Date posted: January 16, 2014

ISTANBUL

The prime minister’s order that Turkish ambassadors “tell the truth” to their foreign interlocutors about the corruption probe has brought to mind a controversial National Security Council (MGK) document indicating that Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) agreed to a planned crackdown on the Hizmet movement led by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in 2004.

The prime minister strongly believes that the corruption probe was orchestrated by the Hizmet movement. Addressing ambassadors on Wednesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “We expect you to tell the truth to your interlocutors [abroad] and to exert more efforts to foil this treacherous campaign that is targeting the whole of Turkey. I especially ask you to underline that this is not an anti-corruption operation but a coup attempt disguised as such.”

The MGK document asked the government to develop an action plan to follow the MGK’s recommendations and instructed the Prime Ministry’s Implementation and Monitoring Coordination Council (BUTKK) to coordinate the ministries and monitor whether the steps were being implemented.

The MGK decision urges the Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) to closely monitor and report on the activities of the Hizmet movement at home and abroad. It advises the government to instruct the Interior Ministry and Ministry of Education to investigate and monitor schools affiliated with the Hizmet movement and report their activities to the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK).

“The NSC ruling reads: ‘Legislation that introduces heavy sanctions needs to be passed and an action plan needs to be drawn up’ in order to block ‘Nurist [Nurcular Muslim movement] activities and the activities of institutions belonging to the Fethullah Gulen group.’

Source: Cihan , January 16, 2014

Tags: Defamation of Hizmet | Democracy | Hizmet and politics | Turkey |