U.S. Urges Restraint in Turkey After Failed Military Coup

The White House is urging the Turkish government to exercise restraint and act within the rule of law as it investigates and prosecutes those responsible for last week's failed coup.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that President Barack Obama would call Turkey's president soon to reiterate U.S. support for the country's democratically elected civilian government and make the case for restraint and respect for the freedoms enshrined in the Turkish constitution.

Some senior Turkish officials have alleged that the coup was inspired by a Turkish cleric who lives in exile in Pennsylvania and have demanded that the U.S. turn him over. Earnest said the United States had not received any extradition request for the cleric but that it would evaluate one if it arrived under a 30-year-old extradition treaty.

NATO's chief has joined with others who are calling for Turkey's leadership to respect the rule of law in its reaction to the failed attempt at a military coup.

"I have spoken to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the aftermath of the attempted coup in Turkey," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday in a statement. "I welcomed the strong support shown by the people and all political parties to democracy and to the democratically elected government. The Turkish people have shown great courage."

As he did early on Saturday, Stoltenberg condemned the attempted coup in Turkey and reiterated his full support for Turkey's democratic institutions.

"Being part of a unique community of values, it is essential for Turkey, like all other allies, to ensure full respect for democracy and its institutions, the constitutional order, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms," the NATO chief said. He called Turkey a "valued NATO ally," and offered his condolences to the families of the innocent people who lost their lives in the takeover attempt.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that Turks want to reinstate the death penalty after so many terror attacks in the country.

Erdogan, whose government survived a failed military coup, made the comments in an interview with CNN.

Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as it sought membership in the European Union. There have been renewed calls for capital punishment after the attempted coup.

Turkey has also seen a spate of bombings in recent months blamed on the Islamic State group and Kurdish rebels.

For the fourth night in a row, hundreds of demonstrators have taken to Turkey's squares in a new show of support for the government after a failed coup attempt.

First called for by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the coup, the "democracy meetings" have been held in all of Turkey's major cities every night for the past four nights.

The demonstrations feature flag waving, pro-government slogans, songs praising Erdogan and Islamic chants. There is a Quran reading at the meeting in front of Erdogan's Istanbul residence in the Kisikli district.

Other major demonstrations are taking place in Istanbul's central Taksim square, Ankara's central Kizilay square and Izmir's central Konak square.

The Turkish prime minister's office is canceling all public servants' leave and is asking employees currently on vacation to return to their duties.

A statement from Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's office said the order, issued Monday, would be valid until further notice.

The decision comes in the wake of a failed coup attempt that has killed 232 people, according to the prime minister. The government has fired thousands of judiciary and other officials suspected of links to a movement led by a U.S.-based Muslim cleric. The government says the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, is behind the failed uprising.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)