Following the extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, the S&D Group reiterated its strong condemnation of the attempted coup in Turkey, but also expressed concerns about the aftermath of the coup in which thousands of military, police, judges and governors have been dismissed or arrested.  The S&D Group invited the Turkish government to observe rule of law in the aftermath of the coup and not to pursue a witch-hunt against political opponents.
 
During the meeting, the S&D Group also called on the European External Action Service to appoint urgently a new head of the EU delegation to Turkey.
 

S&D MEP Kati Piri, European Parliament Rapporteur on Turkey, said:
 
“The S&D Group reiterates its support for the legitimate institutions of the country. However, we also underline that the rule of law has to be respected and democracy strengthened in reaction to the coup. That is why we remain deeply concerned about the thousands of arrests of military police, judges, prosecutors and governors within such a short time. We also stress that the EU must closely monitor the upcoming trials of the alleged coup perpetrators.
 
“The rule of law has to prevail and the country has to get back to normal as soon as possible. It must return to peace and order but also return to the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In this regard, we welcome the common position of the political parties in support of Turkey's democracy and we hope that this political unity remains intact.
 
“We are also deeply concerned about news of violent attacks against minorities. The Turkish government has a duty to protect all its citizens and we invite the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. 
 
“Finally, we would like to recall that if the death penalty is reintroduced by the Turkish authorities, EU accession negotiations will have to stop immediately.”