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Turkey warns Germany not to accept soldiers' asylum claims - POLITICO
Ankara has called on Berlin to deny asylum to members of the Turkish military in the wake of the country’s failed July coup, German media reported Monday. German authorities “are absolutely not allowed to accept these asylum requests,” Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık said in a video published by Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu. The comments came after German media reported over the weekend that at least 40 Turkish NATO soldiers, most high-ranking, had applied for asylum in Germany. The interior and migration ministries said the requests would be treated according to regular processes. “For a country such as Germany, which has strong cultural, social and political ties with Turkey, it would be deeply unacceptable to grant protection,” Işık said, adding that he expected Germany to reject all asylum claims made by Turkish soldiers on the grounds they are suspected of involvement in the attempted coup. Earlier this month, Germany announced it would stop cooperating with Turkish judicial authorities on criminal matters over concerns the country is misusing the process for political means in the wake of the coup. Turkey last week threatened to back out of its migration deal with the European Union after Greece refused to extradite soldiers on Ankara’s request. |
Not much of an asylum system if it requires the permission of the state you are avoiding. If anything this demand from Ankara has provided all the evidence required for a successful asylum application.
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As has happened in Greece, much to Turkey’s ire.
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“For a country such as Germany, which has strong cultural, social and political ties with Turkey, ..." 2. Social ... Germany is already full of Turkish gastarbeitern. 3. Political ... we both have many political parties, some of which are banned? |
Norway grants asylum to Turkish coup officers | World | The Times & The Sunday Times
Five Turkish military officers have been granted asylum in Norway, the first to be given refugee status since the failed military coup last July. Four of the officers had been posted at a Nato educational base in Norway while the fifth was a military attaché. After the attempted coup they were suspended and recalled to Turkey but instead claimed asylum. About 260 Turkish Nato officers have been suspended in President Erdogan’s sweeping purge of the armed forces since the failed revolt. All of those who have returned to Turkey as ordered have been arrested on arrival and are being detained in prison. Others have remained and are applying for asylum. Germany and Belgium have also received asylum applications from sacked Turkish officers. The Norwegian decision has infuriated the Turkish government. Numan Kurtulmus, the Turkish deputy prime minister, said: “It’s not possible to accept this. This is wrong. This means protecting and defending this gang known as Feto [the Gulenist movement, the group accused of organising the coup attempt].” A 2,700-page indictment filed by the Turkish state against the alleged coup plotters claims that 8,651 military personnel, or 1.5 per cent of the armed forces, were involved. Critics say that dismissals and arrests in the post-coup crackdown have gone way beyond those suspected of Gulenist links to ensnare all of Mr Erdogan’s opponents, from secular nationalists to leftwing Kurds. More than half of Turkish generals and admirals have been dismissed, and in many cases arrested, since July. The first trials of troops accused of involvement in the coup began last month. A total of 89 Turkish citizens applied for asylum in Norway last year, all but 13 of them after the coup attempt.......... |
Ahmet Sik attacks Erdogan’s ‘dirty crime dynasty’
An opposition journalist standing trial on terrorism charges in Turkey has delivered a searing attack on President Erdogan and his government. On the third day of the hearing against 12 journalists and five board members at Cumhuriyet, the left-leaning, secularist newspaper, Ahmet Sik said: “Those who think that this dirty system, this crime dynasty, will last for ever are wrong. Like all the dictatorships that darken the pages of history, those who toil to progress with the insatiable hunger of their hates and ambitions, always prepare their own ends. I was a journalist yesterday. I am a journalist today. I will continue practising journalism tomorrow. That means the irreconcilable contradiction between us and those who want to strangle the truth will never end.” The investigative reporter was jailed for a year in 2011 for his exposé of the Gulenists, followers of Fethullah Gulen, a charismatic Islamic cleric who worked their way into influential state positions. At that time Mr Erdogan was prime minister and in a loose alliance with the Gulenists. The relationship crumbled in 2013 and he declared war on his old allies. He blamed the academic for last year’s attempted coup. Since then, the government has closed businesses and schools linked to the Gulenists and purged the police and judiciary. More than 150,000 people have been arrested or fired from the bureaucracy, security services and academia. The media has also been cauterised: 177 journalists are in jail and 149 media outlets have been closed down. Mr Sik and his colleagues are accused of helping the Gulenists and the banned Kurdish PKK militia. The verdict will be decided solely by the judge. The prosecutor who brought the case against the newspaper was himself later charged with aiding the Gulenists. |
Interesting. Real politique and all that, but since when has an appeal court been able to overrule a Supreme Court? The clue being in the name of the court so to speak. And even the “appeal court” seems blatantly to acknowledge it is acting politically and not on a matter of law. One wonders if the ECJ will act - or ignore?
