Ayşe Hümeyra Atılgan
July 26, 2016•Update: July 27, 2016
By Sarp Ozer
ANKARA
Turkey's defense minister criticized BBC's "pro-coup" coverage of the July 15 attempted coup in a telephone conversation with his British counterpart, according to a Turkish Defense Ministry source.
National Defense Minister Fikri Isik spoke with Michael Fallon Tuesday and thanked him for the British government’s support for Turkey, but also said he expected the BBC to cover the story accurately, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking with the media.
Fallon, for his part, said his country welcomed the coup’s defeat. He said they appreciated the support of Turkey’s people as well as its political parties for democratic values and the rule of law.
Fallon said they stood in solidarity with Turkey’s government, which he said was elected with widespread public support.
He said he would deliver Turkey's complaint to the BBC.
The BBC’s coverage of the failed coup was also criticized by other senior Turkish figures, including Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, after a leaked email revealed producers were “struggling” to find critics of the Turkish government to appear on their programs.
The email, written by a producer working for the BBC World News channel, said personnel were “struggling to find anyone in the country who is critical of what the government is doing.”
It added, “We're hoping to find someone here who might be willing to speak out against the current situation.”
The attempted coup martyred 246 people and left thousands of others wounded.
Turkey accuses U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen and his terror organization or Parallel State Structure (FETO/PDY) of being behind the failed coup and has called for his extradition to face trial.
*A. Humeyra Atilgan contributed to this story from Istanbul.
