AfSV Statement on the Turkish government’s detainment of Kutbettin Gülen


Date posted: October 8, 2016

Alliance for Shared Values issued the following statement on the Turkish government’s detainment of Kutbettin Gülen

News of the detention of Kutbettin Gülen, the brother of Fethullah Gülen, is as unsurprising as it is troubling, and it is yet the latest example of the Turkish government’s persecution of innocent citizens in the wake of the July 15 coup attempt. Kutbettin Gülen, like tens of thousands of others in Turkey, has been detained on trumped-up charges used by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration to silence dissent and cement his autocratic hold on power. Just in the last few days, Erdoğan extended the country’s state of emergency, issued arrest warrants for more than 100 citizens and suspended more than 12,000 police officers, adding to a total of more than 100,000 innocent people systematically detained, jailed or purged.

 About the Alliance for Shared Values

The Alliance for Shared Values (AFSV) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as a voice for dialogue organizations affiliated with Hizmet, a civil society movement inspired by prominent preacher and peace advocate Fethullah Gülen. Based in New York, the Alliance strives to promote peace and to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against any or all ethnic, cultural and religious communities. To learn more about the Alliance please visit www.afsv.org.

About Fethullah Gülen

Fethullah Gülen is an Islamic scholar, preacher and social advocate, whose decades‐long commitment to interfaith tolerance and altruism has inspired millions in Turkey and around the world. Gülen is the honorary chairman of the Rumi Forum, Washington, DC; the Intercultural Dialogue Platform, Brussels, Belgium; and the Foundation of Journalists and Writers, Istanbul, Turkey.

-For legal inquiries, please contact:

Jason Weinstein

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

202-429-8061

jweinstein@Steptoe.com

-For all other inquiries, please contact:

Dr. Y. Alp Aslandogan

Alliance for Shared Values

212-682-4278

media@afsv.org

Source: Alliance for Shared Values , October 4, 2016

Tags: | | | |


Related News

‘Erdoğan fights to eliminate Hizmet movement’

When asked about the issue of Erdoğan’s survival, [CHP Istanbul deputy] Erdoğdu said: “The upcoming presidential election [which is scheduled for Aug. 10] is not the main part of this struggle. He might be elected president and elude the graft investigation. What about his son Bilal and other family members? How can they escape an investigation?

Enes Kanter: Anyone who speaks out against Erdogan is a target. That includes me.

The situation in Turkey has been very bad since a failed coup attempt in 2016. Erdogan unleashed a massive purge, firing more than 100,000 public-sector workers and imprisoning more than 50,000 people. These people are not criminals. They include judges, academics and journalists. Erdogan thinks free speech is dangerous, and he accuses critics of being terrorists.

Truth and reconciliation in post-Erdoğan era

One way to repair the damage dealt by the Erdoğan government in the last couple of years and to provide some form of closure for the dark period of Erdoğan’s third term in government is to set up a truth and reconciliation commission. Without discounting the role of the criminal justice system, a truth commission can be utilized in a complementary role to help citizens move on with their lives in Turkey after colossal wrongdoings in the government.

Bank Asya says it weathers ‘stress test’, still strong

Turkish media say state-owned companies and institutional depositors loyal to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have withdrawn TL 4 billion ($1.79 billion), some 20 percent of the bank’s total deposits, over the last month to try to sink the lender. The government has declined to comment. Bank Asya’s chief executive Ahmet Beyaz said the bank’s founders included sympathizers of cleric Fethullah Gülen, who officials say is behind the corruption investigation posing one of the biggest challenges to Erdoğan’s 11-year rule. But he said the bank was not at risk.

Gov’t inspects Gülen-inspired schools while ignoring run-down state schools

The poor condition of state schools in Turkey was exposed by Today’s Zaman reporters on Monday, who found that despite the government expending considerable resources investigating and raiding private educational institutions sympathetic to the Gülen movement, many state schools fail to meet even basic health and safety standards.

Governmental Robbery – Armenian Deportation

What happened to those goods and money, who consumed those and whose morality did they destroy? Is it lawful and normal for a state to rob its citizens out of their property? Let us say, as you claim, that the Unionists were Freemasons and unbelievers; what happened to you, oh Islamists? Account for this 100 year old robbery.

Latest News

Sacramento leaders gather for Iftar dinner in celebration of Ramadan

SEO Skill Suite: Tools for Keyword Research, Technical & Backlink Analysis

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

In Case You Missed It

Turkey’s leading prep school network rejects claims it cheated on state exams

Prime Minister Erdogan’s Revenge

PM Erdoğan: Internet bill protesters are defenders of immorality

Hizmet’s focus is on serving humanity, not only promoting Turkish

Fethullah Gulen Condemns Brussels Terrorist Attacks

Parents criticize gov’t-led police raids on educational institutions

Turkey deserves a civilian constitution – Cemal Yigit

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News