Obama Remains Silent on Coup Crackdown / Purge

[easyt65]

The Obama administration’s relative silence on Turkey’s alarming crackdown following last week’s failed coup attempt is tantamount to a green light for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to continue his assault on democracy in the NATO nation, experts said.

The state of emergency gives Erdogan and his cabinet new powers to implement laws without parliamentary approval. It also allows Ankara to censor media broadcasts, search citizens, impose curfews and restrict gatherings both public and private.


Erdogan has simultaneously demanded the U.S. hand over Gulen, a onetime Erdogan ally who lives in Pennsylvania...

“When he was mayor of Istanbul 20 years ago, he (Erdogan) said democracy is like a street car — you ride it to the stop you want and then you get off,” Bolton said of Erdogan. “This will enable him to pursue his objective of Islamisizing the Turkish government and overturning the secular constitution. That’s what’s underway. I don’t think there’s much question about it.”

“The situation will continue to deteriorate as Erdogan arrests more people and puts them in jail,” he said. Police, soldiers and judges deemed disloyal to Erdogan have been detained, leaving a diminished human infrastructure to deal with security threats, he said.

“Those are the people who were fighting against terrorism in Turkey,” said Yayla, who fled to the U.S. eight months ago when ISIS threatened his life for interrogating terrorist defectors.

“In the near future, Turkey will face a lot of danger coming from terrorism because the newly appointed officers in the military and police are not going to be able to fight or deal with terrorism threats that exist in the country, especially by Erdogan’s allowing the terrorists inside the country,” he said.

(...like Barry and Hillary are doing.)

Obama administration mum as Turkey's post-coup crackdown expands | Fox News

 

[irosie91]

It seems to me (rosie oracle at usmb) that Turkey is
MORE ACTIVELY THAN BEFORE---climbing into bed with
isis "TYPE" groups------ie ----SUNNI CALIPHATISTS. Of the
UMMAH ---world wide------sunni caliphatists are the most
numerous and----ERDOGAN's Turkey has the distinction of having BEEN in recent history A SUNNI CALIPHATE----
it is just a matter or ressurection

 

[owebo]

All the democrat terrorists are....

 

[RodISHI]

His masters haven't told him he can speak on it yet.

 

[irosie91]

All the democrat terrorists are....

Silence in the fact of the ongoing atrocities in Turkey is not much different from the Silence of the WORLD ---in 1915 during the
genocide of Armenians-------has the POPE commented?

 

[deltex1]

The Obama administration is working hard to articulate a new definition for daily mass shootings...and separate them from jihad motivation. They struck gold with the Munich event.

They will refer to it as a Big Mac Attack

Catchy ain't it?

 

[RodISHI]

All the democrat terrorists are....

Silence in the fact of the ongoing atrocities in Turkey is not much different from the Silence of the WORLD ---in 1915 during the
genocide of Armenians-------has the POPE commented?

We can see a repeat of history in it all when one starts looking.

 

[Freewill]

Let's see. Erdogan leaves the country and the military stages a coup. All that was apparently needed to quell the coup was for Erdogan to return. Quite impressive. Even more impressive than Obama stopping the oceans from rising.

Obama's silence is a product of jealousy I would think. So easy for Erdogan to limit civil liberties, it reminds me of the Star Wars movies.

 

[waltky]

Russia warned Turkey of coup attempt...

Hours Before Military Coup Attempt, Turkey Warned by Russia – Reports
21.07.2016 - According to Iranian media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was warned by Russian intelligence of an imminent coup just hours before tanks appeared in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara last Friday.

Last week, the Russian army intercepted Turkish military communications that indicated a coup was being organized against the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Fars News. This information was then passed on to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), diplomatic sources told the news agency. The intercepted transmissions included helicopter communications ordering soldiers to arrest or kill the Turkish president in the resort town of Marmaris.

While relations have been tense between Ankara and Moscow since the November 2015 downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber in Syrian airspace, the situation improved after Erdogan issued a formal apology to Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. "The diplomatic sources said the shift in Erdogan’s foreign policy stated only a week before the coup has been 'a major cause pushing several foreign states to provoke and promise support for the army to stage the coup, and the same shift also saved him,'" Fars News reports. While neither government has issued a statement on the claims, an official statement released by the Turkish army on Tuesday did indicate that some kind of warning was received by MIT.

