[JURIST] According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, an Istanbul court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant [news release] for the Pennsylvania-based preacher Fetullah Gulen on charges of orchestrating the recent July 15 attempted coup, which left more than 270 dead. The court ruled that the so-called Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) had attempted to change constitutional order through infiltrating the Turkish Armed Forces, in hopes of overthrowing the current government. Gulen, who has been in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, has been accused of “attempting to overthrow the Turkish government, depriving citizens of their liberty by using force, threat or fraud, [and] attempting to assassinate the president” among other charges, including multiple counts of murder. An Al Jazeera reporter stated [Al Jazeera report] “this arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen is more of a symbolic legal move,” as the Gulen is in the US, meaning Turkey would need to make a formal extradition request. The US has called for evidence in support of the accusations, stating the extradition process must be adhered to. In response to the charges, Gulen voiced his belief that “the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President Erdogan’s drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that those involved in the coup [JURIST report] will “pay a heavy price.” Last week Erdogan ordered [JURIST report] the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and other institutions. Also last week Erdogan stated [JURIST report] that he would approve reinstating the death penalty so long as the measure had sufficient support in the Grand National Assembly.