Retired on disability, former bomb disposal expert kept in jail for a month over Gülen links


Date posted: January 25, 2017

Bilal Konakçı, a former bomb disposal expert for the İzmir Police Department who was retired after he lost his right hand and both eyes while trying to dispose of a bomb in 2009, was detained on Dec. 20 over links to the faith-based Gülen movement, and his wife is worried about his health as authorities refuse to allow the family to contact him.

Konakçı’s wife Özlem, in a letter to Yeni Çağ daily columnist Ahmet Takan on Tuesday, said that her husband cannot see to his daily needs as he lost two eyes and a hand in a bomb explosion, a disability that was confirmed in a state hospital report.

After 21 days in detention, Konakçı was arrested by a court in İzmir on Jan. 10 and has been kept in a prison in İzmir’s Menemen district since then.

“During his hearing on Jan. 10, lawyer who was appointed by the İzmir Bar Association didn’t come to defend my husband. After the court appointed another lawyer who had no information about his defense, he was arrested,” wife said.

Asking for Takan’s help in reaching the relevant authorities to get her husband out of prison, Özlem Konakçı said that their 13-year-old daughter doesn’t speak to anyone and their 3-year-old daughter waits for her father to return.

“I worked hard to bring my elder daughter and my husband out of depression after he lost his hand and eyes in the bomb explosion in 2009. Everything was just getting back to normal; however, he was imprisoned on allegations of things he was never involved in,” she said.

“How can a man who is blind, cannot use his hands and has difficulty walking eat and go to the toilet alone? How can he take care of his daily needs? How can he wash his clothes?” she added.

Source: Turkey Purge , January 25, 2017

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Mother of 2 detained while visiting jailed husband during Eid holiday

42-year-old Ozen Alkan was detainedon Monday, June 26 while she was visiting her husband, already under arrest over his alleged links to the Gulen movement. It was the second day of Muslim festival of Eid-Al-Fitr on Monday.

Turkish Islamic scholar Gülen rejects any link to graft probe

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has rejected any link to an ongoing corruption probe in which 52 people, including well-known businessmen, the sons of three ministers, and a number of advisors, have been detained as part of a major investigation into alleged bribery linked to public tenders. Gülen strongly denied allegations that the probe was launched as part of a row between the government and the Hizmet movement.

Documents expose plot to hold Hizmet responsible for KPSS cheating

The Zaman daily has published documents which reveal that a plot was devised to unjustly hold the members of the Hizmet Movement responsible for a cheating scandal at the State Personnel Examination (KPSS) in 2010.

GYV slams government attempt to silence critics with recent measures

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) expresses that the interim Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government is continuing to use terror cases in an attempt to silence critical press.

Turkey- the state versus the people

Using the failed military coup attempt on July 15 as a pretext, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan orchestrated a huge purge of more than 100,000 people from the civil service without bothering to implement administrative or judicial investigations.

Washington Post: Biden needs to give Turkey’s Erdogan some tough advice

Mr. Biden ought to candidly tell his host that the US did not instigate the coup and that it will not relinquish Mr. Gulen to a witchhunt. Mr. Erdogan may not want to hear it, but he also should be reminded that crushing the rule of law will dim Turkey’s prospects. Mr. Erdogan may bask in the crowds today, but using the coup as a pretext to purge the media, academia and other spheres of independent voices will not strengthen the nation in the long run.

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

How does PM Erdoğan hurt the liberal pious of Turkey?

Turkey’s media watchdog asks Albanian counterpart to restrict Gülen documentary

Laughter-guaranteed terrorist organization indictment

81-year-old man sentenced to 10 years in jail over Gulen link

Interview with Henri Barkey on the Hizmet Movement

Palauan President: We would like to participate in Turkish Language Olympics

Neither conservative nor democrat

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News