A National Security Council (MGK) plan — dated Aug. 24, 2004, titled the “Plan to Crack Down on the Fethullah Gülen Group in Turkey” and undersigned by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, ministers and military commanders of the time — is already being implemented.
Though the government claims it was not put into action, there are several indications to suggest that the MGK plan is in effect. 1) The plan says: Legal arrangements to bring about heavy sanctions for Gülen-affiliated institutions should be adopted. To this end, the government has made a plan to shut down prep schools and force Bank Asya into bankruptcy. 2) The plan says: Gülen’s group should be closely monitored by public servants who are assigned abroad. To this end, Prime Minister Erdoğan ordered ambassadors during the sixth Ambassadors’ Conference in January to talk about the “unlawful activities” of the Gülen group abroad. 3) The plan says: The Interior Ministry should be watchful of efforts by Gülen’s group to make new members. To this end, the ministry removed from duty around 6,000 police officers who reportedly are sympathetic toward the group and reassigned them to lower positions.
SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, İSTANBUL The 29th meeting of the Abant Platform, to focus on Africa, will be held from June 28-30 on Lake Abant in the province of Bolu. Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) Secretary-General Hüseyin Hurmalı told Today’s Zaman on Wednesday that the Abant Platform had established a partnership earlier this year with the African Union, which […]
What are the golden kids of the Turkish Olympiads doing now?
SELAHATTİN SEVİ/MÜHENNA KAHVECİ/MEHMET ALİ POYRAZ, KYRGZSTAN/GEORGIA/ROMANIA/KENYA/BANGLADESH Late summer heralds the arrival of Turkish language season in Anatolia. Teachers and students from all over the world pour into Turkey, each of them presenting their talents and skills onstage. Children of various backgrounds and nationalities recount fables, recite poems and sing songs across various parts of Turkey. Ahead […]
Pilot who flew Erdoğan on coup night fired from Turkish Airlines over Gülen links
Barış Yurtseven, the pilot of the plane that brought Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to İstanbul on the night of a failed military coup attempt last July, was fired from Turkish Airlines in February over alleged links to the Gülen movement.
London-Based Turkish Academic To Run 10,000 Meters To Raise Fund For Purge Victims In Turkey
İsmail Sezgin, a London-based Turkish academic has tweeted on Tuesday that he will run a total of 10,000 meters in support of the families hit by an ongoing purge by the Turkish government. Releasing a statement on moneygiving.com, Sezgin said that he aims at raising a fund of 10 thousand pounds to help purge-victim families in Turkey.
Hakan Yavuz: Der Spiegel’s inflammatory, biased journalism on Turkey story shocked me
A Turkish-American professor has slammed German Der Spiegel’s what he called “inflammatory and biased” reporting in its article about the movement associated with Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. “Reading today’s article on the Gülen movement was a real shock for me,” Yavuz, who is a professor at the University of Utah, told Today’s Zaman, referring […]
Freedom comes with a price
Those who raise demands for democracy and transparency are being raided, arrested or smeared as a result of the government’s reliance on Nazi Germany methods of persecution and oppression.
Latest News
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
University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links
In Case You Missed It
Targeted by Erdoğan, Turkish schools earn praise, offer success abroad
Pakistani students compete to advance to final of Turkish Olympiads
Pak-Turk schools won’t close, says Education Minister
Nigerian govt reacts to planned deportation of 1000 Turks
Kimse Yok Mu distributes aid to Mongolian orphans
Turkish Charity in Virginia send 30 thousand blankets to Syrian refugees
Gülen’s lawyer refutes Erdoğan’s claims as baseless