Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç criticized world powers, including the U.S. and the European Union, for ignoring and failing to stand in solidarity with Türkiye in its fight against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which was behind the deadly July 15 coup attempt.
Speaking on a live broadcast on a Haber, Tunç said Türkiye was left alone in its fight against the terrorist group.
His comments come as Türkiye prepares to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the coup attempt and martyrs and veterans who resisted the putschists.
Speaking about suspects who fled abroad, Tunç said: “We issued red notice requests both after the Dec. 17-25 judicial coup attempts and before July 15. Unfortunately, the world has left us alone in this regard.”
He noted that the heroic resistance of the Turkish people on the night of the coup attempt was a fight for democracy and human rights, yet countries in Europe and the United States failed to offer the support Türkiye needed.
“We saw no meaningful solidarity that night. Later, we were also disappointed by the lack of cooperation in our fight against FETÖ. Its members settled in various countries across Europe and the United States, and many still remain there,” he said.
According to Tunç, Türkiye has submitted 2,364 extradition requests to 118 countries but has received only 131 returns — just three through official channels, and 128 through unofficial deportations. He also noted that out of 3,579 red notice requests, many have gone unanswered, with Interpol allegedly treating them as if they involved political crimes.
“This reflects the double standards of the international community. While Türkiye was waging a democratic struggle on the night of July 15, Europe — including countries we call allies — failed to stand by us,” he added.
Tunç also stressed the importance of remaining vigilant, not just against FETÖ but all terrorist threats targeting the country.
“We must always stay alert. The tutelage mindset and coup ambitions must never again be allowed to seize power in this country. We’ve made significant progress in that regard,” he said.
The coup attempt unfolded almost simultaneously across Türkiye on the evening of July 15, 2016, and was suppressed by noon the next day. Erdoğan, who narrowly avoided an assassination attempt by putschists while he was on vacation in southwestern Türkiye, traveled to Istanbul secretly. During and after his trip to the city, he issued several messages through video phone calls to TVs, mobilizing the nation to “reclaim democracy.” After his calls, more people took to the streets, braving heavily armed putschists. Unarmed people blocked the roads against tanks and legions of pro-FETÖ troops. Gunfire by putschists killed 253 people, while 2,740 others were injured.
For decades, FETÖ had secretly infiltrated state institutions, including the army. It sought to overthrow the government and conspired against top officials, from sham investigations to a plot targeting then intelligence chief Hakan Fidan. It also conducted two notorious coup attempts in December 2013 that targeted people close to the government, including an incident where pro-FETÖ officials stopped trucks belonging to the intelligence agency in a bid to portray the government in a negative light.
Their efforts repeatedly failed, and the government moved to weed out military officers linked to the group from the army in 2016. Upon learning the plans, FETÖ turned to mobilizing its infiltrators in the army to seize power.