The failed coup attempt left nearly 300 people dead and over 1,000 injured, and has been blamed on supporters of exiled religious and political leader, and former Erdogan ally, Fethullah Gulen. Ankara has filed a formal request with the US government for Gulen’s extradition. In the wake of the coup attempt, Ankara has launched an unprecedented crackdown on those suspected of being involved in the events of last week. Nearly 50,000 individuals have been targeted as part of a purge, including military personnel, educators, judges, and civil servants.

Earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency, "in order to remove this threat as soon as possible." The Turkish president also suggested that foreign nations may have played a role in failed takeover. "Other states could be behind this coup attempt," he said. "Gulenists have a 'supreme intelligence,' which could have plotted all this. The time will come for all these links to be revealed."

Hours Before Military Coup Attempt, Turkey Warned by Russia – Reports

See also:

Obama Denies US Involvement in Failed Turkey Coup
Jul 23, 2016 | President Barack Obama on Friday denied prior knowledge or involvement by the U.S. in last week's failed coup attempt in Turkey, saying reports to the contrary are "unequivocally false."

Obama said he had made that clear to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when they spoke by telephone earlier this week. Obama said he also stressed to Erdogan that he ensure everyone in the Turkish government understands that any reports to the contrary are untrue. Diplomatic relations and the safety of Americans on the ground in Turkey could be at risk otherwise, the president said. "Any reports that we had any previous knowledge of a coup attempt, that there was any U.S. involvement in it, that we were anything other than entirely supportive of Turkish democracy are completely false, unequivocally false," Obama said during a joint appearance at the White House with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. "And I said that to President Erdogan. And I also said to him that he needs to make sure that not just he, but everybody in his government understand that those reports are completely false because when rumors like that start swirling around, the puts our people at risk on the ground in Turkey and it threatens what is a critical alliance and partnership between the United States and Turkey."

After the coup attempt, Obama issued written statements expressing strong support for Turkey's democratically elected, civilian government. On Friday, he expressed concern over the crackdown Erdogan has undertaken since the overthrow was thwarted. Turkey, a NATO ally, is a key player in the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group. U.S. military jets use the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey to conduct air strikes against IS extremists in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. Defense Department said Friday that Turkey had restored electrical power to the base after it was cut following the failed coup. The base had been operating on a backup generator since July 16. Erdogan, meanwhile, has blamed followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen for masterminding the uprising. He has asked the U.S. to extradite Gulen to Turkey. Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, has denied any knowledge of the attempted coup.

Obama said Friday that any decision on whether to extradite Gulen "is not a decision that I make." He said it would be the end result of a long-standing, legal process for judging extradition requests by a foreign government. The Justice and State Departments are reviewing material Turkey has provided the U.S. about the coup to determine whether it amounts to a formal extradition request. "I told President Erdogan that they should present us with evidence that they think indicates the involvement of Mr. Gulen or anybody else who is here in the United States, and it would be processed the way that it is always processed and that we would certainly take any allegations like this seriously," Obama said.

Since the botched attempt to overthrow Erdogan, Turkey's parliament has approved a three-month state of emergency, giving the president sweeping new powers. Erdogan has said the state of emergency will counter threats to democracy. Critics are urging restraint out of fear that the measure will violate basic freedoms. The Turkish government has imposed a crackdown, including mass arrests and firings, and the closing of hundreds of schools allegedly tied to Gulen. Obama said he hoped that "as the dust settles" the government doesn't overreact and limit civil liberties or weaken the ability of legitimate opposition to have their concerns heard.

Obama Denies US Involvement in Failed Turkey Coup | Military.com

 

[waltky]

Turkey throws a wide dragnet in search for coup plotters...

Turkish troops hunt remaining coup plotters as crackdown widens
Tue Jul 26, 2016 - Turkish special forces backed by helicopters, drones and the navy hunted a remaining group of commandos thought to have tried to capture or kill President Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup, as a crackdown on suspected plotters widened on Tuesday.

