Erdogan: I will approve death penalty for coup plotters if requested

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he would approve any decision by parliament on reinstating the death penalty as calls grow for executions in the aftermath of a failed coup plot.

“There is a clear crime of treason and your request [death penalty] cannot be rejected by our government. Parliament needs to discuss it and if the leaders agree and discuss it then I as president will approve any decision to come out of the parliament,” he told CNN International on Monday evening.

'Why should I keep them and feed them in prisons, for years to come?' That's what the people say," he added.

"They want a swift end to it because people lost relatives, neighbours, children... they're suffering so the people are very sensitive and we have to act very sensibly and sensitively."

It marks the second time Erdogan has raised the issue in a matter of days as Turkey arrested more than 100 senior Turkish military officers in the aftermath of Friday's coup attempt.

His statement comes as the former head of the Turkish air force denied any role in last week's coup plot.

Pictures released by Anadolu news agency showed Akin Ozturk, 64, a general, with injuries to his head and upper body. Anadolu's statement on Twitter said Ozturk had told interrogators he "acted with intention to stage coup".

Within minutes that post was deleted, however, as other media organisations including the centrist newspaper, Hurriyet, reported a prosecutor's statement as saying Ozturk denied any role in the putsch.

The court formally charged Ozturk and 25 other senior military officers with treason and they will remain in prison without bail.

Erdogan first mentioned the reinstatement of the death penalty on Sunday at a funeral in Istanbul. Erdogan responded to a crowd chanting “we want executions” by saying that “the people’s demands must be respected in democracies. If the people demand something it is their right to be heard. Parliament will discuss this matter.”

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim brought up the possibility of the death penalty for plotters in a speech in parliament on Saturday. “If Turkey still had the death penalty these perpetrators would deserve to be condemned to it,” he said.

Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004. The last execution carried out in Turkey happened in 1984.

The deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Mehmet Muezzinoglu, said on Saturday that the government would introduce a bill calling for the execution of rebel soldiers.

“We will put forward a motion, which will demand the execution of those who have been involved in the coup attempt," Muezzinoglu said on Twitter.

On Saturday, the hashtag #Idamistiyorum [I want death penalty] was the top trend on Twitter in Turkey.

Earlier on Monday EU chief Federica Mogherini warned that if Turkey reinstated the death penalty, the EU will shut down its membership application.   

"Let me be very clear... no country can become an EU state if it introduces the death penalty," Mogherini said when asked about the possible impact on long-stalled accession talks with Ankara.

Her comments come after the detention of 7,500 people, including senior military figures, judges and soldiers, in connection with the coup attempt on Friday which Erdogan has blamed on his rival, the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.