Türkiye has sent updated extradition files and renewed requests to countries hosting senior members of the FETÖ terrorist organization, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has announced.
“To date, a total of 2,950 extradition requests concerning 2,765 individuals linked to FETÖ and the PYD have been submitted by the Justice Ministry to 119 countries,” Gürlek told Sabah newspaper in an interview published on June 16.
Following the failed coup attempt in 2016, Türkiye designated FETÖ as a terrorist organization. The July 15 coup attempt, which will mark its 10th anniversary this year, left more than 250 people dead.
In the immediate aftermath of the attempt, many senior figures and members of the organization fled abroad.
Extradition files targeting the organization’s so-called “brain team” of senior operatives have been revised in light of newly obtained evidence and resubmitted to relevant countries, Gürlek said.
“These requests consist of case files prepared in full compliance with international law, supported by evidence of crimes committed by members of the terrorist organization,” he noted.
According to data, most extradition requests are concentrated in European countries and the United States. The top three destinations for such requests are Germany with 777 cases, the U.S. with 728 and Belgium with 142.
The organization is accused of infiltrating key state institutions, including ministries, the military and the judiciary, strategically placing its members in critical positions. Following the coup attempt, thousands of members were dismissed from their posts.
Fethullah Gülen, the founder of FETÖ, died in October 2024 in Pennsylvania, United States, at the age of 83. He had lived for over two decades on a large estate in Pennsylvania, which Turkish authorities described as the operational headquarters of the network.
