An İstanbul-based lawyer filed a criminal complaint on Wednesday against Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, with allegations such as the establishment of a criminal organization, organizing an attempt to overthrow the government, organized fraud and abuse of duty as a civil servant.
Lawyer Hüdaverdi Yıldırım submitted a petition to the İstanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office in which he accused Gülen of being behind the corruption scandal that came to public attention on Dec. 17 of last year. Claiming that the graft probe is not about corruption and bribery but about overthrowing a legitimate government, Yıldırım argued that those who emphasize the independence of the judiciary are actually asking for privileged status for the ideology of their community — by which Yıldırım meant the Hizmet movement.
Yıldırım also claimed that Gülen is guilty of using his influence over public prosecutors to make them target the government.
The Hizmet movement is a religious and social movement that is inspired by the teaching of US-based scholar Gülen.
Turkey’s attempted coup shocked an already tense society. At least 240 people were killed, and the country narrowly averted a disastrous military takeover. The plot was led in part by followers of the Gulen movement, a secretive Muslim sect that runs a global network of schools, charities and businesses and has infiltrated the Turkish state. It is only natural that Turks should be determined to identify and punish the conspirators.
Turkish minister’s leaked email shows trustees to Gulen affliated organizations not appointed by courts
In the email Ahmet Özal says: “Definitely, trustees will be appointed to Turgut Özal University. … I think the esteemed president will also be happy if I cleanse Turgut Özal University [of Gülen sympathizers] and end the association between that community and my father’s name. I would be very pleased if you could convey this issue to the president [Erdogan] and help me get his support and approval.”
The turmoil in Turkey – The terror threat is real and is made worse by Erdogan’s paranoia
Mr. Erdogan’s own Islamist and autocratic tendencies have also compounded the country’s vulnerability. Since an attempted coup last summer, the President has purged thousands of police officers and soldiers, and the resulting talent and resources gap may have damaged Ankara’s counterterror capabilities.
Kimse Yok Mu distributes aid to Syrian refugees
As Turkey is trying to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have taken shelter in Turkey from the war in Syria, charity organizations have scrambled to launch massive aid campaigns to lend a hand to the embattled refugees, with Kimse Yok Mu providing food and aid for 2,500 Syrians in İstanbul every week.
Detained woman, newborn baby transferred to police station 240 km away from home
Detained hours after giving birth at a private hospital in İstanbul early on Tuesday, Ayşe Kaya has been transferred to a police station in Edirne, a northwestern province some 240 kilometers away from home.
34,000 teachers, 5,882 academics, 1,372 university employees dismissed since July 15, 2016
A total of 34,000 teachers have been dismissed along with 5,882 academics and 1,372 administrative personnel at universities as part of the Turkish government’s post-coup crackdown, a recent report said.
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