86-year-old Gülen-linked philanthropist arrested on terror (!) charges
Date posted: July 6, 2018
Eighty-six-year-old businessman Celal Afşar was arrested on Thursday along with his daughter, son-in-law and two others in Niğde province as part of an investigation into the faith-based Gülen movement, the tr724 news website reported.
He is known as a philanthropist in his town, with public broadcaster TRT in 2011 depicting his life as an example of dedication to charity.
Afşar was accused of providing financial support to a “terrorist organization.”
Among the arrestees was also the head of the now-closed Kimse Yok Mu charity organization’s Niğde branch.
Turkey survived a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 which the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government accused the Gülen movement of masterminding, although the movement strongly denies it.
According to the latest data released by the Justice Ministry, 203,518 Gülen followers have been investigated in the past five years.
The businessman who sits on his cell phone to avoid wiretapping
A businessman summarized it like this: “In the past, it was very important in the business community to have a meeting with Fethullah Gülen. Those going to the United States would try to get an appointment; yet today, different meanings are being attributed to these meetings. Those who in the past made sure to have these meetings publicly are now praying they do not come to the surface.”
Stability in the post-Erdoğan era
In a BBC interview aired in late February, Fethullah Gülen once again spelled out the most important challenges for Turkey: establishing unity among diverse groups that include Alevis, Kurds and others; boosting educational opportunities for the young population; and tackling the long-running poverty problem in Turkey.
Tape politics
Someone placed a bugging device to wiretap the prime minister in a room that was being placed under constant surveillance. What is easier than catching the perpetrators behind this? Who entered and left the room should have been recorded. This incident took place in 2011 but as of now, this still remains unresolved and the Hizmet movement is being blamed for it.
Turkey asks imams abroad to profile Gülen-linked expatriates
A document dated Sept. 20, 2016 shows that Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) asked Turkish missions and religious representatives abroad to profile Gülen movement expatriates living in their respective foreign countries.
Turkey’s Ankara Mayor Gökçek Hints ‘Genocide’ For Followers Of Gülen Movement
Melih Gökçek, the mayor of Turkey’s capital city Ankara, has hinted a kind of “genocide” for alleged members of faith-based Gülen movement in an interview. He said that “Completely annihilating Gülen movement in Turkey will take our 10 year. In order to finish them completely we need to transform whole generation.
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.
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
Pak-Turk school teachers to be deported as Erdogan visits Pakistan
‘Selam: Bahara Yolculuk’: a true story on the big screen
Turkish charities ready to deliver aid during Eid al-Adha
The Dialogue Eurasia Platform serves world peace for 15 years
Critics say Turkish government using US mosques to play politics, spy on foes
GYV President meets Minister of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea
Galaxy International School in Uganda educates thinkers, innovators