition planes for air raids on IS in Syria. Unexpectedly, Dunford also toured the Turkish parliament which was extensively damaged by rebel air strikes on the night of the coup, seen as a symbolic gesture. Meanwhile Turkey on Monday said it had arrested 11 fugitive soldiers suspected of involvement in an attack on Erdogan`s hotel during the night of the coup. Erdogan was staying in the western seaside resort of Marmaris on July 15 but dashed to Istanbul just before the hotel came under attack from rebel soldiers determined to oust him from power. Just one soldier from the attack group now remains at large, Kurtulmus said. (AFP)

Turkey admits to 'unfair' dismissals in post-coup crackdown

Turkey today issued arrest warrants for 100 staff, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of an investigation into last month&#39;s failed coup, a Turkish official and reports said. 
 
Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, the private NTV television reported.&nbsp;It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained. 
 
The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that detention warrants had been issued without giving any number. 
 
Turkey blames the coup attempt on the organisation of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of running a group called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denied. 
 
The official said that staff at the hospital were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. 
 
&quot;GATA is crucial because this is where fitness and health reports are issued,&quot; the official said. &quot;There is strong evidence suggesting FETO members infiltrated this institution to slow down the career progress of their rivals within the military and fast-track their supporters.&quot; 
 
Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials have said exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey&#39;s generals were fired in the wake of the coup. 
 
Turkey has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the July 15 power grab attempt and launched a crackdown that has seen some 18,000 people detained. 
 
This is believed to be the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in the clampdown, which has also hit journalists and academics. 
 
Under a previous decree, GATA and other military hospitals have been transferred to the control of the health ministry. 
 
(AFP)

The staff at the hospital were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports

Turkey today issued arrest warrants for 100 staff, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of an investigation into last month's failed coup, a Turkish official and reports said. Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, the private NTV television reported. It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained. The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that detention warrants had been issued without giving any number. Turkey blames the coup attempt on the organisation of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of running a group called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denied. The official said that staff at the hospital were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports. "GATA is crucial because this is where fitness and health reports are issued," the official said. "There is strong evidence suggesting FETO members infiltrated this institution to slow down the career progress of their rivals within the military and fast-track their supporters." Similar claims have also been made about military schools where officials have said exams were rigged. Almost half of Turkey's generals were fired in the wake of the coup. Turkey has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the July 15 power grab attempt and launched a crackdown that has seen some 18,000 people detained. This is believed to be the first time a medical establishment has been targeted in the clampdown, which has also hit journalists and academics. Under a previous decree, GATA and other military hospitals have been transferred to the control of the health ministry. (AFP)

Coup purge: Turkey issues arrest warrants for 100 hospital staff in Ankara

Berlin played down Turkey&#39;s decision to call in a high-ranking German diplomat today amid tensions over a rally in Cologne, saying such &quot;invitations&quot; were nothing extraordinary. 
 
&quot;In the day-to-day dealings between countries, it is a daily event, normal for a representative of a country to be called into the foreign ministry of his host country,&quot; Martin Schaefer, spokesman for the German foreign ministry told journalists. 
 
&quot;That happens in Turkey... That happens too in Berlin. Therefore that is not unusual,&quot; he said, adding that the meeting had likely to do with Sunday&#39;s demonstration. 
 
Tens of thousands of people had rallied in Cologne in support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the failed coup on July 15. 
 
But Ankara was angered by a German court&#39;s decision to ban the demonstration&#39;s organisers from screening live speeches from Turkey by politicians. 
 
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin called the ban unacceptable and a &quot;violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly&quot;. 
 
Germany is home to three million ethnic Turks, making up Turkey&#39;s largest diaspora, and tensions over the coup have put authorities there on the&nbsp;edge. 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Martin Schaefer, spokesman for German foreign ministry, said that in the day-to-day dealings between countries, it is a daily event

Berlin played down Turkey's decision to call in a high-ranking German diplomat today amid tensions over a rally in Cologne, saying such "invitations" were nothing extraordinary. "In the day-to-day dealings between countries, it is a daily event, normal for a representative of a country to be called into the foreign ministry of his host country," Martin Schaefer, spokesman for the German foreign ministry told journalists. "That happens in Turkey... That happens too in Berlin. Therefore that is not unusual," he said, adding that the meeting had likely to do with Sunday's demonstration. Tens of thousands of people had rallied in Cologne in support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the failed coup on July 15. But Ankara was angered by a German court's decision to ban the demonstration's organisers from screening live speeches from Turkey by politicians. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin called the ban unacceptable and a "violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly". Germany is home to three million ethnic Turks, making up Turkey's largest diaspora, and tensions over the coup have put authorities there on the edge. (AFP)

Berlin plays down Turkey's decision to call German diplomat

Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallied in the German city of Cologne on Sunday as tensions over Turkey&#39;s failed coup put authorities on edge. 
 
Waving the Turkish flag and chanting &quot;Turkey&quot;, the demonstrators turned the rally site next to the River Rhine into a sea of red as they began the demonstration by singing the Turkish and German national anthems. Some held banners saying &quot;Erdogan, fighting for liberty&quot;. 
 
&quot;We are here because our compatriots in Germany are standing up for democracy and against the attempted military coup in Turkey,&quot; said Turkey&#39;s sports minister Akif Cagatay Kilic at the rally, Tagesspiegel daily reported. 
 
&quot;The message to be sent from the event is that in Turkey, all parties and NGOs want to stand together against the coup and to defend democracy,&quot; added the minister, who was born in Germany.&nbsp; 
 
Police said the gathering, organised by groups including the pro-Erdogan Union of European-Turkish Democrats (UETD), broke up around 1600 GMT with the crowd estimated at 40,000. 
 
Since the attempted July 15 power grab, Erdogan&#39;s government has launched a huge crackdown, detaining almost 19,000 people and sparking international concern. 
 
Ratcheting up its clampdown on the military, Ankara on Sunday dismissed nearly 1,400 military personnel, including a top aide to Erdogan, and confirmed it would close military schools and academies. 
 
Erdogan -- who says a group within the military acted on the orders of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen -- has also said he will bring the country&#39;s spy agency and military chief of staff directly under his control. 
 
The drama has spilled over into Germany, home to three million ethnic Turks -- the biggest Turkish diaspora in the world. 
 
Hours before the Cologne rally Germany&#39;s constitutional court banned an application to show live speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, amid fears they could work the crowd up further. 
 
The decision sparked anger in Turkey, with presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin calling the ban unacceptable and a &quot;violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly&quot;.Meanwhile, skirmishes broke out at several smaller counter-demonstrations, with police moving in to separate around 80 right-wing nationalist Turks and 100 Kurds. 
 
Some 250 far-right extremists, including many hooligans, had also come together before being dispersed by police. No injuries were reported. 
 
The tension comes at a time when relations between Germany and Turkey are already strained over the German parliament&#39;s decision to brand as genocide the World War I-era Armenian massacre by Ottoman forces. 
 
German politicians led by Chancellor Angela Merkel have also issued strongly-worded statements against Erdogan&#39;s crackdown following the failed putsch. 
 
The hardline response &quot;flouts the rule of law&quot;, Merkel`s spokesman Steffen Seibert has said, also blasting &quot;revolting scenes of caprice and revenge&quot; in the wake of the failed coup. 
 
At the same time, Ankara is demanding that Germany extradite suspects linked to Gulen. The 75-year-old cleric has strongly denied any involvement. 
 
Erdogan enjoys large support among the diaspora in Germany, where around 1.5 million people with Turkish nationality can vote in Turkish elections. 
 
His AKP party won 60 per cent of votes cast in Germany in last November&#39;s election, a bigger share of the vote than in Turkey. 
 
In the days following the botched coup, pro-Erdogan activists have stormed locations in Germany popular with Gulen&#39;s followers. 
 
Critics of the Turkish president have also complained of abuse and threats against them on social media. 
 
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday warned in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily: &quot;It is not right to bring Turkey&#39;s domestic political tensions here... and intimidate people who have other political convictions.&quot; 
 
Meanwhile his Turkish counterpart has warnings for the European Union. 
 
Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to appear on Monday that Ankara could withdraw from the EU-Turkey accord on refugees if Europe fails to allow visa-free travel for Turks by October. 
 
(AFP)

The tensions have come at a time when relations between Germany, the biggest Turkish diaspora, and Turkey are already strained

Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallied in the German city of Cologne on Sunday as tensions over Turkey's failed coup put authorities on edge. Waving the Turkish flag and chanting "Turkey", the demonstrators turned the rally site next to the River Rhine into a sea of red as they began the demonstration by singing the Turkish and German national anthems. Some held banners saying "Erdogan, fighting for liberty". "We are here because our compatriots in Germany are standing up for democracy and against the attempted military coup in Turkey," said Turkey's sports minister Akif Cagatay Kilic at the rally, Tagesspiegel daily reported. "The message to be sent from the event is that in Turkey, all parties and NGOs want to stand together against the coup and to defend democracy," added the minister, who was born in Germany. Police said the gathering, organised by groups including the pro-Erdogan Union of European-Turkish Democrats (UETD), broke up around 1600 GMT with the crowd estimated at 40,000. Since the attempted July 15 power grab, Erdogan's government has launched a huge crackdown, detaining almost 19,000 people and sparking international concern. Ratcheting up its clampdown on the military, Ankara on Sunday dismissed nearly 1,400 military personnel, including a top aide to Erdogan, and confirmed it would close military schools and academies. Erdogan -- who says a group within the military acted on the orders of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen -- has also said he will bring the country's spy agency and military chief of staff directly under his control. The drama has spilled over into Germany, home to three million ethnic Turks -- the biggest Turkish diaspora in the world. Hours before the Cologne rally Germany's constitutional court banned an application to show live speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, amid fears they could work the crowd up further. The decision sparked anger in Turkey, with presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin calling the ban unacceptable and a "violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly".Meanwhile, skirmishes broke out at several smaller counter-demonstrations, with police moving in to separate around 80 right-wing nationalist Turks and 100 Kurds. Some 250 far-right extremists, including many hooligans, had also come together before being dispersed by police. No injuries were reported. The tension comes at a time when relations between Germany and Turkey are already strained over the German parliament's decision to brand as genocide the World War I-era Armenian massacre by Ottoman forces. German politicians led by Chancellor Angela Merkel have also issued strongly-worded statements against Erdogan's crackdown following the failed putsch. The hardline response "flouts the rule of law", Merkel`s spokesman Steffen Seibert has said, also blasting "revolting scenes of caprice and revenge" in the wake of the failed coup. At the same time, Ankara is demanding that Germany extradite suspects linked to Gulen. The 75-year-old cleric has strongly denied any involvement. Erdogan enjoys large support among the diaspora in Germany, where around 1.5 million people with Turkish nationality can vote in Turkish elections. His AKP party won 60 per cent of votes cast in Germany in last November's election, a bigger share of the vote than in Turkey. In the days following the botched coup, pro-Erdogan activists have stormed locations in Germany popular with Gulen's followers. Critics of the Turkish president have also complained of abuse and threats against them on social media. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday warned in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily: "It is not right to bring Turkey's domestic political tensions here... and intimidate people who have other political convictions." Meanwhile his Turkish counterpart has warnings for the European Union. Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to appear on Monday that Ankara could withdraw from the EU-Turkey accord on refugees if Europe fails to allow visa-free travel for Turks by October. (AFP)

Tensions rise as as tens of thousands rally for Erdogan in Germany

Turkish authorities on Saturday released from jail 62 students from Istanbul&#39;s military academy, more than two weeks after the July 15 attempted coup, local media reported. 
 
