European Parliament calls for fair trial of suspects arrested in anti-coup operations in Turkey


Date posted: September 21, 2016

Members of the European Parliament (EP) discussed developments following the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey at a session on Tuesday and stressed the need for the fair trial of suspects who have been arrested on coup charges.

The EU foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who paid a visit to Ankara last week, made speeches about the developments in Turkey during Tuesday’s session.

In her address Mogherini emphasized the right to a fair trial of the suspects who have been arrested on coup charges in the aftermath of July 15 coup attempt. She said it is of utmost importance for the coup plotters to give an accounting of their actions but that this should take place in compliance with the principle of the right to a fair trial.

Mogherini also noted that the trial of suspects who were arrested on charges of coup plotting should be made under independent supervision.

Turkey survived a coup attempt on July 15 that left more than 240 people dead and a thousand others injured. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused the faith-based Gülen movement of being behind the coup attempt while the movement strongly denies any involvement. Thousands of public servants, judges, prosecutors and journalists have been detained by the Turkish police for having alleged links to the Gülen movement.

Mogherini also called for the launch of a political process aimed at resolving Turkey’s long-standing Kurdish problem while reiterating that the EU sees the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization.

The Turkish authorities had conducted direct talks with the jailed PKK chief for several years until the truce collapsed in the summer of 2015. More than 40,000 people, including 5,500 security force members, have been killed in four decades of fighting between the Turkish state and the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and EU.

For his part, Hahn said stability in Turkey is important for the EU as he called on the EP members to pay attention to the language they use for Turkey.

Kati Piri, Turkey rapporteur for the EP, also delivered a speech during Tuesday’s session in which she said some of the measures taken in the aftermath if the coup attempt in Turkey are understandable but added that some measures are very worrying.

Piri said it is hard to understand the arrest of journalists like Aslı Erdoğan and the links of some municipalities that have been taken over by the government with the coup attempt.

Turkey has arrested dozens of journalists and appointed trustees to 28 municipalities as part of anti-coup investigations.

Source: Turkey Purge , September 14, 2016

Tags: | | |


Related News

Flynn’s Turkish [and Erdogan] Connection

The curious thing about the Flynn-Turkey connection is that it was a very badly-kept secret. Details of Flynn’s connection to a firm that worked on behalf of the Turkish government were known at least by mid-November, and there were hints that something fishy was going before that when he began singing Erdogan’s praises and demanding Gulen’s extradition.

Is Hizmet being subjected to genocide?

Indeed, the word genocide brings to our minds mass killings and relocations of members of a race, usually under war-like conditions. Yet, genocide is not a war crime. It is not a type of crime committed against a specific race. Rather, it has wider connotations. This crime may be committed against a specific group, without massacring them and in a peaceful setting.

Turkish authorities use charges of terrorism to silence free speech

Journalists in Turkey are being charged with “being involved in terrorist activities” and “endangering state security” to justify the current crackdown on the media, as this is the only legitimate way for Turkish leadership to silence and censor dissident voices while shielding themselves from being seen as infringers on the freedom of speech and expression, unambiguously protected under international law.

Fethullah Gulen’s stance on democracy 1994-2016

Mr. Gulen has reiterated his clear stance on democracy, in the wake of the coup attempt in Turkey. Here is what he had said back in June 1994: “I believe, from now on, both in Turkey and in the rest of the world, there will we no going back from democracy.”

Turkish Islamic scholar Gülen rejects any link to graft probe

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has rejected any link to an ongoing corruption probe in which 52 people, including well-known businessmen, the sons of three ministers, and a number of advisors, have been detained as part of a major investigation into alleged bribery linked to public tenders. Gülen strongly denied allegations that the probe was launched as part of a row between the government and the Hizmet movement.

The Encyclopedia of Islam and hate speech

Erdoğan’s obvious target was Fethullah Gülen, but it is clear that he also attacked anyone who doesn’t think like him with phrases such as “false prophets,” “fake mystics” and “so-called scholars.” This denigration is problematic especially in terms of secularism. Indeed, the prime minister hurls gross insults at religious interpretations that diverge from his own. In his capacity as a prime minister, he imposes his beliefs and acts onto those who do not think like him. One step beyond these remarks would be the prime minister’s supporters’ resorting to violence against those he places on the bull’s eye.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Filipino student wins Turkish international schools contest

Islamic scholar gave Buddhist point to ponder

Policeman who fought against putchists arrested while getting treatment at hospital

Twitter users protest plan to close prep schools in Turkey

President Obama sends message to Gulen-inspired International Cultural Festival

55 students from 30 countries captivate İzmir residents with poems of praise

Questions over corruption and paralysis of politics [in Turkey]

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News