Policeman, teacher wife and premature baby under arrest over Gülen links


Date posted: June 19, 2017

Fatma Cetin, an Erzurum teacher who was earlier dismissed from public school as part of the government’s post-coup crackdown against the Gülen movement, has been under arrest along with her premature baby, Sozcu columnist Emin Colasan revealed.

Cetin’s husband, who had been dismissed as a police officer over similar charges, was also imprisoned 11 months ago.

“Dear Mr. Emin, I am writing this letter to you from Erzurum Closed Prison. If you get the letter, please read every line of it very carefully. Because, it will show the pain deep inside me. I can’t make our voices heard otherwise,” Colasan published Fatma’s letter in his Sunday column.

“When my husband was arrested [in July, 2016], I was 7-month-old pregnant. The baby’s development slowed down due to the stress we experienced and I had to give birth to a premature baby in the 8th month of my pregnancy. My baby spent some time in an incubator.

“Difficulties were yet to simmer down. While I was on maternity leave, I was also suspended as a teacher on Oct 13 and ultimately dismissed on Feb 7. After nearly two months, I was arrested on membership to FETO. I took along my premature infant only a week after my arrest.”

FETO stands for alleged Fethullahist Terrorist Organization, which the government coined to label the Gulen movement terrorist. The government accuses the movement of being behing the July 15, 2016 coup attempt while the latter denies involvement.

“As I lived apart from my baby for a week, I poured my breast milk to washbasin in cries. You can imagine how hard this would be for a mother.”

Fatma also shared details on daily routine in prison: “30 people live in an 8-person-holding cell. The 29th person was 4-year-old Hasan and 30th was my baby, Melek. There is no space to move in the holding cell where every corner is occupied by bunk beds. Even when you whisper, you can’t someone else hearing it and my baby is not able to sleep regularly. She is also forced to eat from the menu adults were provided in jail. She has even no space to crawl. And, I am not gonna go into details about hygiene in prison as we, 30 people, all use the same bathroom and washroom.”

“We an elementary family of three and all of us including my baby are under arrest. What role would I have played in the coup attempt when I was 7-month-pregnant to a baby that we wanted to have for three years. Was the pencil that I use as a teacher considered as a weapon?” she concluded.

 

Source: Turkey Purge , June 18, 2017

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Zaman reporter says won’t leave her job on PM’s orders

Zaman correspondent Tuğba Mezararkalı, who was told by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to change her job and leave the Zaman daily during a press conference held on Friday, has said Erdoğan is clearly intervening in freedom of the press, stating she did not begin her job in Zaman, where she has been working for four years, on the prime minister’s orders and would not leave her job on his orders as well.

In Greece, Turks tell of lives full of fear in Recep Erdogan’s Turkey

Dominika Spyratou of the Greek NGO SolidarityNow, which provides assistance to refugees, says that more than 1,000 Turkish citizens came to Greece seeking asylum after the July 2016 failed coup, while almost 300 Turkish families are now in Thessaloniki.

Erdogan’s Turkey: ‘You are either with us or you are terrorists’

Despite Erdoğan’s ‘terrorist’ label, the West looks at actions and concrete evidence rather than just words. Hizmet movement participants have not been involved in one single violent incident throughout the movement’s 50-year history.

Obama is the real turkey in this scenario

Erdogan also made a statement, calling the president of the United States “Barack,” before launching into one of his usual self-serving rants. Typical of a violent Islamist appropriating the moral high ground, the Turkish president agreed that fighting terrorism is of utmost importance. But the “terrorists” to whom he mainly referred were Gulen and the Kurds.

Was prime minister able to convince the EU?

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan makes all of his political reinforcement in the judicial system. He uses all his political power, charisma and charm to block the corruption probes. For this reason, instead of convincing the EU, he tries to secure a temporary peace so that he can finish his job.

Afghan-Turk Teachers Call Their Extradition Illegal

Following government’s move to arrest three teachers from Afghan-Turk Schools, other staff members said they are refugees in Afghanistan and that their extradition to Turkey by the Afghan government is illegal.

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

Victim: We are being a subject to genocide

US avoids commenting on Gülen’s extradition

4-year-old visits dad in jail on Children’s Day wearing T-shirt with newborn brother’s picture

Opposition, diplomats slam gov’t attempt to shut down Turkish schools

Radio Sweden exposes Turkish Gov’t tracks down regime critics in Sweden, threatens to take wives as hostages

Kimse Yok Mu helps flood victims in Tajikistan

Washington Post on Erdoğan’s purge: Cruel frenzy in march towards authoritarianism

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News