73-year-old says looking after grandchildren as daughter, son-in-law behind bars
Date posted: August 30, 2017
The 73-year-old mother of jailed teacher, Ayşe Çakır, says she has been left to look after her grandchildren after the government imprisoned her daughter as well as the son-in-law.
“A year ago, my daughter gave birth to her child. As soon as her husband drove them home, they arrested him. It has been a year that no trial was held for him. He has been waiting all along. Now they jailed my daughter too,” she said in a video recording recently shared on social media.
Çakır was detained as part of a Mugla-based investigation into the Gulen movement, which the government accuses of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, on Aug 7, this year. She was subsequently put in pretrial arrest.
Turkey Continues Its Witch Hunt Against Gülen Followers
The arrests and detentions took place more than 6 weeks after the Turkish military staged a failed coup. But people who had absolutely nothing to do with the coup, who are simply accused of sympathizing with Fethullah Gülen, were also arrested. In what’s becoming a repetitive story, a host of journalists, lawyers, teachers and civil servants were among those arrested by the authorities.
Individuals can force change
Instead of Erdoğan’s accusations that the Hizmet movement had plotted to unseat his government, couldn’t it have been a handful of good men and women within the bureaucracy, i.e., the judiciary and the police, who leaked the investigation documents on Dec. 17 to the public to prevent these crimes from being covered up?
Turkey seizes billions of dollars worth 691 companies over alleged ties to Gülen movement
The state-run Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) has announced that a total of 691 companies, some of whose assets are worth billions of dollars, have been seized by the government due to alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement. The government has been confiscating the private property of non-loyalist businesspeople without due process on unsubstantiated charges of terrorist links.
Bosnian court denies Turkish extradition request for alleged Gülen follower
A Bosnian court has dismissed a request for extradition to Turkey of a Turkish national, one among several wanted for alleged links to the Gülen movement, which Ankara blames for a failed coup in Turkey in 2016, Reuters reported.
Qatar deports 45 Turkish nationals over Gülen links
Pro-government Sabah daily newspaper claimed on Saturday that 45 Turkish nationals were deported from Qatar for having links to the Gulen movement. The daily said two of those 45 people — academic Zekeriya Özşevik and his wife Derya Özşevik — were detained upon their arrival to Istanbul, giving no detail about the whereabouts of the others.
Alevis and Sunnis to Search for Peace and a Future Together at Abant Meeting
Upcoming 30th meeting of the Abant Platform will search for a peaceful common future for Alevis and Sunnis who have been living peacefully together in Anatolia despite external provocations and some unwanted interruptions. The coexistence in the past promises hope for future. The meeting is themed as “Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and a Future Together,” which will be attended by intellectuals who will also be part of the solution.
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