On July 15, a faction in the Turkish military attempted to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Following its failure, Ankara launched a large-scale military, governmental, academic and media crackdown. Erdogan also said the country would reinstate the capital punishment if the people demanded this.
"The next meeting of PACE is in October, I hope that before that meeting a position of the Turkish government will be more clear. I was shocked when I saw a list of journalist, newspapers which are now detained or banned. If Erdogan will push thorough a death penalty for those attempted to declare a coup, PACE should bar the Turkish delegation from participation in the organization immediately," Mariani, who is also heading a delegation of French lawmakers on their three-day visit to Crimea said.
Over 240 people were killed and more than 2,100 injured during the failed coup attempt in Turkey, excluding the victims among the coup plotters, according to the country's authorities. Turkey has issued decrees to shut down more than 130 media outlets and arrest warrants for 89 journalists as well as fired more than 50,000 judges, civil servants, soldiers and educators in the wake of the failed coup.