The EU would seem much more interested in acting against Poland and Hungary however.... Greek court suspends asylum for alleged Turkish coup collaborator A Greek court has suspended asylum for a Turkish pilot because the judge said that offering him a haven would endanger relations with Ankara..... Mr Ozkaynakci was detained after the ruling, which the authorities said would protect him from assassination or kidnapping. The eight men, who hijacked a military helicopter after the failed coup against President Erdogan and fled to northern Greece, are at the centre of ill-tempered diplomatic wrangling. The supreme court in Greece blocked their extradition last year and last week they won asylum. However, the Greek government, under threat of dire repercussions from Turkey unless the men are sent back, has begun to change its tune. Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister, ordered the men’s asylum to be rescinded hours after it was granted..... Yesterday an appeals tribunal in Athens froze last week’s supreme court decision, saying that granting asylum “imperils the state’s interests, endangering Greece’s relations with Turkey”..... |
not everyone is blessed with the US Constitution
Different countries, different constitutions hell- we don't even have one - we can (and do) make it up as we go along......... that was one of the big things for BREXITEERS - they hated being "ruled" by judges and a proto-European system of Justice |
Don’t need one - Common Law in that respect is superior to Civil Law.
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I have a number of friends who continue to holiday in Turkey. My suggestion that they stop helping to prop up Erdogan's regime sadly falls on deaf ears.
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https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/r...rces-s0ls2bd9n Recep Tayyip Erdogan seizes control of Turkish special forces Thousands of elite police divisions charged with counterterror operations are to be taken under President Erdogan’s direct command, further eroding the independence of the security forces in Turkey. The special police and gendarmerie units have led operations against Kurdish militants in eastern Turkey and northern Syria since 2015, and are armed with sub-machine guns and sniper rifles. They have been under the control of the interior and defence ministries since they were formed in 1982. The gendarmerie, charged with security operations in rural areas, was taken out of the army command structure and brought under the control of the interior ministry under an emergency decree shortly after the failed coup in 2016. A new order published this morning takes both special forces units under the direct command of the presidency. Police special forces were on the front line of the government’s fightback against the coup-makers in July 2016, and their headquarters in Ankara were bombed by rogue fighter pilots. Since then their numbers have soared as the government has opened up tens of thousands of new positions. The combined number of police and gendarmerie special forces is expected to reach 50,000 this year, up from 20,000 in 2016...... Before that, however, sources close to the military were expressing concern over the rapid expansion of the special forces and their closeness to Mr Erdogan. The police special forces recruits are selected from the ranks of the regular police, and are trained by a private military company called Sadat. It is headed by Adnan Tanriverdi, a former Turkish general who was forced into early retirement in the 1990s due to his suspected Islamist sympathies. Mr Tanriverdi was appointed one of Mr Erdogan’s special advisers two weeks after the coup attempt....... Similar orders have been used to sack 160,000 public sector workers and to round up those suspected of involvement. More than 232,000 people are behind bars in connection with the putsch, most of them in pre-trial detention. Only 50,000 have been formally charged. Turkey’s mounting instability and crumbling rule of law has sent the lira into a tailspin a month before key elections, losing more than a fifth of its value against the pound and the dollar since the start of this year. A fresh slide was prompted last night by a statement from the ratings agency Fitch, who warned of further damage to Turkey’s credit profile due to the “undermining of policy-making credibility”. Mr Erdogan has repeatedly stated that he will take full control of monetary policy, leading foreign investors to pull out of Turkish bonds and stocks. |