Many of the students at Kuleli military high school in the city were believed to be teenagers caught up in the failed putsch by a rogue group in the military which tried to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power. 
 
The students walked out of the gates of the prison in Maltepe on the Asian side of Istanbul to an emotional reunion with crying relatives who had been waiting, private Dogan news agency reported. 
 
An Istanbul court ordered the release of the students late on Friday among a total of 758 soldiers, adding to another 3,500 former suspects already set free. However, 231 soldiers were remanded in custody in the same hearings, the agency reported. 
 
The case of the students had amplified concerns that many of the thousands of soldiers detained nationwide over complicity in the coup may have only been following orders and had no idea a putsch was in progress. 
 
Turkish officials have insisted that each case is being examined and no individual is going to be unfairly punished. Since the coup, nearly half of the military&rsquo;s generals and admirals have been dismissed. Turkey detained more than 18,000 people over the attempted putsch which has been blamed on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen -- a charge he denies. 
 
Nearly 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs within state institutions, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday. Almost 43,000 of those were from the education ministry. 
 
(AFP)

An Istanbul court ordered the release among a total of 758 soldiers, adding to another 3,500 former suspects already set free

Turkish authorities on Saturday released from jail 62 students from Istanbul's military academy, more than two weeks after the July 15 attempted coup, local media reported. Many of the students at Kuleli military high school in the city were believed to be teenagers caught up in the failed putsch by a rogue group in the military which tried to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power. The students walked out of the gates of the prison in Maltepe on the Asian side of Istanbul to an emotional reunion with crying relatives who had been waiting, private Dogan news agency reported. An Istanbul court ordered the release of the students late on Friday among a total of 758 soldiers, adding to another 3,500 former suspects already set free. However, 231 soldiers were remanded in custody in the same hearings, the agency reported. The case of the students had amplified concerns that many of the thousands of soldiers detained nationwide over complicity in the coup may have only been following orders and had no idea a putsch was in progress. Turkish officials have insisted that each case is being examined and no individual is going to be unfairly punished. Since the coup, nearly half of the military’s generals and admirals have been dismissed. Turkey detained more than 18,000 people over the attempted putsch which has been blamed on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen -- a charge he denies. Nearly 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs within state institutions, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday. Almost 43,000 of those were from the education ministry. (AFP)

Turkey releases 62 military academy students: Local media

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said that the EU&#39;s deal with Turkey on halting the flow of migrants towards the bloc is at risk of breaking down, in comments published on Friday. 
 
&quot;The risk is big. The success so far of the pact is fragile. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already hinted several times that he wants to scrap it,&quot; Juncker told Austrian daily Kurier. 
 
&quot;(If that happens) then we can expect migrants to start coming to Europe again,&quot; he told the paper in an interview to be published today. 
 
The March accord between the European Union and Turkey succeeded in stemming the flow of migrants but there are concerns that it could fall apart after a failed coup against Erdogan on July 15. 
 
A subsequent purge in Turkey has seen thousands of arrests among the army, the police and judiciary, and hundreds have lost their jobs in every major Turkish ministry. 
 
Three days after the attempt on the government, a group of Turkish officials assigned to monitor the migration deal on the Greek side returned home, and have yet to be replaced. 
 
In a wide-ranging interview, Juncker also said he was &quot;very concerned&quot; about developments within the 28-nation EU, particularly with regard to Poland and Hungary. 
 
&quot;In Poland the government&#39;s course of action has damaged the rule of law... I am watching with concern preparations for Hungary&#39;s referendum on migration,&quot; Juncker was quoted as saying. 
 
On Wednesday the European Commission handed Poland&#39;s right-wing government a three-month deadline to reverse changes to its Constitutional Court or face sanctions for breaching EU norms on the rule of law and democracy. 
 
The move by the EU&#39;s executive arm is the second step in an unprecedented procedure which could eventually see Warsaw&#39;s voting rights suspended in the council of ministers, the EU&#39;s highest decision-making body. 
 
Hungary meanwhile has refused to accept a single migrant under a mandatory EU quota plan to share them around the bloc, and will hold a referendum on the scheme on October 2. 
 
Right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban this week called migration &quot;poison&quot; for Europe and said that his country &quot;does not need a single migrant&quot;. 
 
&quot;If referendums are going to be organised on every decision of the council of ministers and the European Parliament, then legal security is in danger,&quot; Juncker said. 
 
&quot;The Commission should really - although we&#39;re not that far yet - launch a breach of treaty procedure against Hungary. Orban though would then claim that the Commission is taking the Hungarian people to court.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

March accord between EU and Turkey succeeded in stemming the flow of migrants but there are concerns that it could fall apart

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said that the EU's deal with Turkey on halting the flow of migrants towards the bloc is at risk of breaking down, in comments published on Friday. "The risk is big. The success so far of the pact is fragile. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already hinted several times that he wants to scrap it," Juncker told Austrian daily Kurier. "(If that happens) then we can expect migrants to start coming to Europe again," he told the paper in an interview to be published today. The March accord between the European Union and Turkey succeeded in stemming the flow of migrants but there are concerns that it could fall apart after a failed coup against Erdogan on July 15. A subsequent purge in Turkey has seen thousands of arrests among the army, the police and judiciary, and hundreds have lost their jobs in every major Turkish ministry. Three days after the attempt on the government, a group of Turkish officials assigned to monitor the migration deal on the Greek side returned home, and have yet to be replaced. In a wide-ranging interview, Juncker also said he was "very concerned" about developments within the 28-nation EU, particularly with regard to Poland and Hungary. "In Poland the government's course of action has damaged the rule of law... I am watching with concern preparations for Hungary's referendum on migration," Juncker was quoted as saying. On Wednesday the European Commission handed Poland's right-wing government a three-month deadline to reverse changes to its Constitutional Court or face sanctions for breaching EU norms on the rule of law and democracy. The move by the EU's executive arm is the second step in an unprecedented procedure which could eventually see Warsaw's voting rights suspended in the council of ministers, the EU's highest decision-making body. Hungary meanwhile has refused to accept a single migrant under a mandatory EU quota plan to share them around the bloc, and will hold a referendum on the scheme on October 2. Right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban this week called migration "poison" for Europe and said that his country "does not need a single migrant". "If referendums are going to be organised on every decision of the council of ministers and the European Parliament, then legal security is in danger," Juncker said. "The Commission should really - although we're not that far yet - launch a breach of treaty procedure against Hungary. Orban though would then claim that the Commission is taking the Hungarian people to court." (AFP)

European Commission head Juncker: EU-Turkey migrant deal at risk of breaking down

Turkey intercepted encrypted messages sent by followers of US-based Fethullah Gulen well before the July 15 coup attempt, giving Ankara names of tens of thousands within the preacher&#39;s network, a senior official said on Saturday. 
 
Turkey says Gulen masterminded the failed coup from his compound in Pennsylvania, using followers in Turkey who for years had built up a top-level presence within state institutions. 
 
The reclusive preacher denies the charges. 
 
The Turkish official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, said Turkey&#39;s national intelligence organisation began decrypting messages sent on the app ByLock in May last year. 
 
Almost 40,000 names of Gulen followers, including 600 ranking military personnel, were identified by Turkish intelligence through the intercepted messages. 
 
The official added that &quot;a large number of people identified via ByLock were directly involved in the coup attempt&quot;. 
 
The official said that since December 2013, Gulen followers used encrypted messaging apps to communicate securely, and had started using ByLock in 2014. A corruption scandal erupted in December 2013 that Erdogan blamed on Gulen and which represented one of the most serious challenges to his rule. 
 
&quot;The ByLock data made it possible for us to map their network, at least a large part of it. They (later) switched to another app when they realised that ByLock was compromised,&quot; said the official. 
 
Turkish officials have said that by the time of the coup the plotters were communicating via the better-known messaging service WhatsApp. 
 
Turkish energy minister Berat Albayrak said this week that Ankara had already prepared lists of suspected Gulenists in major institutions before the coup and had been planning a major purge this summer. 
 
Analysts had said the speed of the crackdown after the coup that has seen some 18,000 detained suggests the authorities were preparing a swoop and knew who to target. 
 
But the government has also admitted there were intelligence weaknesses leading up to the coup. 
 
Reports have suggested that Turkish intelligence got wind of the plot hours before it happened but did not inform politicians. There has been speculation that the powerful head of the intelligence organisation, Hakan Fidan, will have to resign, but so far he has kept his job. 
 
(AFP)

The 40,000 Gulen followers included 600 military personnel who were identified by Turkish intelligence through intercepted messages

Turkey intercepted encrypted messages sent by followers of US-based Fethullah Gulen well before the July 15 coup attempt, giving Ankara names of tens of thousands within the preacher's network, a senior official said on Saturday. Turkey says Gulen masterminded the failed coup from his compound in Pennsylvania, using followers in Turkey who for years had built up a top-level presence within state institutions. The reclusive preacher denies the charges. The Turkish official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, said Turkey's national intelligence organisation began decrypting messages sent on the app ByLock in May last year. Almost 40,000 names of Gulen followers, including 600 ranking military personnel, were identified by Turkish intelligence through the intercepted messages. The official added that "a large number of people identified via ByLock were directly involved in the coup attempt". The official said that since December 2013, Gulen followers used encrypted messaging apps to communicate securely, and had started using ByLock in 2014. A corruption scandal erupted in December 2013 that Erdogan blamed on Gulen and which represented one of the most serious challenges to his rule. "The ByLock data made it possible for us to map their network, at least a large part of it. They (later) switched to another app when they realised that ByLock was compromised," said the official. Turkish officials have said that by the time of the coup the plotters were communicating via the better-known messaging service WhatsApp. Turkish energy minister Berat Albayrak said this week that Ankara had already prepared lists of suspected Gulenists in major institutions before the coup and had been planning a major purge this summer. Analysts had said the speed of the crackdown after the coup that has seen some 18,000 detained suggests the authorities were preparing a swoop and knew who to target. But the government has also admitted there were intelligence weaknesses leading up to the coup. Reports have suggested that Turkish intelligence got wind of the plot hours before it happened but did not inform politicians. There has been speculation that the powerful head of the intelligence organisation, Hakan Fidan, will have to resign, but so far he has kept his job. (AFP)

Turkey intercepted Gulen followers' encrypted messages: Official

Turkey&nbsp;on Saturday released more than 750 soldiers who had been detained after an abortive coup, state media reported, while President Tayyip Erdogan said he would drop lawsuits against those who had insulted him, in a one-time gesture of &quot;unity&quot;.

More than 60,000 people have been detained, removed or suspended over suspected links with the coup attempt, when a faction of the military commandeered tanks, helicopters and fighter jets and attempted to topple the government.

