İpek Holding chairman denies reports about alleged mansion for Gülen
Date posted: January 23, 2014
İSTANBUL
Koza İpek Holding’s chairman, Akın İpek, who is known for his support for the Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, released a statement on Thursday denying reports in the Sabah and Takvim dailies which had claimed that İpek has been constructing a luxury villa for Gülen.
Sabah and Takvim reported on Thursday that İpek had been constructing a 14,000-square-meter luxury villa where Gülen will allegedly stay when he returns to Turkey from Pennsylvania, where he currently lives. In the press release, İpek strongly denied the reports, stating that the mansion shown in the photos published in the dailies has belonged to their family for over 40 years.
Stating that such reports violate their private lives and has upset his entire family, İpek said the dailies had reported baseless news using imaginary scenarios as though they were facts. İpek said the mansion had recently been renovated as his mother will move in
Gulen Movement, civilian governments and the AK Party
The Gulen movement’s understanding of politics and the political process differentiate it from the military and bureaucratic elite. Its main political objective is to transform society by raising the moral consciousness of individuals. By raising moral consciousness, the movement hopes to cleanse the bureaucracy of widespread corruption, increase the efficiency and transparency of state institutions, reinvigorate public work ethic to serve the people in order to enhance the legitimacy of the state, and create opportunity spaces for marginalized sectors of the Anatolian population.
Can a Post-Coup Turkey Get Along with Europe?
None of this has stopped the government from undertaking a huge, self-destructive purge, with around 10,000 people arrested, 100,000 people dismissed, and the seizure of assets of more than $4 billion, numbers that worry not just human rights activists but foreign investors as well. The government’s fury is understandable but it should distinguish between those who took part in the coup and those who simply belonged to the Gulen movement.
Police officer reassigned for attending dershane picnic
The Interior Ministry has reassigned police officer H.D., who worked at the National Police Department’s Anti-terrorism Unit in Ankara, on the grounds that he and his child attended a picnic organized by a dershane (private preparatory school) affiliated with the faith-based Hizmet movement.
Erdoğan confesses anti-Gülen witch-hunt has gone off track
Despite Gülen and the movement having denied the accusation and calling for an international investigation, Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government launched a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.
Three ministers resign as one urges PM to step down amid corruption probe
Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar, in a harsh statement, claimed that he had been pressured to submit his own resignation to save the prestige of the government, adding that the prime minister should also quit as most of the amendments on construction plans mentioned in the corruption investigation were made on Erdoğan’s orders.
In Blow to Erdogan, Turkish Court Halts Closing of Schools Tied to His Rival
In a blow to the government, Turkey’s highest court has overturned a law that would have closed thousands of preparatory schools linked to an influential Muslim cleric and rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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
A Prayer for the victims of Turkey from Nigeria
Accused Turkish Cleric Assails President on Anniversary of Coup Attempt in WSJ Interview
Kimse Yok Mu enables African girls to go to school
Karaca’s lawyers to ask Constitutional Court to reverse detention order
Prominent businessman Akın İpek pledges huge support to Kimse Yok Mu