Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 13 September 2016: Turkey formally requests Güllen to be extradited from the US

Turkish Justice Ministry formally requested the US to arrest and extradite Fetullah Güllen, state news agency Anadolu has reported on Tuesday. Güllen, an influential Islamic preacher and religious thinker who emigrated in 1999 and settled in Pennsylvania, is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup attempt in July. Since then Turkey has tried to have him tried, but the US has avoided any commitments on the issue. US President Barack Obama said any decision would have to be legal one, not political. This stance was reiterated by Vice-president Joe Biden.

Güllen and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used to be political allies and shared a common programme of moderate Islamic democracy. Güllen supporters in an informal Hizmet (“the service”) movement had a significant presence in security services and helped Erdoğan to neutralise the oft-hostile military. However, relations between the two broke down in 2013 due to competition over influence in police and judiciary. A plan to close down private prep school, Hizmet’s mainstay, led to confrontation in which a prosecutor close to Güllen exposed a massive corruption scheme and implicating major government figures. In May 2016 Hizmet was designated a terrorist organisation by Turkish government, which later accused Güllen of masterminding a failed coup attempt in July and purged government ranks and the media of his supporters.

Extradition procedure is set by a bilateral Treaty on Extradition and Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters signed in 1979. The request has to be considered by the Department of State and the Department of Justice before the case arrives in court which will then decide whether to issue an extradition order. The Department of State may block an extradition if it determines that the accused will not receive a fair trial or be treated humanely.

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