Turkey&#39;s Western allies have condemned the coup, in which Erdogan has said 237 people were killed and more than 2,100 were wounded, but have been rattled by the scale of the crackdown since.

The purges have targeted supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding the July 15-16 failed coup. The cleric denies the charges and Erdogan&#39;s critics say the president is using the purges to clamp down on dissent.

State-run Anadolu Agency reported that 758 soldiers were released on the recommendation of prosecutors after giving testimony. A judge agreed, calling their detention unnecessary, Anadolu said.

Another 231 soldiers remain in custody, it said.

Turkey&#39;s military, the second-largest in NATO, has been hard hit in the wake of the coup. On Thursday, 99 colonels were promoted to the rank of general or admiral, following the dishonourable discharge of nearly 1,700 military personnel over their alleged roles in the coup.

About 40 per cent of all generals and admirals in the military have been dismissed since the coup.

Turkish defence minister Fikri Isik told broadcaster NTV on Friday that the shake-up in the military was not yet over, adding that military academies would now be a target of &quot;cleansing&quot;.

Turkey&#39;s military is already stretched, given the violence in the mainly Kurdish southeast, and threats from Islamic State attacks on its border with Syria.

The army killed 35 Kurdish militants after they attempted to storm a base in the southeastern Hakkari province early on Saturday, military officials said.

The head of the pro-Kurdish opposition said that the government&#39;s chance to revive a wrecked peace process with Kurdish rebels has been missed as Erdogan taps nationalist sentiment to consolidate support.

Erdogan&#39;s lawsuits

In an unexpected move, Erdogan said late on Friday he would drop, as a one-off gesture, all lawsuits filed against people for insulting him. He said the decision was triggered by feelings of &quot;unity&quot; against the coup attempt.

It could also be aimed at silencing his Western critics. Prosecutors have opened more than 1,800 cases against people for insulting Erdogan since he became president in 2014, the justice minister said earlier this year. Those targeted include journalists, cartoonists and even children.

It was not immediately clear whether Erdogan would also drop his legal action against German comedian Jan Boehmermann, who earlier this year recited a poem on television suggesting Erdogan engaged in bestiality and watched child pornography, prompting the president to file a complaint with German prosecutors that he had been insulted.

Erdogan also lashed out at the West on Friday, accusing his allies of failing to show solidarity with&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;over the failed coup, saying those who worried over the fate of coup supporters instead of Turkish democracy could not be friends of Ankara.

&quot;The attitude of many countries and their officials over the coup attempt in&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;is shameful in the name of democracy,&quot; Erdogan told hundreds of supporters at the presidential palace in the Turkish capital.

&quot;Any country and any leader who does not worry about the life of Turkish people and our democracy as much as they worry about the fate of coupists are not our friends,&quot; said Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and perhaps death on the night of the coup.

He also criticised the European Council and the European Union, which&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;aspires to be a part of, for their failure to pay a visit to offer condolences, saying their criticism was &quot;shameful&quot;.

European leaders worry that their differences with Erdogan could prompt him to retaliate and put an end to a historic deal, agreed in March, to stem the wave of migrants to Europe.

&quot;The success of the pact so far is fragile. President Erdogan has several times hinted he wants to terminate the agreement,&quot; European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Austria&#39;s Kurier newspaper in an interview, when asked if the pact could fall apart.&nbsp;

Erdogan has blamed Gulen for masterminding the attempted coup and has called on Washington to extradite him. Turkish officials have suggested the United States could extradite him based on strong suspicion while President Obama last week insisted&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;must first present evidence of Gulen&#39;s alleged complicity in the failed coup.

Court reporters

On Saturday, 56 employees of&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s constitutional court were suspended from their jobs as part of the investigation into the alleged coup, private broadcaster Haberturk TV reported.

Among those, more than 20 court reporters were detained, it reported.

The number of public sector workers removed from their posts since the coup attempt now stands at more than 66,000, including some 43,000 people in education, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday.

Interior minister Efkan Ala said more than 18,000 people had been detained over the failed coup, and that 50,000 passports had been cancelled. The labour ministry said it was investigating 1,300 staff over their possible involvement.

Erdogan has said that Gulen harnessed his extensive network of schools, charities and businesses, built up in&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;and abroad over decades, to create a secretive &quot;parallel state&quot; that aimed to take over the country.

The government is now going after Gulen&#39;s network of schools and other institutions abroad. Since the coup, Somalia has already shut two schools and a hospital believed to have links to Gulen, and other governments have received similar requests from Ankara, although not all have been willing to comply. 
 
(Reuters)

Erdogan said the decision was triggered by feelings of 'unity' against the coup attempt

Turkey on Saturday released more than 750 soldiers who had been detained after an abortive coup, state media reported, while President Tayyip Erdogan said he would drop lawsuits against those who had insulted him, in a one-time gesture of "unity". More than 60,000 people have been detained, removed or suspended over suspected links with the coup attempt, when a faction of the military commandeered tanks, helicopters and fighter jets and attempted to topple the government. Turkey's Western allies have condemned the coup, in which Erdogan has said 237 people were killed and more than 2,100 were wounded, but have been rattled by the scale of the crackdown since. The purges have targeted supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding the July 15-16 failed coup. The cleric denies the charges and Erdogan's critics say the president is using the purges to clamp down on dissent. State-run Anadolu Agency reported that 758 soldiers were released on the recommendation of prosecutors after giving testimony. A judge agreed, calling their detention unnecessary, Anadolu said. Another 231 soldiers remain in custody, it said. Turkey's military, the second-largest in NATO, has been hard hit in the wake of the coup. On Thursday, 99 colonels were promoted to the rank of general or admiral, following the dishonourable discharge of nearly 1,700 military personnel over their alleged roles in the coup. About 40 per cent of all generals and admirals in the military have been dismissed since the coup. Turkish defence minister Fikri Isik told broadcaster NTV on Friday that the shake-up in the military was not yet over, adding that military academies would now be a target of "cleansing". Turkey's military is already stretched, given the violence in the mainly Kurdish southeast, and threats from Islamic State attacks on its border with Syria. The army killed 35 Kurdish militants after they attempted to storm a base in the southeastern Hakkari province early on Saturday, military officials said. The head of the pro-Kurdish opposition said that the government's chance to revive a wrecked peace process with Kurdish rebels has been missed as Erdogan taps nationalist sentiment to consolidate support. Erdogan's lawsuits In an unexpected move, Erdogan said late on Friday he would drop, as a one-off gesture, all lawsuits filed against people for insulting him. He said the decision was triggered by feelings of "unity" against the coup attempt. It could also be aimed at silencing his Western critics. Prosecutors have opened more than 1,800 cases against people for insulting Erdogan since he became president in 2014, the justice minister said earlier this year. Those targeted include journalists, cartoonists and even children. It was not immediately clear whether Erdogan would also drop his legal action against German comedian Jan Boehmermann, who earlier this year recited a poem on television suggesting Erdogan engaged in bestiality and watched child pornography, prompting the president to file a complaint with German prosecutors that he had been insulted. Erdogan also lashed out at the West on Friday, accusing his allies of failing to show solidarity with Turkey over the failed coup, saying those who worried over the fate of coup supporters instead of Turkish democracy could not be friends of Ankara. "The attitude of many countries and their officials over the coup attempt in Turkey is shameful in the name of democracy," Erdogan told hundreds of supporters at the presidential palace in the Turkish capital. "Any country and any leader who does not worry about the life of Turkish people and our democracy as much as they worry about the fate of coupists are not our friends," said Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and perhaps death on the night of the coup. He also criticised the European Council and the European Union, which Turkey aspires to be a part of, for their failure to pay a visit to offer condolences, saying their criticism was "shameful". European leaders worry that their differences with Erdogan could prompt him to retaliate and put an end to a historic deal, agreed in March, to stem the wave of migrants to Europe. "The success of the pact so far is fragile. President Erdogan has several times hinted he wants to terminate the agreement," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Austria's Kurier newspaper in an interview, when asked if the pact could fall apart. Erdogan has blamed Gulen for masterminding the attempted coup and has called on Washington to extradite him. Turkish officials have suggested the United States could extradite him based on strong suspicion while President Obama last week insisted Turkey must first present evidence of Gulen's alleged complicity in the failed coup. Court reporters On Saturday, 56 employees of Turkey's constitutional court were suspended from their jobs as part of the investigation into the alleged coup, private broadcaster Haberturk TV reported. Among those, more than 20 court reporters were detained, it reported. The number of public sector workers removed from their posts since the coup attempt now stands at more than 66,000, including some 43,000 people in education, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday. Interior minister Efkan Ala said more than 18,000 people had been detained over the failed coup, and that 50,000 passports had been cancelled. The labour ministry said it was investigating 1,300 staff over their possible involvement. Erdogan has said that Gulen harnessed his extensive network of schools, charities and businesses, built up in Turkey and abroad over decades, to create a secretive "parallel state" that aimed to take over the country. The government is now going after Gulen's network of schools and other institutions abroad. Since the coup, Somalia has already shut two schools and a hospital believed to have links to Gulen, and other governments have received similar requests from Ankara, although not all have been willing to comply. (Reuters)

Turkey releases 758 detained soldiers as President Erdogan drops lawsuits

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday told the European Union and United States to &quot;mind your own business&quot; after the West expressed alarm over the growing crackdown against suspected accomplices in the failed coup. 
 
Turkey has detained over 18,000 people over the coup which Ankara blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, with the relentless crackdown sparking warnings from Brussels that its EU membership bid may be in danger. 
 
&quot;Some people give us advice. They say they are worried. Mind your own business! Look at your own deeds,&quot; Erdogan said in a speech at his presidential palace. 
 
&quot;Not a single person has come to give condolences either from the European Union or from the West,&quot; said Erdogan. 
 
&quot;And then they say that &#39;Erdogan has got so angry&#39;!&quot; he fumed. 
 
&quot;Those countries or leaders who are not worried about Turkey&#39;s democracy, the lives of our people, its future -- while being so worried about the fate of the putschists - cannot be our friends.&quot; 
 
Erdogan vowed to take all steps &quot;within the limits of the law&quot; as Turkey seeks legal retribution for the perpetrators of the coup. 
 
A Turkish official said 3,500 of those detained have now been released after questioning. 
 
Six journalists arrested 
 
EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said he needed to see &quot;black-and-white facts about how these people are treated&quot;. 
 
&quot;And if there is even the slightest doubt that the (treatment) is improper, then the consequences will be inevitable,&quot; he told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung. 
 
Turkey has also targeted journalists seen as linked to Gulen, causing further international alarm. Twenty detained suspects Friday appeared in front of a judge in Istanbul to decide whether to remand them in custody. 
 
By midnight, six had been placed under arrest including the hugely prominent journalist Nazli Ilicak but the hearings on the other 14 were still in progress, the official Anadolu news agency reported. 
 
Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended the detention of reporters, saying it was necessary to distinguish between coup plotters and those &quot;who are engaged in real journalism&quot;. 
 
The probe into coup plotters widened its scope to the financing of Gulen&#39;s activities in Turkey, with what appeared to be the first major arrests targeting the business world. 
 
Security forces in the central city of Kayseri detained the chairman of the prominent family-owned Boydak Holding company, Mustafa Boydak, and two other top executives, Anadolu said. 
 
