It has been seven years since the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) sought to topple the government through its military infiltrators. As Türkiye prepares to commemorate 251 victims of putschists, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç spoke about the legal battle against the group.

Tunç told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday that Türkiye asked 112 countries to extradite 1,271 FETÖ members, and 126 suspects were handed over to Turkish authorities as of July 13. He said Türkiye was still awaiting a reply to its extradition request from the United States for Fetullah Gülen, the group’s leader who resides in Pennsylvania, after sending all necessary evidence implicating him for the group’s crimes.

The coup attempt was quelled thanks to a strong, unprecedented and unarmed public resistance against the putschists who had to surrender by the early hours of July 16, 2016. A massive crackdown against putschists followed. FETÖ, which was already scrutinized for its involvement in a string of crimes, faced more investigations. Tunç says the Turkish judiciary "passed the test" in the fight against FETÖ.

"Members of the judiciary are among the heroes of that night. Prosecutors immediately launched investigations and ordered detentions. It was different from the situation in previous coups, where the judiciary served the interests of the putschists. July 15 showed the world that our judiciary defended laws, human rights and democracy," he said.

Türkiye declared a state of emergency after the coup attempt, speeding up the legal process against FETÖ, which, thanks to its infiltrators in the judiciary, slowed down probes against it in the past. Tunç says legal proceedings were launched in relation to 693,162 people associated with FETÖ since July 15, 2016, and investigations were still underway for 67,893 people.

"Courts sentenced 122,632 people and another 97,139 people were acquitted. We have 12,108 convicts in prisons," he said. Tunç cited that 1,634 FETÖ members were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment in 289 trials related to the coup attempt.

The minister dismissed allegations that the judiciary rushed to the verdicts, pointing out the considerable number of acquittals in the trials. "The judiciary works meticulously (to ensure fairness)," he said. He underlined that all the proceedings were conducted in the legal framework and were subject to appeals in higher courts. "It is inaccurate to say that Türkiye acted out of the legal framework," he said.

Though most putschists were caught red-handed, "civilian" members of FETÖ, at least some of them, managed to flee abroad, mostly immediately before the coup attempt. Tunç said they still had pending extradition requests. Most FETÖ members fled to Europe or the United States. Türkiye requested the extradition of 256 people from the United States, and 483 others from European Union member states.

On a question as to why the United States, a NATO ally of Türkiye, stalls extradition requests of Türkiye, including one filed four days after the coup attempt for Fetullah Gülen, Tunç said their requests were fully within laws and evidence files sent to justify the extradition had "nothing missing." He said it was "a political decision" and "against the laws."

"We expect the United States to extradite FETÖ's leader and other members of the terrorist group as soon as possible. If they have faith in human rights, democracy and respect laws, we expect our ally United States to extradite them. Otherwise, we will view it as a faulty attitude toward Türkiye’s righteous struggle (against terrorism)," he said.

"Not only the United States, but any country calling itself a state of law should show solidarity with Türkiye on this matter. If they value human rights, they should see that (FETÖ) terrorism violates human rights, the right of life," he added.