EU: Turkey can’t join if it introduces death penalty

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told CNN he would approve reinstating the death penalty if lawmakers backed the measure in Parliament. He called the attempted coup on Friday a “clear crime of treason.”

In his first one-on-one interview since the attempted coup by a faction of the military, Erdogan on Monday said citizens are demanding the death penalty for coup plotters.

“The people now have the idea, after so many terrorist incidents, that these terrorists should be killed,” Erdogan told CNN’s Becky Anderson through his translator. “Why should I keep them and feed them in prisons for years to come?”

The President didn’t specify whether he’d seek the death penalty for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the president says was behind the attempt to overthrow him. He said he’ll submit a formal request to the United States within days for Gulen’s extradition.

Police try to stop people from attacking a judge, suspected in the failed coup plot, in Erzurum, Turkey on Tuesday, July 19. Turkey has fired or suspended about 50,000 people as the government intensifies a crackdown following last weekend's failed coup attempt. Teachers, journalists, police and judges have been affected.

Police escort Turkish soldiers, accused of taking part in the attempted coup, as they leave a courthouse in Istanbul's Bakirkoy neighborhood on Saturday, July 16.

Turkish police officers cover the eyes of soldiers as they are transported in a bus from the courthouse in Istanbul on July 16.

Akin Ozturk, front row, center, a four-star general and former commander of the Turkish air force, is among those in police custody whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has accused of having led the failed coup attempt.

In a mass detention in Ankara, dozens of detainees are forced to kneel, partially stripped.

A man waves a Turkish flag from a car roof during a July 16 march around Kizilay Square in Ankara after the attempted military coup.

Damaged vehicles are abundant outside the presidential palace in Ankara on July 16.

People kick and beat a Turkish soldier suspected in the attempted coup on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge on July 16.

Women react after people took over a military position on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

People gather outside the Turkish Parliament in Ankara during an extraordinary session after the failed coup attempt.

Turkey Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses the Turkish Parliament after the failed coup attempt.

A protester rests on a bench as smoke billows from the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara.

People stand under a huge Turkish flag during a march around Kizilay Square in Ankara in reaction to the attempted coup.

Members of the Turkish military surrender on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge on after a failed coup attempt.

People protesting against the coup wave a Turkish flag on top of a monument in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Clothes and weapons belonging to soldiers involved in the coup attempt are scattered on Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

A Turkish police officer in Istanbul embraces a man on a tank in the wake of the violence overnight.

Smoke billows from the direction of the Presidential Palace in Ankara on July 16.

People gather on top of a Turkish military tank in Ankara in the morning after the coup attempt. National intelligence officials said the coup was put down and that the government remains in control.

Turkish people wave national flags from a car in Istanbul.

People gather around a car damaged by a tank in Kizilay Square early on July 16.

People take to the streets near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul.

People escape the clashes in Ankara early Saturday.

Tanks move into position as Turkish citizens attempt to stop them in Ankara.

Citizens in Sivas rush to the streets during the chaotic coup attempt.

A man approaches Turkish military with his hands up at the entrance to the partially closed Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

A wounded man is given medical care at the entrance to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul after clashes with Turkish military.

People react in front of the Justice and Development Party's headquarters in Karabuk.

Soldiers secure an area as supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Turkish military members make their way through the streets of Istanbul.

Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in front of soldiers in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via a FaceTime call in Istanbul after members of the country's military attempted to overthrow the government.

Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's iconic Bosphorus Bridge.

Turkish security officers detain police officers, seen in black, in Istanbul, during a security shutdown on the Bosphorus Bridge.

A military airplane is seen flying over Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged people to take to the streets and stand up to the military.

People take cover near the Bosphorus Bridge as military airplanes fly overhead.

Turkish soldiers are seen on the Asian side of Istanbul.

A Turkish security officer stands guard on the side of the road.

Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge.

Failed military coup in Turkey

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The United States should grant the request, Erdogan said, because the two nations are strategic partners. “There should be reciprocity,” he said.

Gulen, who is living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, denied he had anything to do with the coup.

Who is Fethullah Gulen?

“Twenty years ago, I clearly stated my support for democracy and I said that there is no return from democracy in Turkey,” Gulen said Saturday. “My position on democracy is really clear. Any attempts to overthrow the country is a betrayal to our unity and is treason.”

Why the coup attempt will shock Turks

If Turkey reintroduces the death penalty, it won’t be joining the European Union, according to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

“Let me be very clear on one thing … No country can become an EU member state if it introduces [the] death penalty,” Mogherini said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a crowd gathered at his palace for Iftar -- the meal eaten after sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan -- in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, June 27.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via a FaceTime call in Istanbul on Friday, July 15, after members of the country's military attempted to overthrow the government.

Erdogan, his wife Emine, his grandchildren and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbas, left, greet the crowd at a presidential election rally in Istanbul on August 3, 2014.

U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Erdogan during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on December 7, 2009.

Erdogan oversees the rescue efforts in the eastern province of Bingol on May 1, 2003, following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Turkish region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Erdogan wear helmets in Durusu village near Turkey's northern city of Samsun, on November 17, 2005, during the inauguration ceremony for the major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline Blue Stream. The pipeline runs from Russia to Turkey.

Erdogan addresses the media after a meeting with his deputies at his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, on May 1, 2007. Erdogan unveiled a reform package, including having future presidents elected by popular vote instead of by parliament.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, gives a David Beckham signed soccer ball to a Turkish boy during at a garden party held for her birthday at the British Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on May 16, 2008. It was the Queen's first visit to Turkey in 37 years.

Erdogan attends a swearing in ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, on August 28, 2014. Erdogan was sworn in as Turkey's 12th president at a ceremony in parliament, cementing his position as the country's most powerful modern leader.

