Head of Council of Europe in Turkey

The head of the Council of Europe has said that the continent has far “too little understanding” of the challenges faced by Turkey as it tries to recover from last month’s coup attempt.

Thorbjorn Jagland condemned the attempted coup and said he recognized the need for the plotters to be punished.

“The coup attempt was outrageous in all meanings of the word. They were willing to not only to fire on the people in the street but also they knew the consequences that so many people were killed. They were shelling at the parliament, the democratic institution of this country. So this coup attempt must be condemned in the strongest way.”

The Secretary-General of Europe’s top human rights organisation stood alongside Turkish Foreign minister and said that while those responsible for July’s coup must face retribution, human rights should be respected.