PM Erdoğan blames Gülen Movement for 'convicting innocent people' in coup plot trials

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has blamed the movement of the U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen for the conviction of hundreds of military officers in the recent coup plot case.

“It is being revealed that they have sent people to prison solely for not thinking like them. It is now surfacing how innocent people were convicted under the appearance of fighting against [military] coups,” Erdoğan said during the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting on June 24.

His comments came in the wake of a Constitutional Court ruling for the retrial of the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup case. This ruling lead to the release of 230 convicted suspects, including retired general and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lawmaker Engin Alan.

However, Erdoğan slammed Alan’s reaction following his release from jail, arguing the AKP government facilitated their release by pushing through changes in a constitutional reform package in a 2010 referendum.

The constitutional amendment allowed for the possibility of individual applications to the Turkish Constitutional Court, making an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) the last resort.  

“If those changes were not made, they would have still been in prison. Would they have the same result if they went to the ECHR? No. But they have obtained this possibility by being able to apply individually,” said Erdoğan, slamming MHP head Devlet Bahçeli for having campaigned for voting against the amendments.

Erdoğan also rejected claims that the grip on state institutions by Gülen’s followers, particularly the police and judiciary, increased during AKP rule.

“The...