Gülenist suspects to wear brown jumpsuits in court: President Erdoğan

MALATYA

All suspected members of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) under arrest will have to wear “single-type” brown jumpsuits during court appearances, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 5.

“There will be no more coming to courts wearing whatever they want,” Erdoğan said in a speech in the eastern province of Malatya, adding that “they will be introduced to the world like that.”

The move to make all FETÖ suspects wear the same clothes in court came after a suspect stirred debate by appearing before a judge last month wearing a t-shirt bearing the logo “hero.” A number of other people were then detained by police across Turkey for wearing t-shirts with the “hero” design.

Erdoğan first demanded court attire “like in Guantanamo” on the anniversary of the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt, widely believed in Turkey to have been masterminded by FETÖ.

During his speech on Aug. 5, Erdoğan said the color of the jumpsuits would be “dark almond.”

“Now we are introducing the single-type attire. It will be dark almond-colored. There will be jumpsuits and there will be jackets and trousers,” the president said, adding that jumpsuits will be worn by “coup plotters” and jackets and trousers will be worn by “terrorists.”

Erdoğan also claimed that Turkey has been “under an intense attack from all sides,” saying this stems from the fact that “powers see that they cannot put Turkey out of action.”

“That is why they are trying to create new problems for us. We shouldn’t see the July 15 coup attempt of the treacherous FETÖ gang as independent from these developments. They thought they could make our country kneel down via these vile people. But we defeated them with our people,” he added.

Commenting on the ongoing trials into the coup attempt, Erdoğan said the suspects were “lying consistently.”

“Those who became partners in the July 15 betrayal are now being brought to account in courts. But they have been lying all the time,” he said, claiming that the suspects are “tactically using lying, denial and deception.”

“Their betrayal, the blood and the dark stains on their hands and faces are out on the open. Courts will issue their rulings based on these facts,” he said. 

Describing the suspects’ attitudes in the hearings as “clownishness,” Erdoğan said “their regrets won’t be of any use to them in jails.”

“When they receive the punishments they deserve for the murders they committed and their betrayal, when they go to jail as convicts rather than as arrested suspects, they will meet the cold face of truth.

Their regrets won’t be of any use. Those giving them moral support covertly will disappear one by one.

Then you’ll see that these traitors showing off in court will be left alone with their painful fate,” he added. 

At the same time, however, President Erdoğan also claimed that the punishments for the coup plotters would be “within the boundaries of the law.” 

“We need to complete this process without making any mistake. We know there are traitors making all of their preparations in accordance with those holding their ropes [as puppets]. We won’t give them this opportunity,” he said. 

“We won’t show mercy for these bandits and we won’t give permission to those who do. We must be patient,” Erdoğan said.