Germany Declines Turkish Request to Freeze Gulen Assets


Date posted: September 2, 2017

BERLIN — Germany has rejected a formal request from Turkey to freeze assets of members of the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of orchestrating last year’s failed coup, Germany’s Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday.

The move is likely to worsen already strained ties between the two NATO allies after Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday Germany should react decisively to Turkey’s detention of two more German citizens on political charges.

Without naming its sources, the magazine said the Turkish government had asked the Foreign Ministry in Berlin at the end of April to freeze the assets of the Gulen organisation and its members in Germany. It attached a list with 80 names, it said.

The German government officially rejected the request at the end of June, telling Ankara there were no legal grounds for Germany’s financial watchdog BaFin to crack down on the Gulen movement and its supporters, the report said.

The Foreign Ministry in Berlin declined to comment.


Germany has rejected a formal request from Turkey to freeze assets of members of the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The German government officially rejected the request at the end of June, telling Ankara there were no legal grounds for Germany’s financial watchdog BaFin to crack down on the Gulen movement and its supporters.


The report also said that the number of Turkish extradition requests sent to Germany had jumped to 53 since the beginning of the year, already exceeding the total in the whole of 2016.

Turkey’s private Dogan news agency said Turkish authorities had detained two German nationals on Thursday over suspected links to last year’s failed coup attempt.

Dogan said the two German citizens of Turkish origin were detained at the Antalya airport, a popular Mediterranean tourist destination, over alleged links to the Gulen organisation.

It said the two suspects, identified only as K.A. and S.A., were transferred to the provincial police headquarters.

Turkish officials were not immediately available for comment, with the celebrations for the Muslim festival of Eid causing delays in contacting officials.

Twelve German citizens are now in Turkish detention on political charges, four of them holding dual citizenship. Among these is German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who will have been in detention 200 days on Friday.

The detentions have further strained ties between Germany and Turkey after relations hit a low when President Tayyip Erdogan said Merkel’s Christian Democrats were enemies of Turkey and called on Turks in Germany to vote against major parties in this month’s elections.

Social Democrat Martin Schulz, Merkel’s main challenger in Sept. 24 elections, and other German politicians have urged the German government to issue a formal travel warning to raise the pressure on Turkey.

Such a step could mark a significant setback for Turkey, which already saw the number of foreign visitors drop to its lowest level in nine years last year. Bookings from Germany accounted for some 10 percent of Turkey’s tourists this year.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber and Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Editing by Ros Russell)

Source: New York Times , September 2, 2017


Related News

Detained woman, newborn baby transferred to prison 1,291 km away from home

Detained in the southern province of Isparta, Turkey, as part of a post-coup investigation, a woman, identified with initials Ö.A., has been transferred to a prison 1,291 kilometers away from home. Her 6-mont-old baby reportedly accompanied her under detention as her husband was already in jail as part of an investigation in the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

Teacher tortured to death by Turkish police found innocent, reinstated to job

Teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu, who was tortured to death while in police custody in the wake of a coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016 over alleged membership in the faith-based Gülen movement, was found innocent one-and-a-half years later and “reinstated” to his job.

Turkey’s post-coup brain drain

Bekir Cinar was working as an assistant professor at the political sciences department of Suleyman Sah University when it fell victim to the crackdown. He says that many academics with different views were working at the university. Cinar is currently continuing his scientific work at a British university. He considers this a major loss for Turkey, not least because it takes 20 to 30 years to become an academic.

Refugee mother overjoyed after reuniting with daughters

“There are many Turkish refugees in Canada in the same situation and separated from their families. I hope Canadian officials can use their discretion and do the same thing for them to be together,” said Baris. “I’m still missing my husband. My daughters are missing their father. Hopefully, he can join us soon.”

Lord Mitchell pays a visit to Turkish School

The Wisdom School hosted a talk from a member of the House of Lords on Friday 23rd November 2012 to encourage students to engage more with the political and parliamentary process. It was one of over 40 visits to schools that took place around the United Kingdom to mark the final day of Parliament Week, […]

EU, US Have Little Leverage as Turkish Democracy Backslides

“In the big picture, Erdogan knows that the EU needs Turkey and will come back begging for a new agreement on the migrants. That’s why he will play a game of brinksmanship,” said Soner Cagaptay, the director of the Turkish program at The Washington Institute.

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

Turkish Islamic preacher – threat or benefactor?

Festival atmosphere in Kimse Yok Mu town

Fethullah Gulen Criticizes the Da Vinci Code

German Politician: Turkey like Nazi Germany after Reichstag

Military coup documents contain plans to prevent works of Hizmet movement

Kimse Yok Mu, the prominent outlet for international aid

Alaton: I’m telling everyone about Turkish schools’ contribution to world peace

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News