Turkish court: There is no Gulen terror organization


Date posted: October 2, 2016

The 2nd Criminal Court in the southern province of Hatay rejected an indictment prepared about the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), a term used by the Turkish government to describe the Gülen movement, saying that there is no such a terrorist organization officially identified.

Office of Hatay Chief Public Prosecutor prepared an indictment about N.K. who is currently under arrest over charges of being member to (FETÖ) and Parallel State Structure (PDY).

Judges unanimously voted against the indictment and rejected it, citing that there is no officially designated terrorist organization such as (FETÖ). The judges also said reference to use of ByLock application by N.K. cannot be accepted as evidence of terrorist organization membership.

The court ruling may set a precedent for similar cases given government’s massive purges and crackdown targeting the movement. But when two judges decided to release police officers and chairman of a television channel last year over lack of concrete evidence for wrongdoing, top judicial body HSYK dismissed them. The judges were later jailed over ruling to release detained police officers.

How the government will react to the decision by Hatay court remains to be seen.

The government blames Gülen for the coup attempt on July 15. The US-based Islamic scholar rejects any link to the attempted coup. Since July, the government has either dismissed or sacked more than 100,000 public officials over alleged links to the movement.

Source: Turkish Minute , October 2, 2016

Tags: | | | |


Related News

U.S. schools are indirectly linked to preacher, often well-regarded

Even before the revolt, this network was already in Erdogan’s sights. Critics say Gulen gets payments from supporters doing contract work on the schools or from “donations” made by Turkish instructors brought to the U.S. on special visas to teach at them, charges he has rejected. Several charter chains thought to be related to the Gulen movement have been investigated by local authorities for misusing taxpayer dollars, but the inquiries haven’t resulted in charges of wrong doing.

Turkey’s anti-Gulen crackdown continues with Yemeni students after Nigerians

Turkish authorities have deported 5 Yemeni students at official universities which the authorities have recently shut down for links with US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Tens of Yemeni students in Turkey are facing the risk of deportation for being students at universities administered by Fethullah Gulen’s movement.

Five global challenges: how might Hizmet respond?

Hizmet, the social movement inspired by the neo-Sufi thinker Fetullah Gülen, is currently being dismembered by the autocratic president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He accuses Gülen of ordering a coup attempt on 15th July 2016, saying it was was led by Hizmet members in the army.

Strategic defamation by Stratfor

Abdulhamit Bilici, March 18, 2012 (originally published on September 2, 2010) A few weeks ago, an American researcher by the name of Reva Bhalla came to visit us upon a reference from a good friend of ours. He told us that he was researching political inclinations in Turkey on behalf of the Stratfor intelligence firm. […]

UNESCO Global Monitoring Report and Turkish Schools

The Turkish schools around the world offers practical perspectives and practices in redefining “the human” and his needs, reintegrating him into society, overcoming the physical and methodological obstacles to education and leading a robust performance in the path to global peace. Although the report correlates the education crisis at first glance with poverty and social background, education remains as the number-one problem, in a varying extent, in the developed countries as well. What needs to be done is to convey how the Turkish schools are tackling or minimizing many educational problems and, finally, to find out what aspects of the schools’ methods can apply to public schools.

Hizmet is not a terror group, they embraces the entire human family

I’m saddened to hear that the Hizmet Movement here is being categorized as a terror group. To classify them as terrorists in any form is a great misrepresentation. And I consider it a privilege and an honor to be associated with them and to be part of the brotherhood. They’re a benefit to the Muslim community and humanity as a whole.

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 International Justice Conference Hailed A Major Success

Corruption or spies?

Would you buy me a pair of eyes on Valentine’s Day?

An interview at a party-state

PM Erdoğan also slammed me for my questions on Uludere, says journalist

Australian PM praises int’l language festival’s contribution to peace

Yobe, Turkish Institutions Team Up To Boost Education

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News