Turkey requests Interpol red notices for three ex-prosecutors

Supreme Court of Appeals requests Interpol red notices for three ex-prosecutors who launched a so-called graft probe against top government officials in 2013 and are alleged to be linked to FETO.

FETO suspects Zekeriya Oz (L), Celal Kara (C), and Mehmet Yuzgec seen in this undated file photo.
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FETO suspects Zekeriya Oz (L), Celal Kara (C), and Mehmet Yuzgec seen in this undated file photo.

Turkey on Monday requested Interpol to issue red notices for three former prosecutors over a 2013 probe into what Ankara says was an attempt to overthrow the government of then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The three men are said to be linked to US-based Fetullah Gulen and his network, that Ankara calls the Fetullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation (FETO). 

The 16th penal department of the Supreme Court of Appeals issued the request for red notices covering ex-prosecutors Zekeriya Oz, Celal Kara, and Mehmet Yuzgec, who are being sought over a 2013 plot by FETO.

The fugitive suspects launched a so-called graft probe against top government officials between December 17 and December 25, 2013. 

The probe, including a large-scale raid and the detention of prominent figures, believed to have aimed to topple Turkey's democratically elected government.  

The court said it issued the notices since arrest warrants for the suspects could not be executed.

Turkey accuses FETO and Fetullah Gulen, who has been living in a self-imposed exile in the US since 1999, of orchestrating July 15, 2016, coup which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.  

What is a red notice?

Red notices are issued by French-based Interpol at the request of police of member countries for the international search, arrest, and subsequent extradition of criminals and are distributed to 190 member countries.

The red notices – which include criminal identity information, the type of offence allegedly committed, photos and fingerprints, and maximum punishment, if available – are valid for five years. They can be renewed every five years at the request of the member country.

The official request for issuing red notices goes through the country’s justice ministry, then to the Interpol office of the interior ministry, and then to the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France.

A summary of all the information and documents that form the basis of the arrest warrant is included in the red notice. After examining the file, the Interpol General Secretariat publishes the red notice.

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