Witch hunt spreads to courthouse


Date posted: May 13, 2014

ANKARA

The government’s systematic purge of members of the police force after the corruption scandal that became public on Dec. 17, 2013 has now spread to other state institutions, as 200 administrative personnel at the Ankara Courthouse have been reassigned on the grounds that they are members of the “parallel structure.”

Another sweeping purge operation was carried out after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered the profiling of people, on the assumption that sympathizers of the Hizmet movement within the bureaucracy are members of this “parallel state,” in his address to Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies in the province of Afyon on Sunday.

In the latest massive purge operation, a number of judges, prosecutors and even those who served tea and coffee were removed from their posts and reassigned to several other provinces of Turkey on the grounds that they have connections to the “parallel structure.”

Ankara Chief Prosecutor Fethi Şimşek’s secretary was among those who were purged. Prosecutor Şimşek had not been informed of the decision in advance, reports said.

Erdoğan’s government is continuing to harass his opponents, especially people and companies affiliated with the Hizmet movement, inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, for their critical stance against the corruption that has implicated senior government officials.

16,000 prosecutors, judges and administrative personnel have been removed from their posts so far in a series of massive purges.

 

Source: Todays Zaman , May 12, 2014

Tags: | |


Related News

What do people say about corruption, gov’t and Hizmet?

Do you find the corruption operation right? Yes: 60.5 percent. No: 26.5 percent. No answer: 13 percent. Do you believe in claims that some ministers were involved in corruption? Yes: 70.1 percent. No: 16.8 percent. No answer: 13.1 percent. Do you think the government is trying to cover up claims of corruption? Yes: 59.7 percent. No: 29.6 percent. No answer: 10.7 percent.

Pundits: plans to close down Turkish schools abroad arbitrary, political vandalism

Turkish intellectuals are increasingly voicing concerns about the government attempt to close down the Turkish schools that provide an education to thousands of students abroad, saying the move is personally motivated and unwise.

Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Assault on Press Freedom in Turkey Senate Floor

Mr. President, I have spoken many times on the Senate floor in defense of press freedom because it is a fundamental cornerstone of a democratic society. Today I want to briefly draw the Senate’s attention to the situation in Turkey, one of the many countries in the world where this basic right is under threat by officials in the government who seek to silence their critics.

Upholding of Yıldırım’s conviction; another case of ‘significant timing’

Nowadays, Erdoğan is leading a defamation campaign to black out the truth and to distort the facts through the discourses of ‘parallel state,’ ‘there is no corruption; but a coup’ and ‘international conspiracy’.” Çandar then quoted Yıldırım responding to a question asking if he thinks that the Hizmet movement is behind the case against Fenerbahçe, in an interview he recently gave to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), saying: “This is not what I think. This is what the prime minister of the Turkish Republic thinks.”

An open letter to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan

When it is necessary, making objections demonstrates honesty; approving everything is an indication of hypocrisy. So if all these people are saying that this is wrong, listening to them is not a weakness but a virtue. This is what the nation expects from you. Otherwise, it will take forever to heal the wounds that have been inflicted in their hearts. So is it worth it?

Turkey’s trampling of freedoms is Europe’s problem too

Johanna Vuorelma Today’s Turkey is not the same Turkey that I experienced 10 years ago when I first lived there. Those years were filled with optimism, greater civil liberties, significant steps towards democracy, a booming economy and international admiration. Universities had become spaces for critical debates, opening new channels for discussions about some of the […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

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

In Case You Missed It

Turkish schools boost Turkey-Brazil ties

Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen receives Manhae Peace Prize

Gülen speaks to Kurdish paper, renews his support for education in mother tongue

Germany: Turkish Intel’s spy list may be deliberate provocation

World Human Rights Day: Concerns On Hizmet Movement In 38 Countries Raised

64-year-old bedridden woman in 17th month of her imprisonment on “terror” charges

Lawyers, academics say ‘parallel state’ was invented to block graft probe

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News