Gulen Denies Masterminding Coup Attempt, Says Judicial System not Independent

Local Editor

US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen on Thursday denounced a Turkish warrant for his arrest over his alleged instigation of a military failed coup in Turkey last month that left more than 270 people dead.

"It is well-documented that the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan's drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy," Reuters quoted Gulen as saying in a statement.

Relatively, the state-run Anadolu news agency said Thursday that an Istanbul-based court issued the warrant for "ordering the July 15 coup attempt."

The government said Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, masterminded the failed coup attempt by renegade officers in Turkey's military and wants him extradited to Turkey.

For his part, Gulen denied involvement or prior knowledge of the coup attempt.

Ankara has not yet made a formal extradition request, but the arrest warrant could be the prelude.

Anadolu said the court issued the warrant over a number of accusations, including an "attempt to eliminate the government of the Turkish Republic or to prevent it from carrying out its duties."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team