Erdogan leaves a polling booth after casting his vote in Turkey's 26th general election at a polling station in Istanbul on November 1, 2015.

Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis, right, and Erdogan walk together during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, March 23.

Erdogan delivers a speech during his visit to the Turkish War Colleges Command in Istanbul on Monday, March 28.

Erdogan, right, kicks a soccer ball while Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul watches at Besiktas soccer club's new Vodafone Arena on its opening day in Istanbul on Sunday, April 10.

Erdogan, right, shakes hands with King Salman of Saudi Arabia after the Saudi monarch received Turkey's highest state medal during a ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, April 12.

Erdogan, center, chairs the meeting of the 65th Cabinet of Turkey at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, May 25.

Erdogan, seventh from the left, attends the Kinaliada Corvette Ceremony at Pendik Naval Shipyard in Istanbul on Saturday, June 18.

Erdogan, right, attends an Iftar dinner during his visit to the Tank Battalion campus in the Cizre district of Sirnak, Turkey, on Saturday, June 25.

From left, U.S. President Barack Obama, France's President Francois Hollande, Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel take their positions for a photo ahead of a working dinner at the presidential palace during the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, July 8.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Turkish president Abdullah Gul pray during the funeral of a victim of the coup attempt in Istanbul on July 17. In an interview with CNN's Beckey Anderson Erdogan said, "The people now have the idea, after so many terrorist incidents that these terrorists should be killed, that's where they are, they don't see any other outcome to it. I mean, life sentence, or aggravated life sentence... why should I keep them and feed them in prisons, for years to come, that's what the people say. So, they want a swift end to it, because people lost relatives, lost neighbours, lost children, 8-year-olds, 15-year-olds, 20-year-old young people, unfortunately have all been killed during these incidents. Of course they have parents, mothers and fathers, that are morning, they're suffering so the people are very sensitive and we have to act very sensibly and sensitively."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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Turkey applied for full EU membership in 1987, but was only considered a serious candidate in 1999.

7,000 people arrested

Throughout the Monday interview, Erdogan indicated he would rule with an iron fist.

Erdogan said he has “no issues” when it comes to a free press, but if media outlets sided with and supported the plotters of the attempted coup, the justice system would need to take steps.

A man waves a Turkish flag during a demonstration in Istanbul in support the government on July 16 following a failed coup attempt.

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More than 7,000 people have been arrested and some of the very institutions responsible for the country’s security have been gutted since Erdogan reasserted power.

Failed coup in Turkey: What you need to know

Of those detained, dozens were photographed at horse stables, forced to their knees and stripped to the waist in humiliation.

Erdogan is wasting no time to his bid to “cleanse” the country’s security forces of “viruses,” as he put it, vowing that those behind the attempt to overthrow his government “will pay a very heavy price for this act of treason.”

Almost 13,000 public officials have either been removed or suspended from their positions, authorities said. These are officials drawn from the interior, finance and justice ministries. A total of 8,777 officers have already been removed from the Interior Ministry, the vast majority of them police officers, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Of those arrested, 103 are generals and admirals, a third of the general-rank command of the Turkish military, according to Anadolu.

Judges, lawyers, senior aides and police are among those detained, while eight soldiers who fled to Greece are waiting to hear their fate, as no bilateral extradition agreement exists between the countries.

Erdogan supporters capture a Turkish army vehicle after soldiers surrendered Saturday.

Dozens dead within hours

Elements of the military rolled their tanks onto the streets of Ankara and Istanbul on Friday night as Erdogan enjoyed a holiday in the resort of Marmaris.

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Updated 3:47 PM EDT, Mon July 18, 2016

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Turks grieving after deadly coup attempt

03:06 - Source: CNN

The President, whose government is known for shutting down social media to stop protesters mobilizing, used FaceTime to call on the Turkish people, many of whom took to streets to challenge the military.

Dozens were dead within hours.

By Monday, the death toll was at 232, including 24 “coup plotters,” according to Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. Officials earlier said at least 290 people had been killed and did not explain the reason the death toll had been overstated.Another 1,400 were injured.

Coup attempt: Five key questions answered

Yildirim warned of repercussions, saying on Twitter that “every single drop of blood shed will be accounted for in such a harsh way.”

Anadolu reported that Cemil Candas, deputy mayor of the Sisli district in Istanbul, was shot in the head Monday and is in critical condition, although it was not clear who targeted him or why.

Amnesty: Rights must be respected

Turkey’s history of military coups has long had “devastating consequences” for human rights, Amnesty International said in a statement.

“A number of government officials and ruling party representatives have spoken in favor of reinstating the death penalty, itself a tool of past military rulers. This regressive step should be avoided, as should further restrictions on legitimate dissent,” Amnesty said.

turkey after the coup damon pkg_00000329.jpg

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Related video Turks grieving after deadly coup attempt

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke about conditions in the country.

“We also firmly urge the government of Turkey to maintain calm and stability throughout the country, and we also urge the government of Turkey to uphold the highest standards of respect for the nation’s democratic institutions and the rule of law. And we will certainly support bringing the perpetrators of the coup to justice,” Kerry said on Monday in Brussels, where he was meeting with EU leaders.

Some of the 27 men accused by the Erdogan government of having led Friday's failed coup in Turkey.

Twenty-seven men accused of masterminding the failed coup faced court in the capital Ankara on Monday, apparently without having access to the lawyers prior to their arrival.

Images show Akin Ozturk, a four-star general and former commander of the Turkish air force, had been arrested, his ear bandaged and neck bruised.

CNN’s Gul Tuysuz, Nic Robertson, Euan McKirdy, Steve Almasy, Sheena McKenzie, Ray Sanchez, Jamie Crawford, Barbara Starr, Ivan Watson, Kevin Bohn and Amanda Wills contributed to this report.