&#39;Cleaned out all elements&#39; 
 
The president also announced that as a gesture of goodwill after the coup he was dropping hundreds of lawsuits against individuals accused of insulting him. 
 
&quot;I am going to withdraw all the cases regarding the disrespectful insults made against me,&quot; said Erdogan. 
 
The authorities had said earlier this year that over 2,000 people were being prosecuted on charges of insulting the president. 
 
Speaking at the same event to remember the &quot;martyrs&quot; of July 15, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey has succeeded in eradicating all elements linked to Gulen from the military after sacking nearly half of its generals following the failed coup. 
 
&quot;We have cleaned out from the military the FETO elements who disguised themselves as soldiers,&quot; said Yildirim. Turkey accuses Gulen of running the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denies. 
 
&quot;We are going to make our armed forces stronger and we are going to work towards making this country more secure.&quot; 
 
Turkey implemented a shake-up of the military on Thursday after nearly half of its 358 generals were sacked for complicity in the coup. 
 
Both Yildirim and Erdogan were seen on television during the ceremony weeping as the July 15 victims were remembered. 
 
&#39;Supporting the plotters&#39; 
 
Erdogan had earlier also lashed out at a top US general who had expressed concerns about military relations after the putsch. 
 
Quoted by US media, US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel said Thursday that the coup bid and subsequent round-up of dozens of generals could affect American cooperation with Turkey. 
 
&quot;You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt,&quot; Erdogan said at a military centre in Golbasi outside Ankara, where air strikes left dozens dead during the coup. 
 
Votel swiftly denied any link to the coup however. 
 
(AFP)

He also slammed Western leaders for failure to show solidarity over coup attempt, 'Not a single person has come to give condolences'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday told the European Union and United States to "mind your own business" after the West expressed alarm over the growing crackdown against suspected accomplices in the failed coup. Turkey has detained over 18,000 people over the coup which Ankara blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, with the relentless crackdown sparking warnings from Brussels that its EU membership bid may be in danger. "Some people give us advice. They say they are worried. Mind your own business! Look at your own deeds," Erdogan said in a speech at his presidential palace. "Not a single person has come to give condolences either from the European Union or from the West," said Erdogan. "And then they say that 'Erdogan has got so angry'!" he fumed. "Those countries or leaders who are not worried about Turkey's democracy, the lives of our people, its future -- while being so worried about the fate of the putschists - cannot be our friends." Erdogan vowed to take all steps "within the limits of the law" as Turkey seeks legal retribution for the perpetrators of the coup. A Turkish official said 3,500 of those detained have now been released after questioning. Six journalists arrested EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said he needed to see "black-and-white facts about how these people are treated". "And if there is even the slightest doubt that the (treatment) is improper, then the consequences will be inevitable," he told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Turkey has also targeted journalists seen as linked to Gulen, causing further international alarm. Twenty detained suspects Friday appeared in front of a judge in Istanbul to decide whether to remand them in custody. By midnight, six had been placed under arrest including the hugely prominent journalist Nazli Ilicak but the hearings on the other 14 were still in progress, the official Anadolu news agency reported. Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended the detention of reporters, saying it was necessary to distinguish between coup plotters and those "who are engaged in real journalism". The probe into coup plotters widened its scope to the financing of Gulen's activities in Turkey, with what appeared to be the first major arrests targeting the business world. Security forces in the central city of Kayseri detained the chairman of the prominent family-owned Boydak Holding company, Mustafa Boydak, and two other top executives, Anadolu said. 'Cleaned out all elements' The president also announced that as a gesture of goodwill after the coup he was dropping hundreds of lawsuits against individuals accused of insulting him. "I am going to withdraw all the cases regarding the disrespectful insults made against me," said Erdogan. The authorities had said earlier this year that over 2,000 people were being prosecuted on charges of insulting the president. Speaking at the same event to remember the "martyrs" of July 15, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey has succeeded in eradicating all elements linked to Gulen from the military after sacking nearly half of its generals following the failed coup. "We have cleaned out from the military the FETO elements who disguised themselves as soldiers," said Yildirim. Turkey accuses Gulen of running the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denies. "We are going to make our armed forces stronger and we are going to work towards making this country more secure." Turkey implemented a shake-up of the military on Thursday after nearly half of its 358 generals were sacked for complicity in the coup. Both Yildirim and Erdogan were seen on television during the ceremony weeping as the July 15 victims were remembered. 'Supporting the plotters' Erdogan had earlier also lashed out at a top US general who had expressed concerns about military relations after the putsch. Quoted by US media, US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel said Thursday that the coup bid and subsequent round-up of dozens of generals could affect American cooperation with Turkey. "You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt," Erdogan said at a military centre in Golbasi outside Ankara, where air strikes left dozens dead during the coup. Votel swiftly denied any link to the coup however. (AFP)

'Mind your own business', Erdogan tells West

The commander of US forces in the West Asia denied yesterday that he had any link to the military coup attempt in Turkey following accusations by the country&#39;s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 
 
&quot;Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and completely inaccurate,&quot; general Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Turkey has been an extraordinary and vital partner in the region for many years. We appreciate Turkey&#39;s continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight,&quot; Votel said, referring to the Islamic State group. 
 
Erdogan yesterday accused Votel of being on the side of Turkey&#39;s coup plotters after commenting that the country&#39;s turmoil could downgrade military cooperation with Washington. 
 
&quot;You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt,&quot; Erdogan said in angry remarks at a military centre in Golbasi near Ankara, where air strikes left dozens dead during the failed putsch on July 15. 
 
According to US media reports, Votel had said the coup bid and subsequent round-up of dozens of generals could affect American military cooperation with Turkey. 
 
In particular, Votel reportedly suggested the US had lost key Turkish military interlocutors who are now in jail and accused of being behind the coup. 
 
&quot;Know your place!&quot; Erdogan told Votel, using one of his favorite expressions of anger. 
 
&quot;The coup plotter is already in your country, you are already feeding him,&quot; he said, referring to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who Ankara accuses of being the mastermind of the coup. 
 
Turkey is a key member of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State jihadists in Syria, with its Incirlik air base used as a launch hub for raids on the group. 
 
(AFP)

General Votel had suggested that Turkey's turmoil and its purge of dozens of generals could affect US military cooperation with the country

The commander of US forces in the West Asia denied yesterday that he had any link to the military coup attempt in Turkey following accusations by the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and completely inaccurate," general Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, said in a statement. "Turkey has been an extraordinary and vital partner in the region for many years. We appreciate Turkey's continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight," Votel said, referring to the Islamic State group. Erdogan yesterday accused Votel of being on the side of Turkey's coup plotters after commenting that the country's turmoil could downgrade military cooperation with Washington. "You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt," Erdogan said in angry remarks at a military centre in Golbasi near Ankara, where air strikes left dozens dead during the failed putsch on July 15. According to US media reports, Votel had said the coup bid and subsequent round-up of dozens of generals could affect American military cooperation with Turkey. In particular, Votel reportedly suggested the US had lost key Turkish military interlocutors who are now in jail and accused of being behind the coup. "Know your place!" Erdogan told Votel, using one of his favorite expressions of anger. "The coup plotter is already in your country, you are already feeding him," he said, referring to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who Ankara accuses of being the mastermind of the coup. Turkey is a key member of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State jihadists in Syria, with its Incirlik air base used as a launch hub for raids on the group. (AFP)

US general denies link to Turkey's military coup

Turkey on Wednesday deepened a crackdown on suspected followers of a US-based cleric it blames for a failed coup, dismissing nearly 1,700 military personnel and shutting 131 media outlets, moves that may spark more concern among its Western allies. 
 
So far, tens of thousands of people - including police, judges and teachers - have been suspended or placed under investigation since the July 15-16 coup, which Turkey says was staged by a faction within the military loyal to the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. 
 
Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania but whose movement has a wide following in Turkey where it runs a large network of schools, has denied any involvement in the failed putsch. 
 
Western governments and human rights groups, while condemning the abortive coup in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured, have expressed concern over the extent of the crackdown, suggesting President Tayyip Erdogan may be using it to stifle dissent and tighten his grip on power. 
 
Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possibly death on the night of the coup, denies the crackdown has wider aims and says the Gulen movement threatened democracy by attempting to build a &quot;parallel state&quot; within the military, media and civil service. 
 
On Wednesday, the military dishonourably discharged 1,684 of its personnel, a Turkish government official said, citing their role in the failed coup. Of those, 149 were generals and admirals, said the official, who requested anonymity. Data show that would represent roughly 40 per cent of all generals and admirals in Turkey&#39;s military. 
 
Broadcaster CNN Turk has reported that more than 15,000 people, including around 10,000 soldiers had been detained so far over the coup, citing the interior minister. Of those, more than 8,000 were formally arrested pending trial, it said. 
 
In addition, the government said in its official gazette that three news agencies, 16 television channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers have been ordered shut down. 
 
These moves, which follow the closure of other media outlets with suspected Gulenist ties as well as the detention of journalists will further stoke concerns among rights groups and Western governments about the scale of Erdogan&#39;s post-coup purges. 
 
The United States said on Wednesday it understood Turkey&#39;s need to hold perpetrators of the attempted coup to account, but said the detention of more journalists was part of a &quot;troubling trend&quot;. 
 
Journalists detained 
 
Turkey ordered another 47 journalists detained on Wednesday, singling out columnists and other staff of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, the government official said. Authorities in March shut down Zaman, widely seen as the Gulen movement&#39;s flagship media organisation. 
 
&quot;The prosecutors aren&#39;t interested in what individual columnists wrote or said,&quot; said the official, who requested anonymity. &quot;At this point, the reasoning is that prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation.&quot; 
 
However, the list includes journalists, such as Sahin Alpay, known for their leftist activism who do not share the religious worldview of the Gulenist movement. This has fuelled the concerns that the investigation may be turning into a witch-hunt of the president&#39;s political opponents. 
 
The media reported on Monday that arrest warrants had been issued for 42 other journalists, 16 of whom have so far been taken into custody. 
 
Alpay is a former official of Turkey&#39;s left-leaning, secularist main opposition CHP party. The Dogan news agency said police raided his home in Istanbul early on Wednesday and detained him after a 2-1/2-hour search of the property. 
 
Separately, Turkey&#39;s capital markets board said it had revoked the licence of the head of research at brokerage AK Investment and called for him to face charges over a report he wrote to investors analysing the coup. 
 
Spirit of Unity 
 
Erdogan&#39;s ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party and opposition parties, usually bitterly divided, have demonstrated a rare spirit of unity since the abortive coup and are seeking consensus on constitutional amendments partly aimed at &quot;cleansing&quot; the state apparatus of Gulenist supporters. 
 
A senior AK Party official said on Wednesday the parties were discussing plans to increase parliamentary control of a key state body that appoints judges and prosecutors. 
 
Also on Wednesday a government official said Turkish special forces were still hunting in the hills around the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris for a group of 11 commandos who are believed to have tried to capture or kill Erdogan on the night of the coup, when he was on holiday in the area. 
 
