Says he will follow the "will of the people"

In what can only be described as a miscarriage of justice, Erdogan, the Turkish leader, has announced that he would consider reinstating the death penalty in Turkey for the coup plotters, should Parliament submit a bill.

• Erdogan would bring back the death penalty if Parliament asks

• “The government must listen to what the people say”

• Erdogan blames Fethullah Gulen for the coup attempt

Every time Erdogan speaks, it pushes him further and further from the EU.

Erdogan has said that he would reinstate the death penalty if the people want it.

He would apply it to the coup plotters.

Changing the punishment after the fact is contrary to the rule of law, and is not done in a modern society.

In an interview with German media, Erdogan said “They want the death penalty reintroduced. And we as the government must listen to what the people say. We can’t say ‘no, that doesn’t interest us’.”

This comes after the European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker said that if Turkey reintroduces the death penalty, they will have no hope of joining the European Union, which Turkey has been pushing for membership for years.

Erdogan used the interview to attack European leaders, saying that “European leaders are not sincere.” He focused on the EU-Turkey refugee deal, which has cost Turkey $12 million already. Erdogan said that “three billion was promised”, and so was visa-free travel, however Turkeys crackdowns have become a sticking point that has stopped negotiation. Erdogan accused the EU leaders of inaction.

Turkey has blamed the coup attempt on US based cleric Fethullah Gulen, and is seeking his extradition from the United States. The US has said they would hear an extradition request, but only consider it if hard evidence is presented, which Turkey has not given yet.

Turkey has closed many schools, forced the resignation of over 1,700 deans of universities in Turkey, and dismissed over 20,000 education employees. This was done because there were rumors that Gulen had a lot of sympathizers in the Education Ministry.

Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup attempt, and has openly condemned the failed act.