Turkey sends new files to US as evidence for Gülen’s extradition

ANKARA

Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül

Turkey has sent a new file to the U.S. to beef up its evidences demanding the extradition of Fethullah Gülen, the Pennsylvania-based leader of the Gülenist movement, which is widely believed to have orchestrated the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on June 30.

According to unspecified sources cited by Anadolu Agency, the new files include evidence of a phone conversation between Gülen and Hakan Çiçek, a businessman accused of being an intermediary between Gülenist leaders and staff officers in the army.

The new files also included e-mail correspondence between Gülen’s aides in Pennsylvania and Kemal Batmaz, who was charged as the “civilian imam” of Gülenists.

Both evidences reveal, according to Turkish officials, how Gülen personally instructed the members of his organization before and during the coup attempt.

Turkish authorities have repeatedly criticized the U.S. administration for not extraditing Gülen, despite multiple formal requests by Turkey's Justice Ministry.

The Gülen network, which the Turkish authorities refer to as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), and its leader Gülen are widely believed to have orchestrated the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses the Gülen network of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.