In testimony provided following his detention, Major General Mehmet Disli, the brother of a prominent ruling party lawmaker, strongly denied allegations that he was involved in the coup, saying he had been forced by the plotters to mediate with the chief of the military&#39;s General Staff on July 15. 
 
General Staff head Hulusi Akar was held hostage for hours by the plotters, but refused to join their coup. 
 
Erdogan, a popular but polarising figure who has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade, will chair an annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) on Thursday after vowing to restructure the armed forces following the coup. 
 
The General Staff said 35 planes, including 24 fighter jets, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks and three ships had been used by the coup plotters, NTV reported. It put the number of soldiers from the Gulenist network involved in the attempted putsch at 8,651, or about 1.5 percent of the armed forces. 
 
In Greece, authorities on Wednesday postponed hearings for eight Turkish soldiers who sought asylum there after fleeing Turkey. The men - three majors, three captains and two sergeant majors - deny being involved in the coup, but Ankara has branded them &quot;traitors&quot; and is demanding their extradition. 
 
Erdogan has also signalled the country might restore the death penalty in the wake of the failed coup, citing strong public support for such a move, though the European Union has made clear this would scupper Turkey&#39;s decades-old bid to join the bloc. 
 
Pivot to Moscow 
 
Turkish officials have complained of what they perceive as a lack of support from the EU over the coup, while European leaders have urged Ankara to show restraint and a sense of proportion in bringing those responsible to justice. 
 
The attempted coup has also tested Turkey&#39;s ties with its NATO ally the United States, where Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999. Responding to Turkey&#39;s request for Gulen&#39;s swift extradition, Washington has said Ankara must first provide clear evidence of his involvement in the coup. 
 
Gulen lives in a secluded compound in Pennsylvania&#39;s Pocono Mountains, but Erdogan has reason to worry about the reclusive cleric&#39;s reach inside Turkey. In 2013, his followers in the police and judiciary opened a corruption probe into business associates of Erdogan, then prime minister, who denounced the investigation as a foreign plot. 
 
The strains with the EU and the United States have coincided with Turkey&#39;s renewed push to repair ties with Russia, badly hurt last November by the Turkish downing of a Russian jet involved in military operations in Syria, and Moscow&#39;s subsequent imposition of trade sanctions. 
 
On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said talks with Russian officials this week on improving bilateral relations had taken place &quot;in a very positive atmosphere&quot;. 
 
Simsek, respected by Western investors as a safe pair of hands in guiding the Turkish economy, also said he saw no reason to downgrade Turkey&#39;s credit rating following the coup. 
 
Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s recently revised the country&#39;s sovereign debt outlook to negative from stable and Moody&#39;s has said it will review the rating for a possible downgrade. 
 
(Reuters)

Government's official gazette said 3 news agencies, 16 television channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers to shut service

Turkey on Wednesday deepened a crackdown on suspected followers of a US-based cleric it blames for a failed coup, dismissing nearly 1,700 military personnel and shutting 131 media outlets, moves that may spark more concern among its Western allies. So far, tens of thousands of people - including police, judges and teachers - have been suspended or placed under investigation since the July 15-16 coup, which Turkey says was staged by a faction within the military loyal to the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania but whose movement has a wide following in Turkey where it runs a large network of schools, has denied any involvement in the failed putsch. Western governments and human rights groups, while condemning the abortive coup in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured, have expressed concern over the extent of the crackdown, suggesting President Tayyip Erdogan may be using it to stifle dissent and tighten his grip on power. Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possibly death on the night of the coup, denies the crackdown has wider aims and says the Gulen movement threatened democracy by attempting to build a "parallel state" within the military, media and civil service. On Wednesday, the military dishonourably discharged 1,684 of its personnel, a Turkish government official said, citing their role in the failed coup. Of those, 149 were generals and admirals, said the official, who requested anonymity. Data show that would represent roughly 40 per cent of all generals and admirals in Turkey's military. Broadcaster CNN Turk has reported that more than 15,000 people, including around 10,000 soldiers had been detained so far over the coup, citing the interior minister. Of those, more than 8,000 were formally arrested pending trial, it said. In addition, the government said in its official gazette that three news agencies, 16 television channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers have been ordered shut down. These moves, which follow the closure of other media outlets with suspected Gulenist ties as well as the detention of journalists will further stoke concerns among rights groups and Western governments about the scale of Erdogan's post-coup purges. The United States said on Wednesday it understood Turkey's need to hold perpetrators of the attempted coup to account, but said the detention of more journalists was part of a "troubling trend". Journalists detained Turkey ordered another 47 journalists detained on Wednesday, singling out columnists and other staff of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, the government official said. Authorities in March shut down Zaman, widely seen as the Gulen movement's flagship media organisation. "The prosecutors aren't interested in what individual columnists wrote or said," said the official, who requested anonymity. "At this point, the reasoning is that prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation." However, the list includes journalists, such as Sahin Alpay, known for their leftist activism who do not share the religious worldview of the Gulenist movement. This has fuelled the concerns that the investigation may be turning into a witch-hunt of the president's political opponents. The media reported on Monday that arrest warrants had been issued for 42 other journalists, 16 of whom have so far been taken into custody. Alpay is a former official of Turkey's left-leaning, secularist main opposition CHP party. The Dogan news agency said police raided his home in Istanbul early on Wednesday and detained him after a 2-1/2-hour search of the property. Separately, Turkey's capital markets board said it had revoked the licence of the head of research at brokerage AK Investment and called for him to face charges over a report he wrote to investors analysing the coup. Spirit of Unity Erdogan's ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party and opposition parties, usually bitterly divided, have demonstrated a rare spirit of unity since the abortive coup and are seeking consensus on constitutional amendments partly aimed at "cleansing" the state apparatus of Gulenist supporters. A senior AK Party official said on Wednesday the parties were discussing plans to increase parliamentary control of a key state body that appoints judges and prosecutors. Also on Wednesday a government official said Turkish special forces were still hunting in the hills around the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris for a group of 11 commandos who are believed to have tried to capture or kill Erdogan on the night of the coup, when he was on holiday in the area. In testimony provided following his detention, Major General Mehmet Disli, the brother of a prominent ruling party lawmaker, strongly denied allegations that he was involved in the coup, saying he had been forced by the plotters to mediate with the chief of the military's General Staff on July 15. General Staff head Hulusi Akar was held hostage for hours by the plotters, but refused to join their coup. Erdogan, a popular but polarising figure who has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade, will chair an annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) on Thursday after vowing to restructure the armed forces following the coup. The General Staff said 35 planes, including 24 fighter jets, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks and three ships had been used by the coup plotters, NTV reported. It put the number of soldiers from the Gulenist network involved in the attempted putsch at 8,651, or about 1.5 percent of the armed forces. In Greece, authorities on Wednesday postponed hearings for eight Turkish soldiers who sought asylum there after fleeing Turkey. The men - three majors, three captains and two sergeant majors - deny being involved in the coup, but Ankara has branded them "traitors" and is demanding their extradition. Erdogan has also signalled the country might restore the death penalty in the wake of the failed coup, citing strong public support for such a move, though the European Union has made clear this would scupper Turkey's decades-old bid to join the bloc. Pivot to Moscow Turkish officials have complained of what they perceive as a lack of support from the EU over the coup, while European leaders have urged Ankara to show restraint and a sense of proportion in bringing those responsible to justice. The attempted coup has also tested Turkey's ties with its NATO ally the United States, where Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999. Responding to Turkey's request for Gulen's swift extradition, Washington has said Ankara must first provide clear evidence of his involvement in the coup. Gulen lives in a secluded compound in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, but Erdogan has reason to worry about the reclusive cleric's reach inside Turkey. In 2013, his followers in the police and judiciary opened a corruption probe into business associates of Erdogan, then prime minister, who denounced the investigation as a foreign plot. The strains with the EU and the United States have coincided with Turkey's renewed push to repair ties with Russia, badly hurt last November by the Turkish downing of a Russian jet involved in military operations in Syria, and Moscow's subsequent imposition of trade sanctions. On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said talks with Russian officials this week on improving bilateral relations had taken place "in a very positive atmosphere". Simsek, respected by Western investors as a safe pair of hands in guiding the Turkish economy, also said he saw no reason to downgrade Turkey's credit rating following the coup. Standard & Poor's recently revised the country's sovereign debt outlook to negative from stable and Moody's has said it will review the rating for a possible downgrade. (Reuters)

Turkey shuts down 131 media outlets

Turkey&#39;s prime minister warned yesterday that the crackdown following a failed coup was not over, as authorities issued arrest warrants for dozens of former newspaper staff. 
 
A senior minister also revealed that a major army shake-up had been planned just before the putsch - suggesting elements in the military made the dramatic move because they knew they were about to be purged. 
 
Since the attempted power grab on the night of July 15, more than 15,000 people have been detained and more than 8,000 of them remain in custody, according to the latest interior ministry figures. 
 
&quot;The investigation is continuing, there are people who are being searched for. There could be new apprehensions, arrests and detentions,&quot; Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told Sky News, according to the network&#39;s translation of his remarks. 
 
&quot;The process is not completed yet,&quot; he said. 
 
In the attempted coup, renegade soldiers sought to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but were stopped by crowds of civilians and loyalist security forces. 
 
At least 270 people were killed on both sides. 
 
Turkey blames the botched putsch on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who strongly denies the accusations and demands that the United States resist calls for his extradition. 
 
But Yildirim said Turkey was &quot;determined&quot; to secure his removal. 
 
&quot;We shared all the details with them and, from this point on, the task falls on the shoulders of the US government,&quot; the prime minister said. 
 
&#39;Planned purge&#39; 
 
Energy minister Berat Albayrak, who is Erdogan&#39;s son-in-law, said Turkish authorities had been planning a major purge of the military and other institutions to remove Gulen-linked elements ahead of the coup attempt. 
 
&quot;They were going to take really important steps to remove Gulenist officers and generals from the armed forces. We were already working on this,&quot; said Albayrak, who was with Erdogan on the coup night. 
 
Turkey yesterday issued arrest warrants for 47 former staff of the once pro-Gulen Zaman newspaper suspected of links to the reclusive cleric. 
 
An official who declined to be named said the swoop covered &quot;executives and some staff including columnists&quot;, describing Zaman as the &quot;flagship media organisation&quot; of the Gulen-led movement. 
 
In March, Zaman and its English-language sister newspaper Today&#39;s Zaman were taken over by state-appointed administrators and it has since taken a strongly pro-government line. 
 
Several former staff are believed to have since left Turkey. 
 
The official insisted the warrants were not related to what individual columnists had previously said or written. 
 
But &quot;prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation&quot;, the official explained. 
 
Earlier in the week, Turkey issued another 42 arrest warrants for journalists, 16 of whom have so far been detained according to state-run news agency Anadolu. 
 
Military reshuffle 
 
A large-scale shake-up of the Turkish armed forces is expected to be announced when the country&#39;s Supreme Military Council meets on today. 
 
More than 10,000 soldiers and around half of the 358 generals serving in Turkey have been detained, leaving gaping holes in the command structure to be filled. 
 
Tens of thousands of Turkish civilians have lost their jobs since July 15. 
 
