Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan [official website] stated Monday that he would approve reinstating the death penalty [CNN report] so long as the measure had sufficient support in the Grand National Assembly [official website, in Turkish]. The death penalty was abolished over a decade ago in Turkey, but Erdogan asserted [RTE News report] that the Turkish people want the death penalty for those involved in last weekend’s failed military coup [CNN backgrounder]. Erdogan also announced he will request the extradition of cleric Fethullah Gulen [advocacy website], whom Erdogan alleges orchestrated the coup attempt, from the United States. US Secretary of State John Kerry [official website] stated that Turkey must provide genuine evidence [statement] that withstands scrutiny if it wishes to request Gulen’s extradition. European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini [official website] has also weighed in on the Erdogan’s announcement, saying that “no country can become an EU member state if it introduces the death penalty.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel [official website] also expressed concern over Turkey’s response to the coup attempt, adding [statement, in German] that capital punishment is incompatible with the objectives of the EU.

Capital punishment [JURIST op-ed] remains a controversial issue in the US and worldwide. In May a spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned [JURIST report] Iranian authorities for the sentencing of Nargis Mohammadi, an anti-death penalty activist. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein welcomed [JURIST report] the measures being taken by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to prevent the use of its drugs in state-sponsored execution by lethal injection. UN human rights experts expressed [JURIST report] grave concern earlier that month over Belarus’ death penalty practices after reports surfaced that a man was executed while his case was before the UN Human Rights Committee.