Extraditing Gülen: A smart move for the PM?


Date posted: March 8, 2014

CİHAN ÇELİK

In the latest salvo in his battle for his political life, the Turkish prime minister has started to threaten to bring U.S.-based scholar Fetullah Gülen back to Turkey to face a possible criminal case for his alleged role in what the premier called a “civilian coup plot” attempt. In legal terms, there has been no legal investigation or arrest warrant for Gülen, whose Hizmet (Service) Movement has waged a fierce war against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government via a massive corruption scandal.

After all, the prime minister’s move is politically motivated and aims at showing to his supporters as well as his enemies that he is still strong enough and in charge of the country, which has been apparently governed by the “Hizmet parallel state,” not by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Erdoğan suggested that the U.S. administration is not cool on extraditing Gülen, but it is his version of the story and, for now, it highly unlikely to see Gülen on a plane en route to Turkey.

That being said, the wisdom behind the idea of bringing Gülen back to Turkey is also highly questionable. By putting an old but influential figure on trial, the AKP government might create a “new hero,” who would become more powerful and dangerous for its rule.

With the huge support of Gülen and his Hizmet followers, the AKP government for years led a judicial campaign that saw military personnel, including senior soldiers, before judges; doing the same for Gülen risks backfiring on the prime minister. Moreover, Erdoğan would lose another one of his cherished pieces of political ammunition: Playing the victim.

Since coming to power, the prime minister has been using how he and Turkey’s conservative half have suffered under military juntas to cement support for his party. The policy of playing the victim, indeed, worked and Erdoğan’s rule eventually became unquestionable. However, it was Gülen and his Hizmet Movement who sent tremors to the epicenter of his rule and keeping the enemy closer than a friend does not always entail victory in every fight.

Besides, Erdoğan already has a legitimacy problem, at least in the other half of the country, which has not voted for him in the course of his 11 years in power. The fear threshold created by the prime minister throughout his rule seems to have been effectively overcome and criticism against him, which was a taboo, has slowly become louder recently.

On the other side, publishing nearly identical front pages or broadcasting nearly day-long coverage about the PM, pro-government media has reversed the ethical codes and called on others to pick sides, preferably with Erdoğan. It would be a tough choice to pick his side considering the dirt spread out in the graft case, and the new trend is to speak against him, not in favor of him.

Against the rising criticism against him, the prime minister is setting the upcoming local elections as a task that will somehow acquit him of the corruption allegations and strike into the heart of the plot against his government. Even if his AKP is the first party in the elections, that would not mean that he and his officials are all clear.

But those familiar with his aggressive rhetoric and policies must be sure that he will continue to play the victim who yet again survived and is now coming for his revenge. That’s why he settled for only a huge reshuffle campaign, mainly in the security forces. The purge was unseen but the wave will be much bigger after the March 30 elections.

That’s why the prime minister has started voicing plans to extradite Gülen back to Turkey in a threat to his followers, not to the scholar himself. The prime minister is also calling on them to pick a side before his last stand against the movement.

Source: Hurriyet Daily , March 8, 2014


Related News

Persecution In Turkey Left Kids With A Down Syndrome Suffering Tremendously

The unrelenting witch-hunt persecution against critics and opponents in Turkey by county’s Islamist rulers knows no boundaries when it comes to traumatizing kids and babies whose parents were dragged to jail on false charges.

For first time, Fethullah Gülen curses purge of police officials in emotional speech

Fethullah Gülen has cursed those responsible for a purge of police officials involved in a corruption investigation. Turkish PM Tayyip Erdoğan has called the detention of scores of people seen as close to the government a “dirty operation” aimed at undermining his rule. Erdoğan has refrained from naming Gülen as the hand behind the investigation and he referred to an “illegal gang within the state” and systematically purged officials, including journalists in public broadcasters.

Fate of preparatory courses

Zaman’s Hüseyin Gülerce denied allegations that there is tension between the government and Hizmet movement due to government’s steps to bring an end to these preparatory courses, saying that Hizmet does not own all preparatory course schools in the country. What bothers members of Hizmet is that the government has not given a clear or reasonable explanation as to why they are taking these steps, Gülerce said.

Gülen lawyers file complaint against prosecutors over wrongful probe

Lawyers representing Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen have filed a complaint against two İstanbul prosecutors who are conducting an investigation into their client, accusing them of violating procedural rules in the manner the probe is being conducted. The prosecutors have also lied on many occasions in writing, according to Gülen’s lawyers, who say that the prosecutors […]

GYV calls on President Gül to investigate interference with judiciary

Yeşil said the GYV is calling on Gül to take action to prevent these risks to the constitutional order, the separation of powers, checks and balances, the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. He said: “The public expects him [Gül] to use his powers and authorities under the Constitution to investigate the interventions that sought to render the law dysfunctional, in terms of the graft and bribery investigations.

I am afraid 2012 will not be easy

Emre Uslu, Friday January 20, 2012 When the Justice and Development Party (AKP) received 50 percent of the votes in the 2011 election and came to power by promising to make a new constitution, expectations were raised to expect a transformation of the system. But if you consider the aftermath of the elections, one cannot […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Hizmet Essay Contest 2015

Today’s Zaman praised for quality coverage on 6th anniversary

2-month-old denied breast milk for 17 days while under detention with mother

The Gülen Effect: Filipino Muslims, Christians connect for peace

Message of tolerance, peace expressed at GYV’s fast-breaking dinner

An open letter to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan

EU’s Flautre says PM Erdoğan’s harsh words against Hizmet not acceptable

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News