Esra Kaymak
27 October 2016•Update: 31 October 2016
By Esra Kaymak Avci
WASHINGTON
Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Thursday that Turkey submitted additional files for the extradition and provisional arrest of Fetullah Terrorist Organization's (FETO) leader Fetullah Gulen. He said it was the U.S.'s turn to process the files.
“During yesterday’s visit [with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch], we submitted the attorney general three folders containing the additional information and documents requested by the U.S.,” Bozdag said during a news conference at the Turkish embassy in Washington DC.
He added that Turkey made the extradition request within the framework and standards of the law and expected the legal process to take place since Ankara made the first request last July.
"But we don't want the U.S. authorities to ignore the legal procedure or the law," Bozdag said, referring to a request for Gulen's provisional arrest until the extradition process starts.
Gulen, who has resided in Pennsylvania since 1999, is the alleged mastermind behind the failed bloody July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.
Since then, Turkey has officially requested his extradition from the U.S., based on a 1979 treaty between two countries.
Upon Washington’s request, Turkey sent another file last August along with evidence to the U.S. that summarized four previously sent files. Afterwards, a U.S. delegation visited Turkey at the end of August and monitored those documents.
The U.S. then wanted an additional batch of files and evidence from Turkey, which Bozdag presented to Lynch during their meeting Wednesday.
The extradition treaty includes an article that a suspect should be provisionally arrested until the extradition process starts.
Under normal circumstances, Gulen should have been arrested since Turkey made the official request Sept. 10.
“In our provisional arrest request we put more than sufficient evidence and information about the fact that the coup attempt was carried out under the instructions of terrorist leader Fetullah Gulen,” Bozdag said.
Bozdag added that if Gulen's activities would be traced in the U.S., the Turkish position or the truth would be very well understood.
Asked whether U.S.-Turkey relations would be badly affected if Gulen were not to be extradited, Bozdag said he did not believe Washington would “sacrifice” its friendship with Turkey to a leader of a terrorist organization.
