By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA

Turkish justice minister said on Tuesday the fight against Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, was his country's fight for independence and prestige in the judiciary.

"The fight against FETO is also the Turkish judiciary’s fight for independence and prestige. We will continue this fight to glorify the people’s belief in justice by boosting the prestige of the judiciary," Abdulhamit Gul told lawmakers at the planning and budget committee.

Gul noted that the FETO trials in the country are carried out with great effort and devotion in accordance with the maxims of the international law.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred 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.

Gul also said that there were over 260,000 people in Turkish prisons, including some 202,000 convicted, and nearly 58,000 detainees.