Ankara believes that US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen and his supporters were seeking to overthrow the current government. The Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETO), made up of Gulen's supporters, is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara. Following the coup, thousands of people, mostly officials, legal and educational workers, were detained or dismissed, commonly over alleged ties to Gulenists.
Those prosecuted should be tried in line with the rule of law and not undergo "unjust suffering" or torture, Kilicdaroglu said in a statement issued in the wake of the Eid al-Adha holiday.
He said that Turkey should appreciate and contribute to ist democarcy as it would help solve the current problems. The politician also recalled the heritage of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the First President of Turkey, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, as he had created "the democratic, secular, state of law."
Kılıcdaroglu said that the country should address the issues of education, employment to help improve democracy, as well as provide for impartial state governance and judiciary system.
