‘Erdoğan signed MGK decisions to curb Gülen movement that Ecevit resisted’


Date posted: May 14, 2015

Democratic Left Party (DSP) Chairman Masum Türker has said that controversial decisions made by the National Security Council (MGK) to curb the activities of the Gülen movement were ignored by former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit in 2000 but signed by then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 25, 2004.

“Mr. Bülent Ecevit chose not to sign [into law] the decisions made by the MGK on the grounds that [the decisions] limited freedoms, but Mr. Erdoğan signed them. According to these documents, the Gülen movement [also known as the Hizmet movement and inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen], the Nur movement, the Kadiri movement, the Nakşi movement, the Süleymancılar community and many others were found guilty [of breaking the law]. In other words, those who created the [Justice and Development Party] AK Party were guilty. The Gülen movement is/was the first to notice that,” Türker said during a visit on Tuesday to the western province of Denizli as part of his party’s campaign ahead of the June 7 general election.

Türker’s claims were previously verified by a leaked two-page document that was published in the Taraf daily on Nov. 28, 2013. According to the document, the MGK decision was signed on Aug. 25, 2004 by then-Prime Minister Erdoğan, then-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, then-President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Cabinet members, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök, Land Forces Commander Gen. Aytaç Yalman, Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek, Air Forces Commander Gen. İbrahim Fırtına and former Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Şener Eruygur.

The document, identified as MGK Decision No. 481, asked the government to develop an action plan to pursue the MGK’s recommendations and instructed the Prime Ministry Implementation and Monitoring Coordination Council (BUTKK) to coordinate the ministries and monitor whether the steps were being implemented.

The MGK’s decision also urged the Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) to closely monitor and report on the activities of the Gülen movement at home and abroad. It advises the government to instruct the Interior Ministry and Ministry of Education to investigate and monitor schools affiliated with the Gülen movement and report their activities to the BTK.

The MGK, which was seen as a shadow government, especially during the 1990s, is the highest state body created by the 1960 military coup. The military became part of the executive branch through the MGK, joining the president and a committee of ministers. It became the final authority in decisions on a wide range of issues, including law, the economy, education, rights and freedoms. Though its decisions were expressed as advice on paper, they were treated as direct orders by the government.

Türker also said that the government decided to close down prep schools — institutes known as “dershanes” that help Turkish students prepare for standardized high school and college entrance exams — in the year 2010 but kept it a secret until 2013.

In a surprise move, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) decided in November 2013 to shut down the prep schools, stirring a massive debate. These schools, with their affordable fees, are regarded by middle and lower-income families to be an equalizing force when it comes to seeking a better education for their children. The AK Party’s bill was put to a vote and passed by Parliament on March 7, 2014, and signed into law by then-President Abdullah Gül on March 12. The law states that prep schools will be allowed to operate until Sept. 1, 2015, though some have already been pushed out of operation.

Source: Today's Zaman , May 13, 2015


Related News

Turkey Should Protect All Prisoners from Pandemic

Terrorism may sound like the gravest of offenses, but in Turkey, the government misuses the charge for political ends. Many inmates are placed in lengthy pretrial detention or sentenced without evidence.

Interview with Kimse Yok Mu Foundation’s President Ismail Cingoz

Kimse Yok Mu Foundation (KYM) President Ismail Cingoz spoke on Turkey’s helping hand extending to the world: “We involve approximately 10 thousand volunteers in our efforts. We have 97 thousand families that we have been consistently providing aid for. We are active in 103 countries regardless of their ethnicity, language, faith or color.” We talked […]

Turkish court orders 81-year-old man to stay behind bars on coup charges

A Turkish court has ruled for a continuation of the arrest of an 81-year-old Turkish man with walking and speaking difficulties, several Turkish media outlets reported.

Turkish authorities deny release to critically ill cancer patient arrested on Gülen links

Yusuf Özmen, who was arrested in March to serve a sentence on a Gülen-linked conviction despite having stage 4 cancer, remains in prison despite a medical report saying he is almost totally disabled.

SCF Reveals Mass Torture And Abuse In An Unofficial Detention Facility In Turkey’s Capital

“I heard all kinds of curse and swearing against my family during the interrogation. They threatened me with raping my family members. I saw one man who had a black eye on his eyes. I witnessed another man as having difficulty in walking because police shoved a baton into his anus. So many victims have marks in their bodies from abuse and torture.”

“1915” by Prof. Ihsan Yilmaz (1)

One can draw parallels with the Kurdish Question here. Similar to Armenian gangs’ massacres in Muslim villages, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has also been engaged in terrorism against civilians and has been bombing cities, shopping malls, mosques and schools. But we all agree that all of these do not justify a state repression of all Kurds or their forced relocation, etc.

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

The hype about the Gülen Movement

Erdoğan’s African mission and dismantling Turkish schools

Crackdown on journalists leaves void in post-coup Turkey

Japanese students assist Syrian refugees in Turkey

Educational unions lash out against gov’t-backed school raids

The Turkish School in Kathmandu made a dream come true

Turkish Cultural Center co-hosts Iftar at Westchester Reform Temple

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News