http://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/...l-with-turkey/ Why are US drones being based in Greece for the first time? WASHINGTON – .......The U.S. Air Force has begun using MQ-9 Reaper drones out of Larisa Air Force Base, located halfway down Greece’s eastern side, near the Aegean Sea. In response to an inquiry from Defense News, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said the aircraft are being temporarily stationed at Larisa while their usual base in Africa undergoes repairs. The news was first reported locally by the To Vima newspaper in Greece. “These aircraft are unarmed and are only used for reconnaissance. Due to operational security considerations, however, we do not release details on specific missions,” Pahon said. “Its support on this mission and others is critical to achieving our joint foreign policy security objectives in the region, specifically to address threats emanating from the south.” The drones are being stationed at Larisa under the aegis of an existing joint training order between the two nations. Staff handling the take-off and landing of the Reapers will be stationed at Larisa, with operators in the continental U.S. handling normal flight operations via satellite — a common set-up for the MQ-9. The aircraft only fly through Greek airspace ”on routes that have been approved by the Greece government and while operating in Greek airspace are in contact with Greek Air Traffic Control authorities at all times,” said Auburn Davis, chief of media operations for USAF Air Forces Africa....... While the mission of the MQ-9s stationed at Greece will be focused southward, the move has potential to upset America’s NATO ally Turkey. The U.S. has long relied on the Incirlik military base to launch operations in the region, but the relationship between Washington and Ankara has been strained ever since a 2016 coup attempt by members of the Turkish military. Greece would certainly like to capitalize on that tensions. Notably, the initial To Vima report also claims that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wes Mitchell discussed moving a “significant portion” of the military presence from Incirlik to Greece during a recent visit to Athens........ |
Over some years it would seem that Turkey has been a somewhat on-off, and lukewarm ally to both NATO and the US.
It’s human rights record both historically and to the present day are pretty abysmal. The enthusiasm with which a substantial portion of the Turkish population took part in the Armenian genocide was pretty sobering as is the present reluctance of modern Turkey to deal with it’s recent past in this particular regard. It’s rather too warm and cosy relationship with daesh in the early stages of that dystopian organisations rise to power was definitely concerning. It’s slide to more militant Islam is hardly reassuring and it's latest AA missile deal with Moscow positively alarming given it’s standing in the F-35 project. Alarm bell have been ringing over Turkey’s position in the F-35 program, and it is still very much a dilemma that is being scrutinised. The EU negotiated a rather flawed and one sided refugee deal with Turkey, and Turkey has long pressed for the EU membership part, which, given it’s present human rights violations, still remains undecided. Erdogan is a cunning bully and his ongoing consolidation power is in a manner which is all too reminiscent of some of the more unsavoury modern day dictators that have held power in recent times. The US has long been at odds with Turkey/Erdogan’s policies and decisions, and a re-balancing of it’s position with certain NATO ‘allies’ is probably about time. |
Originally Posted by Brat
(Post 10155772)
Over some years it would seem that Turkey has been a somewhat on-off, and lukewarm ally to both NATO and the US.
It’s human rights record both historically and to the present day are pretty abysmal. The enthusiasm with which a substantial portion of the Turkish population took part in the Armenian genocide was pretty sobering as is the present reluctance of modern Turkey to deal with it’s recent past in this particular regard. It’s rather too warm and cosy relationship with daesh in the early stages of that dystopian organisations rise to power was definitely concerning. It’s slide to more militant Islam is hardly reassuring and it's latest AA missile deal with Moscow positively alarming given it’s standing in the F-35 project. Alarm bell have been ringing over Turkey’s position in the F-35 program, and it is still very much a dilemma that is being scrutinised. The EU negotiated a rather flawed and one sided refugee deal with Turkey, and Turkey has long pressed for the EU membership part, which, given it’s present human rights violations, still remains undecided. Erdogan is a cunning bully and his ongoing consolidation power is in a manner which is all too reminiscent of some of the more unsavoury modern day dictators that have held power in recent times. The US has long been at odds with Turkey/Erdogan’s policies and decisions, and a re-balancing of it’s position with certain NATO ‘allies’ is probably about time. |
Apart from the current quarter if a million rounded up and put behind bars - and including anyone who speaks a bit too publically against President for Life (a forecast) Erdogan...... |
just back from IST