More than 1,000 members of the security forces were involved in the manhunt for the 11 rogue soldiers in the hills around the Mediterranean coastal resort of Marmaris, where Erdogan was holidaying on the night of the coup attempt, officials said. Erdogan and the government accuse U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the attempted power grab and have launched a crackdown on his suspected followers. More than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges and civil servants have been arrested, suspended or put under investigation. The religious affairs directorate removed another 620 staff including preachers and instructors in the Koran on Tuesday, bringing to more than 1,100 the number of people it has purged since the July 15 coup attempt.

A supporter holds a flag depicting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a pro-government demonstration in Ankara, Turkey​

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said two Turkish ambassadors, currently in Ankara, had also been removed. Former Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu was detained and his house searched. "There is no institution which this structure has not infiltrated," Erdogan's son-in-law, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, said in a televised interview, referring to Gulen's network of followers. "Every institution is being assessed and will be assessed," he said. The response from the Turkish authorities would, he said, be just and not amount to a witch-hunt.

The coup attempt raised particular questions about the air force, some of whose senior members were deeply involved, and could lead to the re-investigation of past incidents including the downing by the Turkish military of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border last year, Albayrak said. The incident provoked Russian trade sanctions but there are signs of rapprochement, with Turkey thanking Moscow for its solid support during the abortive putsch. By contrast it has frosty ties with Europe, which has criticized the post-coup crackdown, and with the United States, which it has urged to extradite Gulen.

Turkish soldiers search for missing military personnel suspected of being involved in the coup attempt in Marmaris, Turkey​

Albayrak made the comments as the highest-level Turkish delegation since the downing of the jet visited Moscow and officials announced a planned meeting between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin next month. "Erdogan will be eager to send a message to Washington and EU capitals that Turkey has other options," said Tim Ash, a strategist at Nomura and a veteran Turkey watcher. The Turkish parliament set up on Tuesday a commission to investigate the coup attempt, with the backing of all political parties. It will also examine the allegations that the Gulen movement infiltrated the government and instigated the coup attempt. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said suspects were now being questioned. "Those testimonies will give us a lot of information about the Gulen movement's influence within Turkey," he said during the commission's discussions.

MOST TURKS BLAME GULEN

See also:

Turkey targets the media in crackdown after coup
Wed, Jul 27, 2016 - ‘BRAZEN PURGE’: Prosecutors issued warrants for 42 journalists, including commentator Bulent Mumay, Nazli Ilicak and the news editor of Fox TV, Ercan Gun

Turkish authorities on Monday issued arrest warrants for more than 40 journalists in a new phase of the controversial legal crackdown after a failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sparking fresh alarm over the scope of the detentions. With Erdogan seeking to rally national cross-party support for his rule 10 days after defeating the attempted putsch, he hosted two top opposition leaders for an unprecedented meeting at the presidential palace, resulting in signs of an agreement to work together on a new constitution. More than 13,000 people have been detained so far in a vast sweep in the wake of the July 15 military coup bid, which the authorities blame on the reclusive US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.

The crackdown has raised tensions with the EU, further hampering Ankara’s stalled membership bid, while a potential diplomatic crisis with Washington is looming if the US refuses to extradite Gulen to Turkey, a fellow NATO member. Istanbul anti-terror prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 42 journalists as part of the coup investigation, Anadolu news agency said. Among those targeted was prominent journalist Nazli Ilicak, who was fired from the pro-government Sabah daily in 2013 for criticizing ministers caught up in a corruption scandal, it added. Five people have been detained so far, although 11 of the suspects are believed to already be outside the nation, Dogan news agency said. Other prominent journalists hit with warrants include the commentator Bulent Mumay and the news editor of Fox TV in Turkey, Ercan Gun.

Troops detain Staff Sergeant Erkan Cikat, second left, one of the missing military personnel suspected of being involved in the coup bid, in Marmaris, Turkey​

Amnesty International said the overall crackdown was a “brazen purge based on political affiliation” and the latest detentions represented a “draconian clampdown on freedom of expression.” Meanwhile, security forces detained seven fugitive troops on the southern Aegean coast on suspicion of taking part in an attack on the hotel where Erdogan stayed during the failed coup. Described by Turkish media as an “assassination squad,” they had evaded arrest for days by hiding in caves and hills above the resort of Marmaris.

