No Turkish coup suspects in Georgia
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, August 19
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) says that they currently have no information and consequently cannot confirm the presence of a man suspected of complicity in the recent coup attempt in Turkey, Adil Oskuz, in Georgia, as was reported by a Turkish media outlet.
Turkey will grant early release to some 38,000 prisoners who committed crimes before July 1, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has said, to make room for the tens of thousands of detentions made in connection with last month's failed coup attempt, which, according to the Turkish Government, was staged by a Turkish cleric living in the United States, Fethullah Gulen.
One of the Turkish citizens suspected of being involved in the coup attempt may be hiding in Georgia, Turkish media reported several days ago.
The Daily Sabah reported that Adil Oskuz had consultations with Gulen in the United States. He devised a coup plan together with a number of Turkish generals.
The 49-year-old Adil Oskuz worked as a theology lecturer. After the coup attempt, he was arrested, though was soon released, after which he escaped abroad. Adil Oskuz is now declared wanted.
The media said Oskuz might be in Georgia. It also stated that famous Turkish prosecutor Zakaria Ozi, also suspected of having ties with Gulen, is in Georgia too.
Reports say Ozi and Oskuz were seen together in a Georgian restaurant, though the Turkish government denied the reports.
The Turkish government has launched a massive overhaul ostensibly aimed at Gulen's supporters in the aftermath of the coup attempt.
Some 35,000 people have been held for questioning, and more than 18,000 of them have been formally arrested to face trial, including military servicemen, police, judges and journalists.
Nearly 11,500 have since been released and 5,500 remain in custody, an official source told Al Jazeera.
Tens of thousands of others with suspected links to Gulen have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs in the judiciary, media, education, health care, military and local government.
The US demands grounded evidence that Gulen was the organiser of the coup in response to Turkey’s demand to hand over the cleric.