had a great weekend - despite the President closing all the roads in the centre and around his Dolmabahce Palace as he was hosting a summit on jerusalem there with much of the arabs hobnobs - almost 3 hours it took in traffic from the airport to my hotel which was near the Palace - 2 big warships were anchored off in the Bosphorus across from the Palace during the summit Fri and Sat my pal is a top wealthy businessman there with a factory employing 300 in superb conditions - they have a pool and a gym for the staff he is very worried by what's going on - very worried indeed, as are all the middle and upper classes who want to live and work in a normal very westernised secuallar civilized existence with a normal society as they have been really since Ataturk go to any cafe in IST or a restaurant and you could be in Barcelona New York or London it seems Erdogan is popular with the ''people'' but is power grabbing in a rather alarming way as noted above My pal is so worried he wants to sell up and get out as do many of his friends |
If people stopped holidaying in Turkey - there are plenty of other places - that would help put Erdogan and his cronies under pressure
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Originally Posted by Wander00
(Post 10156423)
If people stopped holidaying in Turkey - there are plenty of other places - that would help put Erdogan and his cronies under pressure
Cruise liners have stayed away but are just returning in small number this year but none have been into IST for some time now |
If it's all about human rights issue (suppressed by Erdogan, no doubt), then for consistency similar actions should be taken towards other similar regimes. And compared with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even UAE, Erdogan & Co. are ultra-liberals ;) So, what about stop buying in Harrods in London (owned by a Qatari royal family, who, BTW, were planning to remove the Diana's statue out of the building this spring)? What about boycotting football matches of Manchester City (owned by a guy from UAE) or Sheffield United (a Saudi prince) or PSG (a guy from Qatar)?
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Originally Posted by A_Van
(Post 10156536)
If it's all about human rights issue (suppressed by Erdogan, no doubt), then for consistency similar actions should be taken towards other similar regimes. And compared with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even UAE, Erdogan & Co. are ultra-liberals ;) So, what about stop buying in Harrods in London (owned by a Qatari royal family, who, BTW, were planning to remove the Diana's statue out of the building this spring)? What about boycotting football matches of Manchester City (owned by a guy from UAE) or Sheffield United (a Saudi prince) or PSG (a guy from Qatar)?
Have you seen the statue in Harrods? It is dire. |
I think Turkey will end being treated the same. As to the comparison - they can all spend their money in the UK, where they buy assets they can’t take away. Tourism is not a major industry in any of the other nations you cite. As for access to high tech arms, I will watch with interest the progress of the bill presently going through Congress. Already approved by the House and apparently sailing through the Senate.... https://ahvalnews.com/us-turkey/turk...-bar-f-35-sale |
Originally Posted by A_Van
(Post 10156536)
If it's all about human rights issue (suppressed by Erdogan, no doubt), then for consistency similar actions should be taken towards other similar regimes. And compared with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even UAE, Erdogan & Co. are ultra-liberals ;) So, what about stop buying in Harrods in London (owned by a Qatari royal family, who, BTW, were planning to remove the Diana's statue out of the building this spring)? What about boycotting football matches of Manchester City (owned by a guy from UAE) or Sheffield United (a Saudi prince) or PSG (a guy from Qatar)?
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Russia is sniffing in the wings
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Originally Posted by rog747
(Post 10156721)
Russia is sniffing in the wings
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Originally Posted by t43562
(Post 10155978)
Turkey, which is where I am now, and the words "militant Islam" are a ridiculous combination. I wonder if I can be bothered to say any more really. Turks are divided and the split is almost exactly similar in character to the splits you get in countries like the UK right now or in America with the Trump supporters - it's about the fight between classes and the issues are just the weapons being used. Reasons and logic don't work because it's a sort of tribal battle not an issues battle (exactly like in the west). A bunch of conservative ex-country-bumpkins elect people who talk about religion and all the things they like and city snowflake liberals can bugger off kind of thing. Nobody has to behave consistently as long as they shout out "down with Israel" loudly they can get away with doing deals with Israel in private, drinking beer and getting on with their dodgy property deals.
