Western concern grows about Erdogan’s vengeance

Dubai: Western states have expressed concern about the possibility of extra-juducial measures being taken to punish the plotters of Friday’s failed coup in Turkey.

Turkish officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have made statements suggesting that retribution may be on the cards, sending alarms in Western capitals about the potential for a ruthless purge.

“We will continue to clean the virus from all state bodies because this virus has spread,” said Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag on Sunday.

France’s foreign minister warned Erdogan against using the failed coup as a “blank cheque” to silence his opponents.

“It was important to condemn the coup in Turkey. That is the least we can do,” Jean-Marc Ayrault told France 3 television.

But he also warned Erdogan against using the abortive putsch as a pretext for clamping down on his opponents.

“We want the rule of law to work properly in Turkey,” Ayrault said, warning: “This is not a blank cheque for Mr Erdogan.”

This view was echoed by Ayrault’s Austrian counterpart, Sebastian Kurz, who said Erdogan should not “misuse” the coup as “a carte blanche to do whatever he wants.”

Their remarks came as Turkish authorities continued a crackdown over the coup, arresting over 6,000 people accused of involvement in the putsch or of supporting the coup plotters.

“There must not be a purge. Those who dealt a blow to democracy must be be prosecuted within the framework of the rule of law,” Ayrault said.

EU foreign ministers meeting Monday in Brussels would drive home that point, he said.

Turkish television has shown images of captured suspects forced to lie face down on the tarmac after their arrest while witnesses have seen suspects roughly led away pursued by angry mobs.

Meanwhile, Obama warned Turkey there is a “vital need” for all parties to “act within the rule of law” in the aftermath of the coup.

The aftermath of the failed coup has seen tensions between the US and Turkey rise. After Turkey’s Labour Minister suggested Washington’s involvement in the coup, Secretary of State John Kerry warned that “public insinuations or claims about any role by the US are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations”.

- with inputs from agencies