The first worker in the private financial sector to be affected is AK Investment&#39;s research director Mert Ulke, after the financial regulator cancelled his licence following his report on the failed coup. 
 
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday expressed deep concern about the ongoing wave of arrests in Turkey following the putsch. 
 
The EU meanwhile appointed a new ambassador to Turkey and repeated warnings that Ankara must respect democracy and human rights for ties to prosper. 
 
(AFP)

Turkey's energy minister said authorities had been planning a major purge of the military and other institutions ahead of the coup attempt

Turkey's prime minister warned yesterday that the crackdown following a failed coup was not over, as authorities issued arrest warrants for dozens of former newspaper staff. A senior minister also revealed that a major army shake-up had been planned just before the putsch - suggesting elements in the military made the dramatic move because they knew they were about to be purged. Since the attempted power grab on the night of July 15, more than 15,000 people have been detained and more than 8,000 of them remain in custody, according to the latest interior ministry figures. "The investigation is continuing, there are people who are being searched for. There could be new apprehensions, arrests and detentions," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told Sky News, according to the network's translation of his remarks. "The process is not completed yet," he said. In the attempted coup, renegade soldiers sought to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but were stopped by crowds of civilians and loyalist security forces. At least 270 people were killed on both sides. Turkey blames the botched putsch on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who strongly denies the accusations and demands that the United States resist calls for his extradition. But Yildirim said Turkey was "determined" to secure his removal. "We shared all the details with them and, from this point on, the task falls on the shoulders of the US government," the prime minister said. 'Planned purge' Energy minister Berat Albayrak, who is Erdogan's son-in-law, said Turkish authorities had been planning a major purge of the military and other institutions to remove Gulen-linked elements ahead of the coup attempt. "They were going to take really important steps to remove Gulenist officers and generals from the armed forces. We were already working on this," said Albayrak, who was with Erdogan on the coup night. Turkey yesterday issued arrest warrants for 47 former staff of the once pro-Gulen Zaman newspaper suspected of links to the reclusive cleric. An official who declined to be named said the swoop covered "executives and some staff including columnists", describing Zaman as the "flagship media organisation" of the Gulen-led movement. In March, Zaman and its English-language sister newspaper Today's Zaman were taken over by state-appointed administrators and it has since taken a strongly pro-government line. Several former staff are believed to have since left Turkey. The official insisted the warrants were not related to what individual columnists had previously said or written. But "prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation", the official explained. Earlier in the week, Turkey issued another 42 arrest warrants for journalists, 16 of whom have so far been detained according to state-run news agency Anadolu. Military reshuffle A large-scale shake-up of the Turkish armed forces is expected to be announced when the country's Supreme Military Council meets on today. More than 10,000 soldiers and around half of the 358 generals serving in Turkey have been detained, leaving gaping holes in the command structure to be filled. Tens of thousands of Turkish civilians have lost their jobs since July 15. The first worker in the private financial sector to be affected is AK Investment's research director Mert Ulke, after the financial regulator cancelled his licence following his report on the failed coup. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday expressed deep concern about the ongoing wave of arrests in Turkey following the putsch. The EU meanwhile appointed a new ambassador to Turkey and repeated warnings that Ankara must respect democracy and human rights for ties to prosper. (AFP)

Turkey PM warns post-coup crackdown not over

Turkey said yesterday it was discharging 149 generals and ordering the closure of dozens of media outlets in the next phase of its controversial crackdown in the wake of the failed coup. 
 
Eighty-seven land army generals, 30 air force generals, and 32 admirals - a total of 149 - were being dishonourably discharged from the military over their complicity in the coup bid, a Turkish official said, confirming a government decree published in the official gazette. 
 
In addition, 1,099 officers and 436 junior officers have also received a dishonourable discharge, the decree added. 
 
The discharge of the generals - most of whom are currently under arrest - comes a day ahead of a meeting of Turkey&#39;s Supreme Military Council which is expected to agree one of the most radical shake-ups of the armed forces in years. 
 
Meanwhile the closure was ordered of three news agencies, 16 television stations, 23 radio stations, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers, the official gazette added. 
 
It did not give the names of those media outlets to be closed but according to a list obtained by the CNN-Turk channel they include mainly provincial titles but also some well-known national media. 
 
These include the Cihan news agency, the pro-Kurdish IMC TV and the opposition daily newspaper Taraf. 
 
Also to be shut are the Zaman newspaper and its Today&#39;s Zaman English language sister publication which, like Cihan, were part of a holding linked to the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen until being put into state administration earlier this year. 
 
(AFP)

The country will dishonourably discharge 149 generals - most of whom are under arrest - over their complicity in the coup bid

Turkey said yesterday it was discharging 149 generals and ordering the closure of dozens of media outlets in the next phase of its controversial crackdown in the wake of the failed coup. Eighty-seven land army generals, 30 air force generals, and 32 admirals - a total of 149 - were being dishonourably discharged from the military over their complicity in the coup bid, a Turkish official said, confirming a government decree published in the official gazette. In addition, 1,099 officers and 436 junior officers have also received a dishonourable discharge, the decree added. The discharge of the generals - most of whom are currently under arrest - comes a day ahead of a meeting of Turkey's Supreme Military Council which is expected to agree one of the most radical shake-ups of the armed forces in years. Meanwhile the closure was ordered of three news agencies, 16 television stations, 23 radio stations, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers, the official gazette added. It did not give the names of those media outlets to be closed but according to a list obtained by the CNN-Turk channel they include mainly provincial titles but also some well-known national media. These include the Cihan news agency, the pro-Kurdish IMC TV and the opposition daily newspaper Taraf. Also to be shut are the Zaman newspaper and its Today's Zaman English language sister publication which, like Cihan, were part of a holding linked to the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen until being put into state administration earlier this year. (AFP)

Turkey discharges generals, shuts media outlets after coup

Turkish authorities have detained a nephew of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating last weekend&#39;s failed military coup, the state news agency Anadolu reported. 
 
His nephew, Muhammed Sait Gulen, was detained in the northeastern Turkish city of Erzurum and will be brought to the capital Ankara for questioning, Anadolu reported. Among possible charges that could be brought against him is membership of a terrorist organisation, the agency said. 
 
It is the first time a relative of Gulen has been reported detained since the failed coup. Turkey has also detained a senior aide to Gulen. 
Security forces detained Hails Hanci in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, the official said, describing Hanci as a &quot;right-hand man&quot; of Gulen and responsible for transferring funds to him. 
 
The official said Hanci &quot;apparently&quot; entered the country two days before the attempted putsch that erupted late on July 15. 
Separately, the official confirmed a report in the state-run Anadolu news agency that Turkey also detained the son-in-law of Akin Ozturk, a former air force chief already arrested as one of the key suspects. 
 
Lieutenant colonel Hakan Karakus was detained in Ankara, it said. 
 
Meanwhile, police also detained a female Turkish fighter pilot Kerime Kurmas in the region of Yalova south of Istanbul over alleged involvement in the coup, the Dogan news agency reported. 
 
She is accused along with two male pilots who were also detained of flying seized F-16 jets over Istanbul on the night of the coup. Other Turkish media reports said she was the only female fighter pilot in the country.&nbsp; 
 
President Tayyip Erdogan accuses Gulen of building a &quot;state within a state&quot; and of plotting to overthrow Turkey&#39;s government, charges the 75-year-old cleric has denied. 
 
Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999 but has an extensive network of schools, charities and followers in Turkey and elsewhere, denies any involvement in the July 15 coup attempt, in which at least 246 people were killed. 
 
(AFP, Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Turkish authorities to charge US-based Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen's key aide and nephew as members of a terrorist organisation

Turkish authorities have detained a nephew of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating last weekend's failed military coup, the state news agency Anadolu reported. His nephew, Muhammed Sait Gulen, was detained in the northeastern Turkish city of Erzurum and will be brought to the capital Ankara for questioning, Anadolu reported. Among possible charges that could be brought against him is membership of a terrorist organisation, the agency said. It is the first time a relative of Gulen has been reported detained since the failed coup. Turkey has also detained a senior aide to Gulen. Security forces detained Hails Hanci in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, the official said, describing Hanci as a "right-hand man" of Gulen and responsible for transferring funds to him. The official said Hanci "apparently" entered the country two days before the attempted putsch that erupted late on July 15. Separately, the official confirmed a report in the state-run Anadolu news agency that Turkey also detained the son-in-law of Akin Ozturk, a former air force chief already arrested as one of the key suspects. Lieutenant colonel Hakan Karakus was detained in Ankara, it said. Meanwhile, police also detained a female Turkish fighter pilot Kerime Kurmas in the region of Yalova south of Istanbul over alleged involvement in the coup, the Dogan news agency reported. She is accused along with two male pilots who were also detained of flying seized F-16 jets over Istanbul on the night of the coup. Other Turkish media reports said she was the only female fighter pilot in the country. President Tayyip Erdogan accuses Gulen of building a "state within a state" and of plotting to overthrow Turkey's government, charges the 75-year-old cleric has denied. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999 but has an extensive network of schools, charities and followers in Turkey and elsewhere, denies any involvement in the July 15 coup attempt, in which at least 246 people were killed. (AFP, Reuters)

Turkey detains Gulen's nephew, senior aide after coup attempt

President Barack Obama on Friday denied any US role in Turkey&#39;s failed coup and insisted that an extradition request for a US-based Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating the putsch would have to go through normal channels. 
 
Obama, speaking at a news conference, said he told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a call earlier this week that the United States had no prior knowledge of the abortive coup. 
 
&quot;Any reports that we had any previous knowledge of a coup attempt, that there was any US involvement in it, that we were anything other than entirely supportive of Turkish democracy are completely false, unequivocally false,&quot; Obama said. 
 
&quot;He (Erdogan) needs to make sure that, not just he but everybody in his government, understands that those reports are completely false,&quot; Obama added. &quot;Because when rumours like that start swirling around, that puts our people at risk on the ground in Turkey and it threatens what is a critical alliance and partnership between the United States and Turkey.&quot; 
 
Reports of US involvement in the coup attempt, which were also denied earlier this week by the US ambassador to Turkey, appear to be partly fuelled by the fact that cleric Fethullah Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania&#39;s Pocono Mountains. 
 
Erdogan accuses Gulen, a charismatic former ally, of masterminding the plot against him. In a crackdown on Gulen&#39;s suspected followers, more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or placed under investigation. 
 
Gulen has condemned the attempted coup and denied any involvement in it. 
 
Obama, reiterating what US officials had said earlier this week, said he told Erdogan his government must first present evidence of Gulen&#39;s alleged complicity in the failed coup. An extradition request would then receive the review required by the Justice Department and other government agencies just like any other petition. 
 
&quot;America&#39;s governed by rules of law, and those are not ones that the president of the United States or anybody else can just set aside for the sake of expediency,&quot; Obama said. &quot;We&#39;ve got to go through a legal process.&quot; 
 
Serdar Kilic, the Turkish ambassador to the United States, told a news conference on Friday that his country had submitted the &quot;necessary documentation&quot; for Gulen&#39;s extradition. But US Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said he could not yet give a &quot;hard yes or no&quot; on whether the materials submitted by Turkey constituted a formal extradition request. 
 
(Reuters)

Reports of US involvement in the failed coup is fuelled by the fact that cleric Fethullah Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania

President Barack Obama on Friday denied any US role in Turkey's failed coup and insisted that an extradition request for a US-based Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating the putsch would have to go through normal channels. Obama, speaking at a news conference, said he told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a call earlier this week that the United States had no prior knowledge of the abortive coup. "Any reports that we had any previous knowledge of a coup attempt, that there was any US involvement in it, that we were anything other than entirely supportive of Turkish democracy are completely false, unequivocally false," Obama said. "He (Erdogan) needs to make sure that, not just he but everybody in his government, understands that those reports are completely false," Obama added. "Because when rumours like that start swirling around, that puts our people at risk on the ground in Turkey and it threatens what is a critical alliance and partnership between the United States and Turkey." Reports of US involvement in the coup attempt, which were also denied earlier this week by the US ambassador to Turkey, appear to be partly fuelled by the fact that cleric Fethullah Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. Erdogan accuses Gulen, a charismatic former ally, of masterminding the plot against him. In a crackdown on Gulen's suspected followers, more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or placed under investigation. Gulen has condemned the attempted coup and denied any involvement in it. Obama, reiterating what US officials had said earlier this week, said he told Erdogan his government must first present evidence of Gulen's alleged complicity in the failed coup. An extradition request would then receive the review required by the Justice Department and other government agencies just like any other petition. "America's governed by rules of law, and those are not ones that the president of the United States or anybody else can just set aside for the sake of expediency," Obama said. "We've got to go through a legal process." Serdar Kilic, the Turkish ambassador to the United States, told a news conference on Friday that his country had submitted the "necessary documentation" for Gulen's extradition. But US Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said he could not yet give a "hard yes or no" on whether the materials submitted by Turkey constituted a formal extradition request. (Reuters)

US had no hand in Turkey coup: President Obama

President Tayyip Erdogan tightened his grip on Turkey on Saturday, ordering the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and other institutions in his first decree since imposing a state of emergency after the failed military coup.&nbsp;A restructuring of Turkey&#39;s once untouchable military also drew closer, with a planned meeting between Erdogan and the already purged top brass brought forward. 
 
In the decree, published by the Anadolu state news agency, Erdogan extended to a maximum of 30 days from four days the period in which some suspects can be detained. It said this was to facilitate a full investigation into the coup attempt.&nbsp;Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possible death during the July 15 coup attempt, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday he would restructure the armed forces and bring in &quot;fresh blood&quot;. 
 
Turkey&#39;s Supreme Military Council (YAS) will meet under Erdogan&#39;s supervision on July 28, a few days earlier than originally planned, private broadcaster NTV reported, a sign that the president wants to act fast to ensure the armed forces are fully under the government&#39;s control. 
 
Reinforcing that message, the YAS meeting, which usually takes place every August, will be held this time in the presidential palace, not as is customary at the headquarters of the military General Staff. 
 
Erdogan has accused US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who has many followers in Turkey and abroad, of masterminding the failed coup, in which at least 246 people were killed. Gulen denies the charge and has condemned the coup. 
 
PURGES 
 
Erdogan declared the state of emergency late on Wednesday saying it would enable authorities to swiftly and effectively root out supporters of the coup. 
 
The state of emergency allows the president and government to pass laws without first having to win parliamentary support and also allows them to curb or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary. 
 
Turkish authorities have already launched a series of mass purges of the armed forces, police, judiciary and education system, targeting followers of Gulen, who operates an extensive network of schools and charitable foundations. 
 
The first decree signed by Erdogan authorises the closure of 1,043 private schools, 1,229 charities and foundations, 19 trade unions, 15 universities and 35 medical institutions over suspected links to the Gulen movement, the Anadolu agency said. 
 
Parliament must still approve the decree but requires only a simply majority, which the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan and in power in Turkey since 2002 commands. 
 
In an address to lawmakers late on Friday Erdogan vowed to bring to justice supporters of the Gulenist &quot;terrorist&quot; movement and he urged Turks to continue attending rallies in major cities in support of democracy and against the coup plotters. 
 
Turkey expects to complete within a week to 10 days a dossier requesting Gulen&#39;s extradition from the United States, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told private broadcaster NTV in an interview. 
 
Cavusoglu said the link between soldiers involved in the abortive coup and Gulen&#39;s extensive network of followers was &quot;very clear&quot;, adding that Turkey would do all it could &quot;politically and legally&quot; to secure his extradition. 
 
Washington has said Ankara needs to provide clear evidence of Gulen&#39;s involvement before it can agree to extradite him. Lawyers say the process could take many years. 
 
On Friday evening Erdogan held his first meeting since the coup with the head of the national intelligence agency, Hakan Fidan, after complaining of significant intelligence shortcomings ahead of the coup attempt. Despite media speculation, however, he did not sack Fidan. 
 
After the coup Western countries pledged support for democracy in Turkey, a NATO ally and an important partner in the fight against Islamic State, but they have also expressed concern over the scale of the subsequent purges of state institutions. 
 
Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers, civil servants and others in the past week. 
 
Speaking at a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in China on Saturday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said Turkey would strongly adhere to democratic principles and the rule of law. 
 
(Reuters)

The first decree signed by Erdogan authorises the closure of thousands of schools, unions, charities over suspected links to Fethullah Gulen

President Tayyip Erdogan tightened his grip on Turkey on Saturday, ordering the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and other institutions in his first decree since imposing a state of emergency after the failed military coup. A restructuring of Turkey's once untouchable military also drew closer, with a planned meeting between Erdogan and the already purged top brass brought forward. In the decree, published by the Anadolu state news agency, Erdogan extended to a maximum of 30 days from four days the period in which some suspects can be detained. It said this was to facilitate a full investigation into the coup attempt. Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possible death during the July 15 coup attempt, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday he would restructure the armed forces and bring in "fresh blood". Turkey's Supreme Military Council (YAS) will meet under Erdogan's supervision on July 28, a few days earlier than originally planned, private broadcaster NTV reported, a sign that the president wants to act fast to ensure the armed forces are fully under the government's control. Reinforcing that message, the YAS meeting, which usually takes place every August, will be held this time in the presidential palace, not as is customary at the headquarters of the military General Staff. Erdogan has accused US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who has many followers in Turkey and abroad, of masterminding the failed coup, in which at least 246 people were killed. Gulen denies the charge and has condemned the coup. PURGES Erdogan declared the state of emergency late on Wednesday saying it would enable authorities to swiftly and effectively root out supporters of the coup. The state of emergency allows the president and government to pass laws without first having to win parliamentary support and also allows them to curb or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary. Turkish authorities have already launched a series of mass purges of the armed forces, police, judiciary and education system, targeting followers of Gulen, who operates an extensive network of schools and charitable foundations. The first decree signed by Erdogan authorises the closure of 1,043 private schools, 1,229 charities and foundations, 19 trade unions, 15 universities and 35 medical institutions over suspected links to the Gulen movement, the Anadolu agency said. Parliament must still approve the decree but requires only a simply majority, which the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan and in power in Turkey since 2002 commands. In an address to lawmakers late on Friday Erdogan vowed to bring to justice supporters of the Gulenist "terrorist" movement and he urged Turks to continue attending rallies in major cities in support of democracy and against the coup plotters. Turkey expects to complete within a week to 10 days a dossier requesting Gulen's extradition from the United States, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told private broadcaster NTV in an interview. Cavusoglu said the link between soldiers involved in the abortive coup and Gulen's extensive network of followers was "very clear", adding that Turkey would do all it could "politically and legally" to secure his extradition. Washington has said Ankara needs to provide clear evidence of Gulen's involvement before it can agree to extradite him. Lawyers say the process could take many years. On Friday evening Erdogan held his first meeting since the coup with the head of the national intelligence agency, Hakan Fidan, after complaining of significant intelligence shortcomings ahead of the coup attempt. Despite media speculation, however, he did not sack Fidan. After the coup Western countries pledged support for democracy in Turkey, a NATO ally and an important partner in the fight against Islamic State, but they have also expressed concern over the scale of the subsequent purges of state institutions. Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers, civil servants and others in the past week. Speaking at a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in China on Saturday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said Turkey would strongly adhere to democratic principles and the rule of law. (Reuters)

Turkey's Erdogan closes more schools, extends detention without charge period

Eight Turkish military officers who fled last week&#39;s failed coup to Greece were moved to Athens today, a police source said, where authorities will examine their asylum pleas. 
 
&quot;They came to Athens this morning,&quot; the source said, without being able to confirm where the suspects are being held. 
 
&quot;I assume it&#39;s because their asylum cases will be examined here,&quot; the officer added. 
 
The eight men -- two commanders, four captains and two sergeants -- requested asylum in Greece after landing a military helicopter in the northern city of Alexandroupoli on Saturday. 
 
They were allowed to land after sending a distress signal to authorities, and claim they will not receive a fair trial in Turkey. 
 
A first ruling on the asylum applications is expected in early August. 
 
On Thursday, the Alexandroupoli court handed them suspended two-month prison sentences for illegally entering Greece. 
 
The sentences were suspended for a three-year period as the court took into account that the men felt threatened. 
 
In his defence, one of the Turkish officers told the court through a translator that he did not want to return home owing to &quot;indiscriminate&quot; arrests by Ankara authorities. 
 
&quot;We saw indiscriminate arrests of military personnel and we were afraid,&quot; the suspect said. 
 
The eight had been in police custody in the city of Kavala until today. 
 
The case threatens to strain ties between NATO allies Turkey and Greece, with Ankara labelling the eight &quot;terrorists&quot;. 
 
Turkey&#39;s ambassador has warned that failure to return the officers &quot;will not help&quot; ties. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

The case threatens to strain ties between NATO allies Turkey and Greece, with Ankara labeling the suspects 'terrorists'

Eight Turkish military officers who fled last week's failed coup to Greece were moved to Athens today, a police source said, where authorities will examine their asylum pleas. "They came to Athens this morning," the source said, without being able to confirm where the suspects are being held. "I assume it's because their asylum cases will be examined here," the officer added. The eight men -- two commanders, four captains and two sergeants -- requested asylum in Greece after landing a military helicopter in the northern city of Alexandroupoli on Saturday. They were allowed to land after sending a distress signal to authorities, and claim they will not receive a fair trial in Turkey. A first ruling on the asylum applications is expected in early August. On Thursday, the Alexandroupoli court handed them suspended two-month prison sentences for illegally entering Greece. The sentences were suspended for a three-year period as the court took into account that the men felt threatened. In his defence, one of the Turkish officers told the court through a translator that he did not want to return home owing to "indiscriminate" arrests by Ankara authorities. "We saw indiscriminate arrests of military personnel and we were afraid," the suspect said. The eight had been in police custody in the city of Kavala until today. The case threatens to strain ties between NATO allies Turkey and Greece, with Ankara labelling the eight "terrorists". Turkey's ambassador has warned that failure to return the officers "will not help" ties. (AFP)

Turkey failed coup suspects moved to Athens for asylum verdict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as he widened a crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia after a failed military coup. 
 
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. 
 
The state of emergency would go into force after it is published in Turkey&#39;s official gazette and would allow the President and cabinet to bypass Parliament in passing new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary. 
 