However, in 2001 a party with Islamist roots, the Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AKP) managed to take power, and from then a very discernible political shift has been taking place. Subsequent changes in Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy have led many to feel that Turkey is now moving away from secularism and more to becoming an Islamist state like its former Ottoman roots. Islamic principles, in relation to governance, provide clues as to why they might seek changes to the secular nature of its government and further incorporate Islamic practices. When Turkey’s present domestic and foreign policies are examined there is a similarity to Islamic revolutions in Iran and Afghanistan that can be see as possible examples of the evolution of Islamic movements and possibly the present situation as a retreat from the West and an attempted revival of Turkey's Islamic heritage by ‘possibly' a majority of the population Turkey has become very much more proactive in its region, some of it’s recent behaviour, leanings towards Russia together with the perceived current Islamic revival and degraded democratic, moderate values has concerned both European and the US, hence the present situation and discussion over the F-35. |
It's by no.means certain that Erdoğan will win the next round of elections. Turkey is still a democracy. But it's not helped by silly, unsubstantiated and mendacious articles such as the Times one claiming that the Special Operations Police now work for him, alongside the Jandarma. This story is completely false.
What we should be focussing on is the bills passing through Congress which will deny Turkey military technologies - including the F35 - and Will, as a result, boost Erdoğan's votes and drive a wedges between Turkey and the West. |
In 2013 Jordan’s King Abdullah reported in an interview that, during a conversation, Erogan had said to him that democracy was like a bus; he would ride it to the destination he wanted and,once there, he would get off. It would appear that he’s reached his stop...... Hurriyet: Erdo?an plans a radical restructuring of the Turkish state Erdoğan plans a radical restructuring of the Turkish state President Tayyip Erdoğan’s plans to reduce the number of ministries if elected seems to aim beyond simply cutting the spending of the huge bureaucratic machine of Turkey. The reporting of Hürriyet’s Nuray Babacan about a planned reduction in the number of ministries to 14 (with at most four deputy presidents) if Erdoğan is re-elected in snap elections on June 24 - or on July 8 if a second round is needed – seem to aim for a radical restructuring of the Turkish state apparatus, according to evaluations in Ankara’s political circles. The framework of this restructuring is the April 2017 referendum transferring all executive powers to the president, who will also be given additional influence on the judiciary (such as the appointment of more judges to the Constitutional Court) and the parliament (such as enabling the president to keep the party chairmanship post)......... The biggest difference in the new system will be the lack of a prime minister, whether Erdoğan or some other candidate is elected. The president will form the cabinet and the cabinet will not need a vote of confidence in parliament. Another major change, which has already gone into effect, is that the chief of general staff and the head of the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) will directly report to the president as the commander in chief (they used to report to the prime minister)...... The logic behind this radical restructuring is the centralization of all political decisions in presidential hands. The president will serve as head of the cabinet, which will be made up of ministers who are not members of parliament. If the president wants a certain name to be a member of his (or her) cabinet, then his or her membership of parliament will be lifted. The fundamental message is that there will be only one voice as the political decision-making mechanism: The president......... Erdoğan had actually signaled this kind of restructuring during the referendum campaign. He denied that it would mean “one-man rule,” instead claiming it will simply speed up decision-making mechanisms and increase the efficiency of the bureaucracy and the economy. |
Turkey has threatened to ‘retaliate’ if they do not get the F-35.
https://sputniknews.com/world/201805...buy-russia-us/ Oh dear!!! Now that is very worrying news. (Really??) Perhaps they can take over where India pulled out? |
Originally Posted by Whenurhappy
(Post 10157054)
It's by no.means certain that Erdoğan will win the next round of elections. Turkey is still a democracy. But it's not helped by silly, unsubstantiated and mendacious articles such as the Times one claiming that the Special Operations Police now work for him, alongside the Jandarma. This story is completely false.
What we should be focussing on is the bills passing through Congress which will deny Turkey military technologies - including the F35 - and Will, as a result, boost Erdoğan's votes and drive a wedges between Turkey and the West. As for speeding up the decision making progress he is spot on. It most certainly will and is generally called ‘Dictatorship!!' |
Originally Posted by Brat
(Post 10158405)
Turkey has threatened to ‘retaliate’ if they do not get the F-35.
https://sputniknews.com/world/201805...buy-russia-us/ Oh dear!!! Now that is very worrying news. (Really??) |
The way it has been behaving recently is becoming less like an ally and more like a neutral by the day.
