Turkey Continues Its Witch Hunt Against Gülen Followers

Photos of the individuals arrested and detained. Source: Turkish Minute.
Photos of the individuals arrested and detained. Source: Turkish Minute.


Date posted: September 3, 2016

MICHAEL VAN DER GALIEN

The purges continue unabated in Turkey. On Friday, 218 individuals were arrested on charges of being members of a terrorist organization. Another 421 were detained.

These arrests and detentions took place more than 6 weeks after the Turkish military staged a failed coup. In the meantime, not only the military officers responsible for the coup have been arrested, but the same goes for many others: people who had absolutely nothing to do with the coup, but who are simply accused of sympathizing with Fethullah Gülen, the Islamic scholar Turkey says masterminded the coup.

In what’s becoming a repetitive story, a host of journalists, lawyers, teachers and civil servants were among those arrested by the authorities.

All in all, more than 41,000 people have been detained in recent weeks, and more than 22,000 individuals were arrested. According to the latest reports, a sum total of 130,000 people have lost their jobs.

Source: PJ Media , SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

Tags: | | |


Related News

Calls to boycott Hizmet institutions denting market confidence

Calls that have been made over a period of several months by top government officials, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to boycott schools and institutions run by the Hizmet movement will undermine confidence in Turkish markets, a recent report has said.

Who is Fethullah Gülen, why is the Gülen movement currently being targeted by the Turkish government?

since 2010 the movement and Fethullah Gülen himself have been critical of the authoritarian tendencies in Turkey. It was noticeable during the Gezi Park protests in 2013. The movement began to belong to the increasingly long list of state enemies, according to Erdoğan and the AKP politicians. Different kinds of actions have been directed since then against a so called “parallel state.”

66 U.S. senators sign letter asking Turkey to release Pastor Andrew Brunson

The letter, signed by 43 Republicans and 23 Democrats, warned that the U.S. may decide to take unspecified measures” to ensure that Turkish government “respects the rights” of U.S. citizens to remain in Turkey without fear of being persecuted.

EU lends support to mosque-cemevi project

The European Union, which has been closely following the rights of Alevis in Turkey for years, has lent its support to a mosque-cemevi project to be built in Ankara. The European Commission said it supported dialogue that led to mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence, calling these principles the “hallmark of the EU.” Peter Stano, the spokesperson […]

Erdoğan calls on US to extradite Gülen in return for jailed US pastor in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called on the US to extradite Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in return for releasing American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been jailed in Turkey since October 2016.

Turkish woman returned to prison immediately after giving birth

Yasemin Baltacı, who was arrested over her alleged links to the Gülen movement just two weeks before the end of her pregnancy, was reportedly returned to Manisa Prison immediately after giving birth in a hospital in Tarsus on Saturday.

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

The Future of Islamic Civilization in A Globalizing World

Globalization and the Hizmet movement

IFLC’s ‘colors of the world’ welcomed at European Parliament

Turkey, The great purge – Four lives upturned by Erdogan’s ‘cleansing.’ Episode 3 – Omer

Woman says husband abducted after losing job in post-coup crackdown

What is behind the schools associated with Gülen?

Whistleblower Fuat Avni: Gov’t to plant weapons in Hizmet buildings to declare it terrorist group

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News