With the backlash against the coup affecting all aspects of life in Turkey, Turkish Airlines said it had fired 211 employees over suspected links to Gulen and behavior “conflicting with the interest of our country.” Turkey has undergone a seismic shift since the night of violence when renegade soldiers sought to topple Erdogan, but were stopped by crowds of civilians and loyalist security forces. At least 270 people were killed on both sides. A bridge over the Bosphorus in Istanbul — which saw some of the fiercest fighting — is to be renamed July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge after the victims of the failed coup bid, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

MORE

Related:

Arrest warrants issued for journalists after failed Turkey coup
July 25, 2016 -- Turkish authorities have issued warrants for the arrest of 42 journalists following the failed military coup on July 15.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to eliminate the "virus that has enveloped the state." Several media outlets have been ordered closed and 14 journalists have been arrested so far, according to the Dogan News Agency. Eleven of the journalists for whom warrants have been issued have left the country, eight after the coup attempt and three before, the agency said. Among those accused are 72-year-old Nazli Ilicak, a prominent commentator fired from the pro-government newspaper Sabah three years ago after she criticized government ministers being investigated for corruption. Authorities searched for Ilicak in the southern province but weren't able to find her in her house or yacht.

Bulent Mumay, the Hurriyet digital media coordinator, was also among the journalists for whom an arrest warrant was issued. "The only organization that I'm a member of is [the] Turkish Journalists Association. My only profession is journalism," Mumay wrote on his Twitter account. Erdogan's government has arrested thousands of soldiers, judges, government officials, school teachers and university leaders since July 15. Amnesty International says it has received credible evidence that detainees are being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape. Last week, Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency that allows the government to bypass parliament to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms.

The International Press Institute "expressed alarm" at the warrants. "Given recent developments, we fear that this is only the first wave of arrests targeting journalists in a crackdown that increasingly resembles a witch hunt," IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis said in a statement. "We urge Turkey's international partners not to turn a blind eye to the human rights abuses being carried out in the name of upholding democracy. To do so invites a degree of authoritarianism and impunity that will only destabilize the region even further," the statement also read.

Also Monday, European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that negotiations for Turkey's membership into the EU would be suspended if Turkey proceeds with a proposal to reintroduce the death penalty.

Arrest warrants issued for journalists after failed Turkey coup

 

[Preacher]

The Obama administration’s relative silence on Turkey’s alarming crackdown following last week’s failed coup attempt is tantamount to a green light for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to continue his assault on democracy in the NATO nation, experts said.

The state of emergency gives Erdogan and his cabinet new powers to implement laws without parliamentary approval. It also allows Ankara to censor media broadcasts, search citizens, impose curfews and restrict gatherings both public and private.


Erdogan has simultaneously demanded the U.S. hand over Gulen, a onetime Erdogan ally who lives in Pennsylvania...

“When he was mayor of Istanbul 20 years ago, he (Erdogan) said democracy is like a street car — you ride it to the stop you want and then you get off,” Bolton said of Erdogan. “This will enable him to pursue his objective of Islamisizing the Turkish government and overturning the secular constitution. That’s what’s underway. I don’t think there’s much question about it.”

“The situation will continue to deteriorate as Erdogan arrests more people and puts them in jail,” he said. Police, soldiers and judges deemed disloyal to Erdogan have been detained, leaving a diminished human infrastructure to deal with security threats, he said.

“Those are the people who were fighting against terrorism in Turkey,” said Yayla, who fled to the U.S. eight months ago when ISIS threatened his life for interrogating terrorist defectors.

“In the near future, Turkey will face a lot of danger coming from terrorism because the newly appointed officers in the military and police are not going to be able to fight or deal with terrorism threats that exist in the country, especially by Erdogan’s allowing the terrorists inside the country,” he said.

(...like Barry and Hillary are doing.)

Obama administration mum as Turkey's post-coup crackdown expands | Fox News

None of the USA business what turkey does