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Erdogan Reiterates Firm Stance Against Coup Plotters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday reiterated his firm stance against those who plotted the July 15 coup attempt last year.

In an interview with BBC World on Friday, Erdogan said: “Why should the state feed those who are the members of a terrorist organization?”

Turkey is celebrating the first anniversary of last year's defeated coup, which resulted in the death of 250 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.  

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, the Gulen movement is accused of orchestrating the defeated coup attempt and of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and the judiciary.

“They have infiltrated the judiciary, the military the police and the media. This is how they have organized and attempted the coup as a mob,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan said the Turkish judiciary was working its way to punish the culprits and urged that the Turkish judicial process should be respected. 
 
“The judiciary is seen as the judiciary in the west. Why not the same stands for the judiciary in Turkey?” Erdogan said.

Erdogan rejected claims that over a hundred journalists were jailed in Turkey saying: “one is jailed because of journalism”.

“Those who are in jail, they are not [journalists]. Some of them collaborated with terror organizations. Some of them were jailed for possession of a firearm. Some of them were jailed for vandalizing ATM machines or robbing them.”

Erdogan underlined that “only two real journalists are in jail right now”.

“Right now, in Turkey, so many opposition journalists write lots of things. Even recently, during the march [a protest march organized by a main opposition leader] there were all kinds of articles, all kind of insults. They are all still out there.

Erdogan Reiterates Firm Stance Against Coup Plotters

Why should the state feed those who are members of a terrorist organization? asked Erdogan in television interview on Friday.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday reiterated his firm stance against those who plotted the July 15 coup attempt last year.

In an interview with BBC World on Friday, Erdogan said: “Why should the state feed those who are the members of a terrorist organization?”

Turkey is celebrating the first anniversary of last year's defeated coup, which resulted in the death of 250 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.  

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, the Gulen movement is accused of orchestrating the defeated coup attempt and of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and the judiciary.

“They have infiltrated the judiciary, the military the police and the media. This is how they have organized and attempted the coup as a mob,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan said the Turkish judiciary was working its way to punish the culprits and urged that the Turkish judicial process should be respected. 
 
“The judiciary is seen as the judiciary in the west. Why not the same stands for the judiciary in Turkey?” Erdogan said.

Erdogan rejected claims that over a hundred journalists were jailed in Turkey saying: “one is jailed because of journalism”.

“Those who are in jail, they are not [journalists]. Some of them collaborated with terror organizations. Some of them were jailed for possession of a firearm. Some of them were jailed for vandalizing ATM machines or robbing them.”

Erdogan underlined that “only two real journalists are in jail right now”.

“Right now, in Turkey, so many opposition journalists write lots of things. Even recently, during the march [a protest march organized by a main opposition leader] there were all kinds of articles, all kind of insults. They are all still out there.

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