Erdogan also reiterated his willingness to reinstate the death penalty as part of a post-coup realignment of the country's laws. Story highlights Erdogan says return of death penalty supported by publicSunday rally unites political supporters of all stripes against coup attempt(CNN) More than a million Turks united in Istanbul on Sunday night as part of a pro-democracy rally following last month's failed coup. There, in a sea of red Turkish flags, they expressed support for the democratic process, rejecting a return to the country's restive past, when military coups were commonplace. The massive demonstration, dubbed the "Democracy and Martyrs' Rally," was held at a parade ground in Turkey's biggest city and saw both supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP party and opposition parties gather. During the rally he said that despite the opposition of the European Union, the people of Turkey supported capital punishment -- meaning that he had a mandate to sign it into the law.

Source: CNN August 08, 2016 07:24 UTC