Kerry to visit Turkey amid strained ties after failed coup

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to arrive in Turkey later this month, Turkey's foreign minister said Friday, amid strained relations with Washington over the possible extradition of a Muslim cleric accused of being behind an attempted military coup last month.

The Turkish government has expressed growing annoyance with what it regards as a lack of solidarity from international allies in the aftermath of the failed coup, as well as increased frustration over perceived foot-dragging by the United States over a Turkish demand that U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen be returned to Turkey to face trial.

"[...] these tortured confessions that they are expecting, that wouldn't work in a U.S. court either," Weingarten said.

Since the coup attempt, nearly 70,000 people suspected of links to Gulen have been suspended or dismissed from the civil service, judiciary, education, health care and the military.

European officials and rights groups have expressed concern over the crackdown while the human rights group Amnesty International has reported cases of mistreatment of detainees.

Anadolu agency said the Istanbul chief prosecutor's office launched a probe into the death of a suspect who died in a hospital after being taken ill while in detention at the city's police anti-terrorism department.

Erdogan announced after talks with Nazarbayev that the two agreed that education authorities from both countries should carry out a joint review of 33 schools in the Central Asian nation which Turkey suspects to be linked to Gulen.