Erdogan made the announcement during a live television broadcast in front of government ministers after a nearly five-hour meeting of the National Security Council. 
 
&quot;The aim of the declaration of the state of emergency is to be able to take fast and effective steps against this threat against democracy, the rule of law and rights and freedoms of our citizens,&quot; Erdogan said. 
 
Turkey&#39;s deputy premier said Thursday the state of emergency announced to fight plotters of last weeks failed coup may only last up to 45 days, despite being declared for a three-month span. 
 
&quot;We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible,&quot; Numan Kurtulmus said in quotes carried by private NTV television. 
 
&quot;If conditions return to normal, we think it will take a one or one-and-a-half month period at the maximum. I hope there will be no need for a further extension.&quot; 
 
Turkey imposed a state of emergency as it presses ahead with a crackdown on suspects accused of staging the failed coup, blamed by the government on supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. 
 
Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president since 2003, has vowed to clean the &quot;virus&quot; responsible for the plot from all state institutions. The depth and scale of the purges have raised concern among Western allies that Erdogan is trying to suppress all dissent, and that opponents unconnected with the plot will be caught in the net. 
 
Kurtulmus insisted that no steps would be taken to restrict basic rights and freedoms, telling journalists that &quot;the decision on the state of emergency is aimed at cleansing the state of the gang&quot; of conspirators. 
 
About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation since Friday&#39;s military coup attempt. 
 
Before announcing the state of emergency, Erdogan said the sweep was not yet over and that he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the attempt to overthrow him. 
 
Speaking through an interpreter in an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera, Erdogan dismissed suggestions that he was becoming authoritarian and that Turkish democracy was under threat. 
 
&quot;We will remain within a democratic parliamentary system. We will never step away from it,&quot; he said. 
 
Academics were banned from travelling abroad on Wednesday in what a Turkish official said was a temporary measure to prevent the risk of alleged coup plotters in universities from fleeing. State TRT television said 95 academics had been removed from their posts at Istanbul University alone. 
 
About a third of Turkey&#39;s roughly 360 serving generals have been detained since the coup attempt, a second senior official said, with 99 charged pending trial and 14 more being held. 
 
The defence ministry is investigating all military judges and prosecutors, and has suspended 262 of them, broadcaster NTV reported, while 900 police officers in the capital Ankara were also suspended on Wednesday. The purge also extended to civil servants in the environment and sports ministries. 
 
The threat of prolonged instability in a NATO member country, which had not seen a violent military coup for more than three decades, has shaken investors&#39; confidence. 
 
The lira fell to a record low after ratings agency Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s cut Turkey&#39;s foreign currency credit rating, citing the fragmentation of the political landscape and saying it expected a period of heightened unpredictability. The Istanbul stock index is down 9.5 per cent so far this week, its worst three-day performance since 2013. 
 
Seeking to prevent damage to the economy, Erdogan said in his televised address that his government would not abandon fiscal discipline and that it was not facing liquidity problems. 
 
Military chief refused to back coup bid 
 
About 1,400 were wounded as soldiers commandeered tanks, attack helicopters and warplanes, strafing Parliament and the intelligence headquarters and trying to seize the main airport and bridges in Istanbul on Friday night. 
 
At the height of the abortive coup, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan&#39;s plane in their sights as he returned to Istanbul from a holiday on the coast. Erdogan said he was almost killed or captured by the mutineers. 
 
Turkey&#39;s Western allies have expressed solidarity with the government over the coup attempt but have also voiced increasing alarm at the scale and swiftness of the response, urging it to adhere to democratic values. 
 
On Tuesday, authorities shut media outlets deemed to be supportive of Gulen. More than 20,000 teachers and administrators have been suspended from the education ministry. One hundred intelligence officials, 492 people from the Religious Affairs Directorate, 257 at the prime minister&#39;s office and 300 at the energy ministry have been removed from duty. 
 
Those moves come after the detention of more than 6,000 members of the armed forces, from foot soldiers to commanders, and the suspension of close to 3,000 judges and prosecutors. About 8,000 police officers, including in the capital Ankara and the biggest city Istanbul, have also been removed. 
 
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein voiced &quot;serious alarm&quot; on Tuesday at the mass suspension of judges and prosecutors and urged Turkey to allow independent monitors to visit those who have been detained. 
 
The foreign ministry has said criticism of the government&#39;s response amounts to backing the coup attempt. 
 
Tensions with US 
 
Erdogan&#39;s spokesman said on Tuesday the government was preparing a formal request to the United States for the extradition of Gulen. US President Barack Obama discussed the status of Gulen in a telephone call with Erdogan on Tuesday, the White House said, urging Ankara to show restraint as it pursues those responsible for the failed coup. 
 
Gulen, 75, whose religious movement blends conservative Islamic values with a pro-Western outlook, lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, but has a network of supporters within Turkey. He has condemned the abortive coup and denied any role in it. 
 
A former ally-turned critic of Erdogan, he suggested the President staged it as an excuse for a crackdown after a steady accumulation of control during 14 years in power. 
 
Washington has said it would consider Gulen&#39;s extradition only if clear evidence was provided, prompting Prime Minister Yildirim to accuse the United States of double standards in its fight against terrorism. 
 
Erdogan struck a more conciliatory note in his comments to Al Jazeera, saying he did not want to link the issue of US use of Turkey&#39;s Incirlik airbase with Ankara&#39;s request for Gulen&#39;s extradition. 
 
The airbase is key to the US-led fight against Islamic State. 
 
&quot;We need to be more sensitive. Relations between our countries are based on interests, not feelings. We are strategic partners,&quot; Erdogan said. 
 
Any extradition request would face legal and political hurdles in the United States. Even if approved by a judge, it would still have to go to secretary of state John Kerry, who can consider non-legal factors, such as humanitarian arguments. 
 
(Reuters)

Erdogan, however, dismissed concerns about him turning authoritarian and said Turkey 'will remain within a democratic parliamentary system'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as he widened a crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia after a failed military coup. 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. The state of emergency would go into force after it is published in Turkey's official gazette and would allow the President and cabinet to bypass Parliament in passing new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary. Erdogan made the announcement during a live television broadcast in front of government ministers after a nearly five-hour meeting of the National Security Council. "The aim of the declaration of the state of emergency is to be able to take fast and effective steps against this threat against democracy, the rule of law and rights and freedoms of our citizens," Erdogan said. Turkey's deputy premier said Thursday the state of emergency announced to fight plotters of last weeks failed coup may only last up to 45 days, despite being declared for a three-month span. "We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible," Numan Kurtulmus said in quotes carried by private NTV television. "If conditions return to normal, we think it will take a one or one-and-a-half month period at the maximum. I hope there will be no need for a further extension." Turkey imposed a state of emergency as it presses ahead with a crackdown on suspects accused of staging the failed coup, blamed by the government on supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president since 2003, has vowed to clean the "virus" responsible for the plot from all state institutions. The depth and scale of the purges have raised concern among Western allies that Erdogan is trying to suppress all dissent, and that opponents unconnected with the plot will be caught in the net. Kurtulmus insisted that no steps would be taken to restrict basic rights and freedoms, telling journalists that "the decision on the state of emergency is aimed at cleansing the state of the gang" of conspirators. About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation since Friday's military coup attempt. Before announcing the state of emergency, Erdogan said the sweep was not yet over and that he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the attempt to overthrow him. Speaking through an interpreter in an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera, Erdogan dismissed suggestions that he was becoming authoritarian and that Turkish democracy was under threat. "We will remain within a democratic parliamentary system. We will never step away from it," he said. Academics were banned from travelling abroad on Wednesday in what a Turkish official said was a temporary measure to prevent the risk of alleged coup plotters in universities from fleeing. State TRT television said 95 academics had been removed from their posts at Istanbul University alone. About a third of Turkey's roughly 360 serving generals have been detained since the coup attempt, a second senior official said, with 99 charged pending trial and 14 more being held. The defence ministry is investigating all military judges and prosecutors, and has suspended 262 of them, broadcaster NTV reported, while 900 police officers in the capital Ankara were also suspended on Wednesday. The purge also extended to civil servants in the environment and sports ministries. The threat of prolonged instability in a NATO member country, which had not seen a violent military coup for more than three decades, has shaken investors' confidence. The lira fell to a record low after ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut Turkey's foreign currency credit rating, citing the fragmentation of the political landscape and saying it expected a period of heightened unpredictability. The Istanbul stock index is down 9.5 per cent so far this week, its worst three-day performance since 2013. Seeking to prevent damage to the economy, Erdogan said in his televised address that his government would not abandon fiscal discipline and that it was not facing liquidity problems. Military chief refused to back coup bid About 1,400 were wounded as soldiers commandeered tanks, attack helicopters and warplanes, strafing Parliament and the intelligence headquarters and trying to seize the main airport and bridges in Istanbul on Friday night. 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. Erdogan said he was almost killed or captured by the mutineers. Turkey's Western allies have expressed solidarity with the government over the coup attempt but have also voiced increasing alarm at the scale and swiftness of the response, urging it to adhere to democratic values. On Tuesday, authorities shut media outlets deemed to be supportive of Gulen. More than 20,000 teachers and administrators have been suspended from the education ministry. One hundred intelligence officials, 492 people from the Religious Affairs Directorate, 257 at the prime minister's office and 300 at the energy ministry have been removed from duty. Those moves come after the detention of more than 6,000 members of the armed forces, from foot soldiers to commanders, and the suspension of close to 3,000 judges and prosecutors. About 8,000 police officers, including in the capital Ankara and the biggest city Istanbul, have also been removed. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein voiced "serious alarm" on Tuesday at the mass suspension of judges and prosecutors and urged Turkey to allow independent monitors to visit those who have been detained. The foreign ministry has said criticism of the government's response amounts to backing the coup attempt. Tensions with US Erdogan's spokesman said on Tuesday the government was preparing a formal request to the United States for the extradition of Gulen. US President Barack Obama discussed the status of Gulen in a telephone call with Erdogan on Tuesday, the White House said, urging Ankara to show restraint as it pursues those responsible for the failed coup. Gulen, 75, whose religious movement blends conservative Islamic values with a pro-Western outlook, lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, but has a network of supporters within Turkey. He has condemned the abortive coup and denied any role in it. A former ally-turned critic of Erdogan, he suggested the President staged it as an excuse for a crackdown after a steady accumulation of control during 14 years in power. Washington has said it would consider Gulen's extradition only if clear evidence was provided, prompting Prime Minister Yildirim to accuse the United States of double standards in its fight against terrorism. Erdogan struck a more conciliatory note in his comments to Al Jazeera, saying he did not want to link the issue of US use of Turkey's Incirlik airbase with Ankara's request for Gulen's extradition. The airbase is key to the US-led fight against Islamic State. "We need to be more sensitive. Relations between our countries are based on interests, not feelings. We are strategic partners," Erdogan said. Any extradition request would face legal and political hurdles in the United States. Even if approved by a judge, it would still have to go to secretary of state John Kerry, who can consider non-legal factors, such as humanitarian arguments. (Reuters)

Turkish President Erdogan declares emergency after failed coup attempt

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