Erdogan advisor likens Turkey purge to Aborigine, Native American, Armenian cases


Date posted: January 20, 2018

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor, Mehmet Uçum, has said the Turkish state can apologize to the victims of a post-coup era purge and witch-hunt targeting the faith-based Gülen movement years after the events take place, as Australia did for the Aborigines, the US did for the Native Americans and Turkey did for the Armenians.

Uçum’s remarks came during a recent program on CNN Türk.

The remarks created a debate on social media, with many people evaluating it as an admission of genocide against people linked to the Gülen movement in Turkey.

Upon a question of whether the Turkish government should apologize to people who were purged following a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, Uçum said: “Apology is a political attitude. The conditions for apology must come into existence. Don’t forget that both untimely and belated [apologies] are useless. This state, which has been struggling to strengthen itself and create a democratic mind, will do it [apologize] after reaching a certain phase in the struggle and a certain phase in the reform process for establishing law and order, and after it sees that all necessary conditions have come into existence.”

“Saying ‘Let’s do it [apologize] today’ is indeed a call for weakness in terms of the risky areas where the state has been struggling. We have to be careful. Of course it happens in democratic state systems. How many years later did Australia apologize to the Aborigines? After how many years did the US apologize to the Native Americans? How many years did it take Turkey to express condolences to the Armenians?” he said.

The Gülen movement is accused by the Turkish government of mounting a coup attempt on July 15, 2016, although the movement strongly denies any involvement.

Turkey has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants since July 15 through government decrees issued as part of an ongoing state of emergency.

A total of 62,895 people were detained in 2017 as part of a witch-hunt targeting the Gülen movement.

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Dec. 12 that 55,665 people have been jailed and 234,419 passports have been revoked as part of investigations into the movement since the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Minister Soylu on Nov. 16 had said eight holdings and 1,020 companies seized as part of operations against the movement.

The Justice Ministry announced on July 13 that 169,013 people have been the subject of legal proceedings on coup charges since the failed coup.

According to Ministry of Justice data, there are currently 384 prisons with a capacity of 207,279 in Turkey; however, the total number of inmates was 228,983 as of October 2017.

The Ministry of Justice plans to build 228 new prisons with a capacity of 137,687 in the next five years.

Human Rights Watch on Jan. 18 said in its World Report 2018 that Turkey had increased restrictions on the media, the political opposition and human rights defenders during 2017.

HRW also underlined that prosecutions of individuals charged with being members of the Gülen movement often lacked compelling evidence of criminal activity.

 

Source: Turkish Minute , January 20, 2018


Related News

Interview with Kimse Yok Mu Foundation’s President Ismail Cingoz

Kimse Yok Mu Foundation (KYM) President Ismail Cingoz spoke on Turkey’s helping hand extending to the world: “We involve approximately 10 thousand volunteers in our efforts. We have 97 thousand families that we have been consistently providing aid for. We are active in 103 countries regardless of their ethnicity, language, faith or color.” We talked […]

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.

Witch hunt continues as police raid Gülen-inspired schools across Turkey

In yet another government-orchestrated operation targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, police officers and inspectors from several government bodies carried out raids on private high schools and exam preparation schools across Turkey on Thursday.

PM Erdoğan confesses to creating ‘super judges’ for anti-Hizmet plot

The PM Erdogan has been harshly criticized for his remarks by observers and legal experts, who agree the remarks have come as a clear indication that the prime minister is directly involved in a planned legal action against a civil society group — the Hizmet movement. According to the prime minister’s plans against Hizmet, it is already clear which court and judges will handle the legal case against the movement.

Romania denies extradition request for Turkish teacher over Gülen links

A Romanian judge on Wednesday rejected a Turkish request for the extradition of a 24-year-old teacher arrested by police and sought by the authorities in Ankara over links to the faith-based Gülen movement.

Kimse Yok Mu reaches out to Syrians in joint project with UNHCR

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Kimse Yok Mu Secretary-General Savaş Metin said they have been able to reach out to 17,000 people from 2,900 families with this project, which will conclude by the end of February.

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

Coup attempt in Turkey puts Tulsa Turks in difficult position

Turkey’s post-coup brain drain

Swinging between hope and despair – Opposing news from Yemen

Turkey to bid farewell to rule of law if president approves HSYK law

University entrance exam results announced, top scorers from Gülen-affiliated schools

I am a teacher, not a terrorist

THY’s Topçu defends embargo on papers, defamation campaign

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News