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Originally Posted by Brat
(Post 10158621)
The way it has been behaving recently is becoming less like an ally and more like a neutral by the day.
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A point that seems sadly elusive to Erdogan.
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The Times: We will hunt down ‘coup plotters’ in Greece, warns Ankara Turkey has vowed to find and seize eight soldiers who it says helped to organise a failed military coup to try and overthrow President Erdogan before they fled to Greece. Bekir Bozdag, Turkey’s government spokesman, said it was a “duty to hunt them down and bundle them” back home after Greek courts freed them to stay in the country. The men — two majors, four captains and two sergeants — hijacked a military helicopter to escape from Turkey days after the botched coup in 2016, and Ankara wanted them extradited as fugitives. One has been granted asylum, and the others have applied. Turkey has ruthlessly purged coup plotters and anyone suspected of aiding or abetting them. Its agents snatched six Turkish citizens from Kosovo last month, taking them back to Ankara where they now face trials on charges of conspiring against the government of President Erdogan. The threat to find and seize the Turkish fugitives in Greece follows the freeing of the last of the men after an 18-month holding order expired late on Monday. Four others were released following court orders last month. Details of the men’s whereabouts remain secret but their lawyers told The Times they were under heavy police protection. The case has led to a sharp deterioration in relations between the two neighbouring states. “We’re not afraid of Turkey,” said Nikos Kotzias, the foreign minister. “We remain vigilant of its every move and intention, reviewing and evaluating constantly. We will continue to respond in line with what best serves Greece’s interests.” Other Greek politicians were less diplomatic. Christos Simorelis, of the ruling Syriza party, said: “Rest assured that if they dare take to such a stunt we will break their hands.” |
Turkey escalates row with Greece over 'putschist' soldiers https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...chist-soldiers Turkey has sent fighter jets roaring into Greek airspace as tensions mount between the two neighbours following the release from pre-trial detention of eight Turkish army officers described as traitors by Ankara |
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/u...nson-qndll6hpk US issues sanctions over jailed pastor Andrew Brunson The US imposed financial sanctions on Turkey’s justice and interior ministers yesterday for detaining an American pastor accused of backing a coup attempt against President Erdogan. In an extraordinary move directed at government officials of a fellow Nato country, the Treasury is freezing US assets belonging to Abdulhamit Gul, the justice minister, and Suleyman Soylu, the interior minister. The US blames them for the arrest and imprisonment of Andrew Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the city of Izmir. Mr Brunson is accused of aiding plotters of an attempted coup in 2016. If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in jail. He was put under house arrest last month after two years in prison in Turkey. “Pastor Brunson’s unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable,” Steve Mnuchin, the US Treasury secretary, said. The Treasury notice states that Mr Gul and Mr Soylu are being sanctioned “as leaders of Turkish government organisations responsible for implementing Turkey’s serious human rights abuses”. The White House disclosed that Mr Trump had spoken directly to President Erdogan about the detention and has previously threatened sanctions if Mr Brunson is not released. However, Mr Erdogan accused Washington yesterday of showing an “evangelist, Zionist mentality” and vowed not to give in to ultimatums from the US. “We will not give any credit to this type of threatening language,” Mr Erdogan told reporters in Ankara. Last night Turkey’s foreign ministry called Washington’s action a “hostile stance” and said that it would retaliate. Mr Brunson has denied the accusations. His next hearing is on October 12. |
https://www.newsweek.com/turkey-want...-group-1065017
TURKEY WANTS TO ARREST AMERICAN TROOPS FOR TIES TO 'TERRORIST GROUPTurkish lawyers are trying to arrest a group of American soldiers based in Turkey for alleged links to a terrorist group, amid an ongoing souring of relationships between Washington and Ankara. The pro-government lawyers have filed complaints against almost a dozen personnel at the Incirlik Air Base on the country’s southern coast, Stars and Stripes reported. The 60-page complaint was issued by the Association for Social Justice and Aid, known to be supportive of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The document requested a temporary freeze on flights leaving the base—which is home to thousands of Americans—and a search warrant to allow investigators access. The group alleges the 11 soldiers are linked to Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish religious leader and political figure Erdogan claims was behind a failed military coup in 2016. The lawyers argue that through their supposed ties to Gulen, the Americans have attempted to “destroy the constitutional order” of Turkey. Gulen's followers have been branded terrorists by the Turkish government. Those named include General Joseph Votel, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, retired U.S. Army General John F. Campbell and Air Force Brigadier General Rick Boutwell, director of regional affairs for the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force. The Air Force told Stripes that all questions over the case should be referred to the Turkish government. “We continue to carry out our mission here at Incirlik Air Base, and we are proud of the relationship we have with our Turkish military partners,” said Air Force Captain Amanda Herman, spokeswoman for the base........ |
