Turkey: Independent judges released Buyukada suspects

By Yildiz Nevin Gundogmus

ANKARA (AA) - A senior Turkish minister on Friday denied media reports that the release of the Buyukada terror suspects was part of any negotiations between Germany and Turkey.

Turkey’s Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul told reporters in Ankara that the decision was taken independently by the judges holding them on trial.

“The Turkish judiciary is independent and impartial,” Gul said prior to a ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party meeting.

“Turkey is a state of law…Our judges are independent and impartial in their judgment,” Gul added.

An Istanbul court on Wednesday released eight suspects, including two foreign nationals, who were accused of being members of and aiding an armed terrorist organization.

Eleven suspects were arrested in a police raid during a meeting on Buyukada Island off Istanbul in July.

They included German national Peter Frank Steudtner and Swedish national Ali Ghravi and nine Turkish nationals.

Amnesty International’s Turkey Director Idil Eser was also among the suspects who has been released.

Taner Kilic, another representative of Amnesty International, is still in detention for allegedly using ByLock, an encrypted messaging app used by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) members during and after last July’s defeated coup attempt.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and some 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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.