Pregnant woman kept in prison for 4 months over Gülen links despite regulations


Date posted: July 21, 2021

Arzu Nur Özkan, a former teacher, has been in Bünyan Prison in Kayseri province for the last four months for alleged links to the Gülen movement despite being six months pregnant, the Bold Medya news website reported.

Özkan is experiencing complications related to her pregnancy and is frequently put in quarantine cells because of her hospital visits. Quarantine cells in Turkish prisons are notorious for their poor conditions and overcrowding.

Özkan was arrested on terrorism charges for working at a pre-school linked to the Gülen movement. Witness testimony and an account in her name at the now-closed Bank Asya were used as evidence against her. She was sentenced to six years, 10 months in prison.

According to the Law on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures, even if a pregnant woman is convicted, her sentence must be postponed. The law stipulates that “execution of the prison sentence is delayed for women who are pregnant or have given birth within the last year and a half.”

Özkan’s family said she was experiencing problems related to a lack of proper nutrition and stress and urged the authorities to release her.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-Prime Minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.

Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the abortive putsch or any terrorist activity.

According to a report by Solidarity with OTHERS, a nongovernmental organization that mainly consists of political exiles from Turkey, a total of 219 pregnant women and women with children under six years of age were arbitrarily detained or arrested over their suspected links to the Gülen movement.

Source: Stockholm Center for Freedom , July 20, 2021

Tags: | | | |


Related News

8,480 Turkish nationals sought asylum in Germany in 2017

The number of Turkish citizens who sought asylum in Germany in 2017 totals 8,480, according to Deutsche Welle.

Turks Fleeing To Greece Find Mostly Warm Welcome, Despite History

Now, at least 1,000 Turkish citizens are seeking refuge in Greece, according to the refugee support nonprofit SolidarityNOW. It’s hard to pin down an exact number because not many have applied for asylum, says Antonis Spathis, a human rights lawyer in Thessaloniki. The Greek Asylum Service told NPR that 186 Turkish citizens applied for asylum in 2016 and noted there has been a “significant” increase in 2017.

Purge-victim family drowns in the Aegean Sea off Turkey

A Turkish family of five has reportedly drowned after a boat capsized in the Aegean Sea, off the western coast of Turkey, according to several Turkish media outlets. The victims have reportedly been sought by the Turkish government over their links to the Gülen group.

Gulen blasts ‘despicable’ 2016 Turkey coup bid, subsequent ‘witch hunt’

US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, the man blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt a year ago, on Friday again denied any involvement in what he called a “despicable putsch,” and called on Ankara to end its “witch hunt” of his followers.

12 detained for raising funds to help families of jailed Gülen sympathizers

Twelve businessmen have been detained in Kayseri province for raising humanitarian relief for families of people jailed in an ongoing crackdown on the Gülen movement. According to the Milliyet daily, police detained the “suspects” at a meeting during which they were raising funds for victimized families.

Picture of Turkish president Erdogan as Hitler projected onto Berlin embassy

A picture of Turkish president Recep Erdoğan dressed as Hitler has been projected onto the walls of the country’s embassy in Berlin. ‘We as Germans know what happens in the early stages of a dictatorship’, the artists who projected the message have said.

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

Gülen’s lawyer likens hate campaign against his client to Nazi era

What does religion have to do with corruption?

Gulen blasts ‘despicable’ 2016 Turkey coup bid, subsequent ‘witch hunt’

Nigerian school wins 48 Olympiad medals in 1 year

Another Victim of Erdogan’s Wrath

Festival atmosphere in Kimse Yok Mu town

Reactions snowball after PM likens Hizmet members to Hashishin

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News