Turkey sneers at UN rights chief for 'revenge' comments on failed coup

Turkey slammed Saturday a top UN human rights official for saying Ankara should stem its "thirst for revenge" after a failed coup attempt.

A statement on the official web site of Turkish Foreign Ministry refuted people's rights were being violated in Turkey.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called on Ankara this week to uphold the rights of the detainees held since the July 15 failed coup attempt.

Authorities have suspended, detained or begun investigating tens of thousands of soldiers, police, judges, journalists and civil servants for alleged links to the coup attempt, which Turkish authorities blame on U.S.-based cleric Gulen.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said Zeid's comments were unacceptable.

"It is at best an unfortunate statement for an UN official tasked with guarding human rights to say 'he has no sympathy' for coup plotters instead of condemning these terrorists who have attempted a bloody coup," Bilgic said in the statement.

Bilgic said Turkey's measures following the coup have been consistent with the fundamental principles of rule of law and human rights, and he repeated Ankara's calls for the Commissioner to visit the country.

Source : XINHUA