Türkiye condemns PACE report negating counter-FETÖ efforts

ANKARA

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz have expressed strong condemnation over the approval of a report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that criticizes Türkiye’s requests for the extradition of FETÖ members from abroad.

Tunç criticized the decision to bring Türkiye’s extradition requests under the “pressure of the Turkish government against journalists and dissidents abroad” and submit them to a vote, lamenting the fact that the investigations and prosecutions carried out by the independent judiciary against FETÖ members involved in the 2016 coup attempt.

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz echoed his sentiments, taking to his social media account to condemn the PACE decision. Yılmaz emphasized that the purpose of PACE “should be to empower democracies, not to legitimize putschist terrorists.”

The condemnation was also joined by ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik, who criticized those who endorsed a report attempting to legitimize terrorist putschists. Çelik argued that it is “disgraceful for individuals responsible for upholding human rights to endorse such a report.”

Çelik went on to reject all accusations against Türkiye in the PACE report, reiterating that the organization referred to as the “Gülen movement” does not exist and that it is, in fact, the “Fetullah Terrorist Organization” (FETÖ).