Gülen files criminal complaint over smear campaign

Date posted: January 18, 2014

İSTANBUL
Prominent Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has filed a criminal complaint against an individual who insulted Gülen, claiming that the Islamic scholar plotted to topple the goverment and caused billions of dollars to Turkish economy.

Gülen’s lawyer Nurallah Albayrak said Yusuf Ünal crossed beyond freedom of speech by launching defamation campaign against the Turkish Islamic scholar, attacking his personality.

Ünal assigned the blame on Gülen for a far-reaching investigation that has implicated close associates of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and led to resignation of three ministers.

Albayrak also said the allegations made by Ünal are mere slander, do not reflect reality.

Source: Todays Zaman , January 18, 2014

Tags: Defamation of Hizmet | Democracy | Turkey |

Related News

3 journalists detained after interview with jailed Gülen-linked businessman

Three local journalists in Turkey’s Gaziantep province were detained by police after releasing an interview with jailed businessman Ahmet Selim Ener, who was imprisoned over alleged links to the Gülen movement.

Turkish court jails 17 housewives over alleged coup involvement

Seventeen housewives were arrested by a Turkish court on Tuesday due to alleged use of a smart phone application called ByLock and links to the Gülen movement, which the Turkish government blames for a failed coup last July, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The system is the root cause of corruption

We have the perfect recipe for all kinds of corruption. The media has been silenced. It does not work as a watchdog, inspecting the government’s financial dealings. Parliament cannot inspect the government’s financial transactions. The Court of Accounts (Sayıştay) cannot inspect the government’s expenses. There are no internal mechanisms within the ruling party to make sure its leaders are accountable; there is only an infallible leader figure, and whatever he does, the party endorses it.

German minister says state not investigating Gulenists

The German authorities are not investigating Gulenists, the country’s justice minister said Tuesday, much to the frustration of Turkey which has asked that action be taken against the shadowy group.

Turkish ambassador leads an unrealistic mission: bringing a reclusive Muslim cleric before Turkish courts

Although Turkey immediately blamed Gulen for the coup attempt, it took Ankara nearly six weeks to make a formal request for his extradition — and that was based on earlier alleged crimes, not for his supposed role in the coup.

Slandering Turkish schools is treason according to well-known politician

In an interview with the Cihan news agency, Durak showed reaction to Erdoğan’s order to the ambassadors and he visited some of the Turkish schools in foreign countries. “Children of prime ministers and presidents and high-level bureaucrats are sent to these schools opened in Africa and many parts of the world… Many significant people are given education in these schools. I am of the opinion denouncing these schools to the ambassadors instead of supporting them is equal to treason,” said Durak.