World Human Rights Day: US Urged To Dismiss Bid on Gulen’s Extradition

Coalition for the Protection of Rights and Justice (CPRJ), has urged the United States (US) to dismiss the various moves to extradite Cleric Fethullah Gulen over alleged involvement in the July 15 botched coup in Turkey.

While commemorating this year’s World Human Rights Day the CPRJ also called on other countries not to allow for the extradition of members and sympathizers of the Gulen’s inspired Hizmet Movement living within their shores, saying rule of law is no longer guaranteed in today’s Turkey.

In a statement issued in Abuja over the weekend and signed by the coalition’s National Coordinator, Raymond Audu, said in 1948, the United Nations adopted a universal set of human rights that apply to everybody and wondered the reason for the seeming silence following the continuous brazen rights violation of significant number of people , especially sympathisers of Gulen Movement by the President Recep Erdogan led Turkish government.

The coalition, which also bared its mind on the plot to clampdown on Hizmet Movement in 38 countries, further called on the United States to ignore any promises that may come from Ankara about improving its cooperation if only it were to hand over Gulen as doing so would only aggravate the dynamics currently disturbing the U.S.-Turkish relationship and damaging Turkey.

“The United States must not listen to a country like Turkey that continue to show disdain to human rights, on any issue of extradition of Turkish people. The Gulen extradition process must be allowed to play out in U.S. courts to its logical conclusion.

“Any attempt to interfere in this process, in pursuit of patching up ties with Ankara, must be resisted because it would not only be counterproductive but also disreputable,” parts of the statement read.

It would be recalled that aftermath of the July 15 failed coup, which the Turkish government blamed on the United States based Gulen, almost 100,000 persons have been detained without trial, even as crackdown on opposition, judges, Hizmet Movement members, academics, among others, has continued on daily basis. Gulen however denied any involvement in the failed coup.

Published on Leadership Nigeria, 18 December 2016, Sunday