Government plans to unlawfully take over aid organization

A Kimse Yok Mu volunteer hands out sacrificial meat to Somali refugees taking shelter in a Kenyan refugee camp on Eid al-Adha. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
A Kimse Yok Mu volunteer hands out sacrificial meat to Somali refugees taking shelter in a Kenyan refugee camp on Eid al-Adha. (Photo: Today's Zaman)


Date posted: October 26, 2014

The Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) efforts to undermine the largest aid organization in Turkey, Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?) reached a new level with alleged preparations to dissolve the board of the organization and appoint a trustee instead, although no legal grounds exist for such a move.

Kimse Yok Mu (KYM), which is active in 113 countries, has become a target of the government due to the latter’s aim to punish the Hizmet movement, a grassroots religious and social movement which encouraged the establishment of KYM.

Although the government was not able to find the smallest wrongdoing in the activities of KYM during months-long inspections, as a means of taking over the organization, the government has reportedly instructed bureaucrats to appoint a trustee to replace the existing board.

According to anonymous sources, the board of KYM will be removed by the İstanbul Governor’s Office and the Department of Associations, part of the Ministry of the Interior. The appointment of a trustee is expected to follow. However, according to Article 27 of the Law on Associations, the appointment of a trustee is only possible if there is a crime that mandates prison time. Rumors are that evidence is to be fabricated on the instructions of Minister of Interior Efkan Ala, notorious for such unlawful orders. In a leaked video tape some months ago, Ala allegedly ordered officials to unlawfully detain a journalist by breaking into his home.

Currently, not a single legal complaint has been filed against the executives of KYM. Yet on Sept. 22 the Cabinet issued a decision voiding KYM’s right to collect donations without special permission, a status granted to the organization as one that works for the public good.
The crackdown on KYM is considered by many politicians and pundits as an attempt by the government to silence civil society and decrease the independence of the non-state organizations.

Source: Today's Zaman , October 26, 2014


Related News

Prosecutor files criminal complaint against Gülen for seeking legal rights

Ankara Public Prosecutor Cevat İşlek has filed a criminal complaint against Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen for seeking to bring a lawsuit against Akşam daily columnist Emin Pazarcı for insulting him.

A Match Made in Hell: The Budding Bromance of Trump and Erdogan

Can two power-hungry egomaniacs forge a lasting alliance? Much depends on an extradition request, and whether Trump will continue the alliance with Syria’s Kurds.

Turkish intelligence staged a rocket attack on Erdoğan’s palace to rally public support

Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) appears to have staged a rocket attack on the palace of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan three days after a failed coup in order to bolster the perception that the threat of a putschist attempt was still alive and to rally public support for the government.

Turkish minister’s leaked emails show pro-gov’t figure has eye on Gülen-linked dormitory

Leaked emails of Turkey’s energy minister and son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Berat Albayrak, have revealed plans by a pro-government figure to assume ownership of a dormitory in Kayseri province that used to be operated by the Gülen movement but was closed down by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.

Opposition journalists speak at U.N. panel on Turkey’s human rights record

Two exiled Turkish journalists spoke on a United Nations human rights panel on Turkey’s human rights violations and jailed journalists despite attempts by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cancel the session.

Kimse Yok Mu providing assistance to Ebola victims in Guinea

Turkish aid organization Kimse Yok Mu has been supplying medical aid to Guinea since March, when the lethal Ebola virus struck the West African country, claiming 122 lives to date.

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

Islamic scholar Gülen urges followers to remain calm in face of insults

‘Turkish schools are excellent good will ambassadors for Turkey’

Turkey’s ‘terrorists’ active in India. But who are they really?

I am a teacher, not a terrorist

Clash of the Anatolian Tigers

Nigeria: When Hearts Converged Through the Language Festival

Erdogan’s ego eclipses Pakistan-Turkey ties

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News