Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül said on Wednesday that 107 Turks have been extradited to their home country as part of the government’s manhunt for supporters of the faith-based Gülen movement.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the justice minister said Turkey has sent extradition requests to 91 countries for a total of 504 people.
The Turkish government holds the movement responsible for a coup attempt in July 2016 and is pursuing a massive witch-hunt against its supporters at home and abroad on charges of coup involvement and terrorism, calling it a terrorist organization. The movement strongly denies any connection to the abortive putsch or terrorist acts.
Gül also reiterated Turkey’s extradition demand for the movement’s leader, Fethullah Gülen, from the US, where the preacher has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999.
The minister said Turkey has sent seven extradition requests to the US and is currently awaiting US action on the matter.
As part of the crackdown on Gülen supporters, over half a million people in Turkey have been the subjects of prosecution since July 2016 according to official figures.