Muslim Cleric’s Lawyers Decry Turkey’s Push For Extradition From U.S.

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Joe Heim and Valerie Strauss August 5 at 5:27 PM

Allegations by Turkey that Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the recent coup attempt there are “absurd,” and the Turkish effort to have him extradited from the United States to face charges is unfounded and baseless, lawyers representing Gulen said Friday at a news conference in Washington.

A Turkish court issued an arrest warrant Thursday for Gulen, an influential Muslim cleric who has lived in the United States since 1999 and is the leader of a vast network of organizations, schools and followers in Turkey and around the world.

The warrant for Gulen’s arrest is seen as a preliminary step by Turkey before it officially requests his extradition. Turkey has designated the Gulen movement as a terrorist organization and has targeted its members in key sectors, including the police, the judiciary, the media and schools.

Though a sharp critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his former ally, Gulen has denied any involvement with the failed coup and condemned the July 15 military uprising.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/muslim-clerics-lawyers-decry-turkeys-push-for-extradition-from-us/2016/08/05/6c38dde2-5b25-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html

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Fethullah Gulen's Lawyers Fear Atack On His Life

Lawyers for US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen say they fear an attack on his life, in the wake of the failed coup attempt on 15 July in Turkey.

--CLIP
Mr Gulen's lawyers said it was unlikely any extradition request would stand up in a US court and there was almost no chance that their client would get a fair trial in Turkey, given what had been said against him there since the coup attempt.

One of the lawyers, Reid Weingarten, said: "It would be unprecedented and appalling if the United States took a frail almost-octogenarian, plopped him on a plane to go back into that kind of setting with the hideous things that are being said about him by the entire Turkish government."

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36988726

[cstanleytech]

1. Unless the Turkish government has some truly damning evidence like

phone recordings with Gulen discussing with others the plans for this supposed coup (which I doubt they have since they would have provided copies to the varies major news media) I dont see the US agreeing to an extradition based solely on testimony obtained perhaps under extremely dubious means.

[scscholar]

2. But if we have a treaty, shouldn't we follow the treaty?

We should respect the rule of law, or our country and our government are nothing.

[christx30]

3. We shouldn't send someone to his death

based on flimsy, highly questionable evidence. Treaty be damned.

[cstanleytech]

4. We are following the treaty because part of that allows a person to appeal

an extradition.
It happens also when the US wants to extradite someone from a country for example say there is someone in the UK who the US wants to extradite well that person can go through the process in the UK to fight the extradition and the UK courts might very well side with them especially if the US courts refuse to take the death penalty off the table.

[Igel]

5. Treaties can be limited by other things.

Mexico and European countries routinely deny extradition if the extradited person might face the death penalty on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with their laws.

[moondust]

6. Still not convinced

that Gullen is anything but a convenient scapegoat for an authoritarian who can't stop grabbing power. Erdogan may know that there is no evidence against Gullen and that the U.S. will thus never extradite him. Without any risk of a court case exposing the lack of evidence and no real case, Erdogan knows he can continue to exploit the distant Gullen without fear. It's also possible that old buddy Gullen knows something that Erdogan does not want made public.