Turkey’s media watchdog asks Albanian counterpart to restrict Gülen documentary
Date posted: February 2, 2017
The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) head İlhan Yerlikaya has sent a letter to his Albanian counterpart to restrict a documentary titled “Love is a Verb,” saying that the film was broadcasted to make propaganda on behalf of the Gülen movement.
The Audiovisual Media Authority of Albania (AMA) President Gala was asked to take “necessary measures” against PlusHD TV channel that has aired the documentary very recently.
Examining the movement and its affiliations across the world, the documentary was directed by the US-based director Terry Spencer Hesser in 2014.
The letter came days after Turkey has demanded help from Switzerland to pursue critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as part of a bilateral agreement on intelligence sharing between the two countries.
Love is a Verb – Official Trailer
Love Is A Verb is an examination of a social movement of Sufi-inspired Muslims that began in Turkey in the l960s and now spans across the globe. The group is called Hizmet, the Turkish word for “service” or The Gülen Movement after its inspiration and teacher, Fethullah Gülen, a man TIME magazine named as one of the most influential leaders in the world in 2013 for “…preaching a message of tolerance.”
Zaman newspaper: Turkey police raid press offices in Istanbul
Turkish police have raided the offices of Zaman, the country’s biggest newspaper, hours after a court ruling placed it under state control. Police entered the building in Istanbul late on Friday, firing tear gas at protesters who had gathered outside. Zaman is closely linked to the Hizmet movement of influential US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey […]
Detained Gülen school director to ask for asylum to avoid extradition
A detained Gülen school official is asking for asylum in Georgia in order to avoid extradition to Turkey, where he may face brutal and inhumane treatment, according to his lawyers. Georgia detained Mustafa Emre Cabuk in May. He is one of the managers of Demirel private schoool in Tbilisi.
The Shadow Politics of Shadow Education
It is no secret that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has grown wary of the so-called Gulen movement, a faith-based network centered on the charismatic preacher Fethullah Gulen that promotes a mild and modern understanding of Islam. Started in the 1960s, it now runs or influences, through its adherents, a large network of businesses, think tanks, newspapers and television stations — as well as a successful chain of tutorial colleges and private schools.
Alevis voice unease over lack of promised rights at Abant meeting
Alevis have expressed at Abant meeting their uneasiness over pro-government comments claiming that the Gezi Park protests were an “Alevi uprising,” warning against a “dangerous approach that encourages wrong perceptions.” The title of this year’s Abant Platform, which started on Dec. 13, was “Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and a Future Together.” It was organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), a group affiliated with the Gülen Movement.
Police officer reassigned for attending dershane picnic
The Interior Ministry has reassigned police officer H.D., who worked at the National Police Department’s Anti-terrorism Unit in Ankara, on the grounds that he and his child attended a picnic organized by a dershane (private preparatory school) affiliated with the faith-based Hizmet movement.
MGK plan in action
A National Security Council (MGK) plan — dated Aug. 24, 2004, titled the “Plan to Crack Down on the Fethullah Gülen Group in Turkey” and undersigned by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, ministers and military commanders of the time — is already being implemented. Though the government claims it was not put into action, there are several indications to suggest that the MGK plan is in effect.
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
Members of US Congress withstand intense pressure over press freedom letter
Greece Warned Turkey Hours before the 2016 Coup Attempt
German court fines pro-Erdoğan daily for calling Hizmet movement ‘terrorist’
Erdogan is transforming Turkey into a totalitarian prison
EU anti-terror chief: Gülen network not terrorist organization
Conference on Gülen’s thoughts on ideal society being held in Pakistan