Turkish justice minister denies amnesty claims

By Kemal Karadag

ANKARA (AA) - Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has strongly denied claims the government is considering a general amnesty in the wake of the defeated July 15 coup.

In a message on Bozdag’s official Twitter account Thursday, he denied the claims which were reported by some Turkish media in recent days.

“There is no general amnesty on the government’s agenda in the wake of the coup attempt. The related news and comments are unfounded,” Bozdag tweeted.

Bozdag said the claims were based on a fake government decree.

Turkey's government says the defeated July 15 coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.