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/w...sing-g62v5d2kg Commandos accused of taking part in failed Turkish coup go missing Two Turkish commandos who sought asylum in Greece over their alleged involvement in the botched coup against President Erdogan have gone missing from police custody and may already be in the hands of Turkey, their lawyer said yesterday. Halit Cetin and Fatih Arik fled to Greece months after their unit, the SAT special operations force, led the failed Turkish coup in July 2016. The men, dubbed “public enemy No 1” by the Turkish government, claimed political asylum and were placed in detention for 18 months for illegal entry. However, according to Stavroula Tomara, their lawyer, the men went missing on August 20, the day the detention order ran out, and may have been spirited back to Turkey in a prisoner exchange. “I went to collect them and they were gone,” she told a Greek television channel. “I seriously doubt the two commandos are in Greece any more. They have either been bundled up and taken to a third country or deported back to Turkey. No one has the authority to transfer my clients to any secret location. They should have walked free.” Ms Tomara alleged that her clients may have been exchanged for two Greek soldiers who were returned to Greece on August 15 after being held for five months by Turkey on suspicion of espionage. She claimed that her clients may have been taken away under duress in similar circumstances to three of their comrades, who arrived in Greece with Mr Cetin and Mr Arik but quickly disappeared. “The day [the three comrades] were arrested and requested political asylum they were taken to a local hotel,” she said. “They were served dinner and as they were eating, a team of hooded Greek commandos burst into their room, strapped them and returned them back to Turkey.” Ms Tomara also said that the whereabouts of eight Turkish officers who arrived by helicopter after the 2016 coup attempt was unknown since they were moved from a military camp in Agios Andreas on the outskirts of Athens when wildfires razed the region last month, killing 96 people. Theodore Chronopoulos, a senior Greek police spokesman, said that Mr Cetin and Mr Arik’s release order came through last week but the two men “were immediately taken to a secret location following a separate request they had made to the authorities for their protection”. He declined to comment on Ms Tomara’s allegations. Thousands of Turkish citizens have fled to Greece to escape the post-coup purges of state apparatus by Mr Erdogan’s government. The asylum claims of elite Turkish commandos have strained relations between Greece and Turkey, bringing them to their lowest point since the neighbouring states came to the brink of war in 1996. Although Athens has rejected a string of extradition requests by Turkey, the government of Alexis Tsipras has billed the military defectors as “putchists”, tacitly agreeing with Turkey’s claims that they played an instrumental role in the ill-fated coup attempt. Last week Dimitris Kammenos, an independent Greek MP, submitted a letter of inquiry to parliament demanding explanations about the fate of the Turkish commandos. European Union and Greek law forbids extradition to a country where an alleged offender could be at the risk of torture — a claim that the two Turkish commandos and eight officers have repeatedly made. |
Erdogan assumes control of Turkey’s $200bn wealth fund President Erdogan has appointed himself head of Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, a pot of $200 billion collected from the sale of public assets......... Berat Albayrak, his son-in-law and treasury minister, will be his deputy and the fund’s management staff have all been replaced. The fund was set up a month after the failed coup in July 2016, to provide financing for large state development projects. It has been staffed by technocrats close to Mr Erdogan but there have been internal rifts, with some arguing that its wealth should be used to try to steady the lira, which has tumbled against major currencies this year. Traditional wealth funds derive their income from state budget surpluses, usually in resource-rich countries or those with high-export economies. Turkey has high government debt and a large trade deficit, however, so has filled the fund’s coffers through public stakes in companies such as Turkish Airlines and using profits from the privatisation of state assets. Mr Erdogan has ignored advice to rein in spending on huge infrastructure projects and his new role indicates that he is unlikely to change tack. |
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