Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on his Twitter account the measure would lead to the release of some 38,000 people. He insisted it was not a pardon or an amnesty but a conditional release of prisoners. Gulen has denied any prior knowledge or involvement in the coup but Turkey is demanding that the United States extradite him. Turkey has issued several prison amnesties over the past decades to ease conditions in its prisons, but the measures proved unpopular with the public. "I hope that the arrangement is beneficial to the prisoners, their loved ones, our people and our country," the minister wrote.

Source: Fox News August 17, 2016 07:52 UTC