EU strongly condemns coup attempt in Turkey

BRUSSELS

The European Union has strongly condemned Friday’s coup attempt in Turkey which claimed 208 lives and injured 1,491 others.

In a statement released on Monday after a Foreign Affairs Council meeting which gathered EU exterior ministers, the bloc said that its support for the legitimate institutions of the Turkey continues.

Noting that the EU stands in solidarity with Turkish people, the bloc praised the “common position of the political parties in support of Turkey’s democracy”.

Following the coup attempt, all four political parties in the Turkish Grand National Assembly signed a joint declaration on Saturday saying: “Our parliament has responded to the coup attempt as one”.

“Its determination against this attempt is invaluable in terms of further establishing democracy in Turkey,” the parliament statement read.

The EU stressed the importance of constitutional order and the rule of law in Turkey but recalled its “unequivocal rejection of the death penalty”.

During pro-government rallies in Turkey over the weekend following the failed coup, calls for the restoration of capital punishment for coup plotters could be heard from the crowd.

“The demands of the people cannot be overlooked in democracies. It is your right. This right shall be examined within the constitutional framework by the concerned authorities,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

The EU said it “underlines the need to respect democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms and the right of everyone to a fair trial in full compliance with the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, including Protocol 13 on the abolition of the death penalty”.

The failed coup was organized by followers of U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of pursuing a long-running campaign to overthrow the government through supporters within the Turkish state, particularly the military, police and judiciary.