Turkey to establish commission to investigate coup attempt

Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday approved the creation a commission to investigate the 15 July coup attempt.

All four of Turkey’s main political parties - the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republican People's Party (CHP), the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) – voted unanimously in favour of the commission, Turkey's Daily Sabah newspaper reported.

The goal of the commission is to find out the facts on why a coup took place. In order to figure out that goal, the commission can formally interview suspected coup plotters, including those who are currently detained.

For those in favour of the commission, it can also act as a deterrent for future coups. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said the commissions could write recommendations to guard Turkey against the "countdown of a new coup attempt".

CHP deputy chairman Engin Altay said the "nation, parliament and media repulsed this coup and the tanks" while exclaiming that the coup leaders should receive the "maximum level" of punishment.

MHP Deputy Chairman Erkan Akcay emphasised the need to investigate what happened.

"We cannot act as if nothing happened. Of course, the traitors who attempted the coup will be put on trial and get the punishment they deserve."

Mithat Sincar, an HDP MP, similarly agreed. Sincar urged the state to investigate and hand the appropriate sentence to coup leaders.

The attempted coup resulted in the deaths of 246 people and injured 2,200 more.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government is ready to work with all the main opposition parties in drafting a new constitution, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday, after months of deadlock on the issue.

"All the main parties are ready to start work on a new constitution," Yildirim told reporters in Ankara, saying that this was made clear in a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and two opposition leaders earlier in the day.

He said that in a first step a "small amendment" would be made to the constitution in the aftermath of the 15 July attempted putsch, without providing further details about the amendment.