Appeal by terror leader Gulen rejected by ECHR

By Kemal Karadag

ANKARA (AA) – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Friday rejected several appeals filed by Fetullah Gulen, the leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.

The court found Gulen’s claim that courts in Turkey are biased and not independent was baseless.

The court also ruled that despite his appeal, the Turkish Penal Code includes provisions to protect applicants’ individual rights, but Gulen failed to exhaust the domestic remedies offered, which he must do before applying to the ECHR.

On Gulen’s claims that the Turkish Constitutional Court had violated his rights and discriminated, against him, the ECHR similarly ruled that these allegations were “baseless.”

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

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

*Written by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara