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

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Diverging points between AKP and Hizmet movement: Kurdish question

The fundamental difference Popp observed is that while the government has been trying to persuade the PKK to lay down its guns, the Gulen movement goes one step further and works to remove the social and cultural problems that caused the Kurdish problem.

‘Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons’

Erdoğan has believed that Mr. Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet movement are the only ones left that could challenge his power and prevent him from becoming president.

Complainant says he was ‘fooled,’ apologizes to suspects in trial targeting Gülen followers

Thirteen suspects who were detained as part of an operation targeting followers of the Gülen movement in the central province of Sivas were released after the complainant in the case apologized to them at court and withdrew his complaint, saying he was “forced” by some to launch the case.

Leak deepens AKP-Gulen rift

Tulin Daloglu The rift between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the prestigious Fethullah Gulen religious movement hit the surface last week. On Nov. 28, Mehmet Baransu of Taraf published a copy of a National Security Council (NSC) advisory ruling under the headline: “Measures needed to be taken to counter activities by the Fethullah Gulen group.” In January […]

Six Turks arrested in Kosovo over Gulen links extradited to Turkey

Six Turkish nationals arrested in Kosovo over links to schools financed by the Fethullah Gulen movement that Ankara blames for a failed 2016 coup have been extradited to Turkey.

Gülen’s lawyer to sue daily Sabah over black propaganda

Gülen’s lawyer, Nurullah Albayrak, will file a legal complaint in Ankara against the daily on Monday for violating the confidentiality of communication according to Article 132 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) and for insult according to Article 125 of the TCK.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Think over extradition request [for Gulen] with care

Peace Islands Institute Massachusetts Fifth Annual Friendship and Awards Dinner

Reuben Abati: Let’s Talk Turkey About Turkey

Fethullah Gulen: ISIL Actions, Disgrace to Faith

The responsibility of the Hizmet movement

Has Turkey arrested Christian to exchange for Fethullah Gülen?

Turkish NGO in Cambodia Denies Links to Terror

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News