The verbal insults directed at the Hizmet movement that began on Nov. 14 of last year with the discussion about government plans to shut down prep schools continue at full speed.
Circles close to the government have harshly criticized objections to these plans to close prep schools that are contrary to the constitution and international law. And the language those circles use has grown even more harsh since Dec. 17, 2013, when the corruption investigation — the biggest in the history of the republic — was made public. It is possible that the prime minister is deliberately using insults that hurt people’s hearts and disturb social peace; they plan to boost the ruling party’s popularity by using these insults ahead of the local elections. They hope to cover up the corruption investigation and the reassignment of thousands of police officers and dozens of prosecutors and judges that had been planned much earlier. When the prime minister opted to use the language of insult, his copycat ministers and deputies who want to be popular with the prime minister began to use even more violent language.
Gülen says he would free all coup convicts if he had the means
In a statement published on herkul.org, a website that broadcasts his speeches, Gülen said he was deeply saddened to see “those elderly men” standing trial in these cases, adding that he would favor their release if he was able to. “If I had the means at my disposal, I would tell them, ‘You are all free.’ How? Just like the Prophet said to all on the day of the Conquest of Mecca: ‘Go! You are all free today’.”
Gülen criticizes remarks insulting members of Hizmet movement
Fethullah Gülen has strongly criticized remarks that insulted members of the Hizmet movement, saying that these kind of behavior won’t solve problems. Gülen didn’t directly mention Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s name, but it was obvious that he was responding to the prime minister’s remarks on Friday, when he said the government will “come down to your caverns and tear you to shreds.”
WSJ, Judiciary, Gulen Movement, and the Government
The news I read in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) took me by great surprise. Supposedly, (former Gen. Staff) Ilker Basbug’s imprisonment for life was a message from the Gulen Movement to Erdogan, saying, “Beware! You cannot seek resolution on the Kurdish issue without our permission.” The claim that there was an organizational grouping of members of […]
Will Turkish corruption scandal lead to return of military to politics?
The tactics the government has developed to defend itself against the graft investigations and their implications have once again brought the role of the military, military tutelage and potential coup attempts back onto Turkey’s agenda.
The Gülen Factor: Erdogan, the Coup, and the United States
Engaged in his dirty spate of housecleaning under the auspices of protecting the constitution and the Turkish state, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to insist on one vital scalp in his enterprise.
Turkey as a “serial” human rights derogator
The past couple of months have been tumultuous in Turkey. In short order, an ill-conceived military coup was followed by popular mass protest, the quick return of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to power, and a wave of repression ranging from military and judicial purges, to state restrictions on a panoply of basic human rights protections, to allegations of “widespread human rights abuses” by state actors.
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