Gülen’s lawyer: Views other than state ideology considered a crime in Turkey


Date posted: February 13, 2016

Nurullah Albayrak, the lawyer of prominent Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, has criticized the blocking of herkul.org, a website that regularly broadcasts speeches by Gülen, saying views that are different from the state ideology are considered a crime in Turkey today.

State-controlled Internet watchdog the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) blocked access to herkul.org based on a decision taken by the İstanbul 7th Penal Court of Peace on Thursday.

Visitors could not access the website on Thursday but received a notification saying TİB had imposed a “protection measure” for the website.

Underlining in a statement on Friday that blocking herkul.org is unjust, Albayrak reiterated that the official ideology of a state cannot be imposed on people in a democracy, nor can people be forced to share the same view. “Having views other than the official ideology of the state is considered a crime in anti-democratic societies,” he added in the statement.

Albayrak also rejected assertions that his client Gülen gives orders through the website as is claimed in the court decision. He also said no concrete evidence has been given to courts in other trials of Gülen to support the allegation that the scholar passes orders to his followers through herkul.org.

“If we even consider that he does so, Penal Courts of Peace are not authorized to give a decision on cybercrimes according to Law No. 5651 on cybercrime. A High Criminal Court must look into the case,” Albayrak said.

The website’s editor, Osman Şimşek, also condemned the ban. “Access to our herkul.org website was blocked by a court decision. Now it will not be able to build bridges among our hearts. … God is generous!” he tweeted.

The move comes amid increasing pressure on the Gülen movement, which is inspired by the scholar.

Since Turkey’s largest-ever corruption investigation was made public on Dec. 17, 2013, following police operations in the homes and offices of people from the inner circle of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), then-Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party leadership have accused sympathizers of the Gülen movement, especially those in the police forces and judiciary, of plotting to overthrow the government. The movement strongly rejects the allegations brought against it.

Since the scandal, a number of business groups, media outlets, aid organizations, civil society organizations, universities, private schools and prep schools that were established by people sympathetic to the Gülen movement have been targeted by government-orchestrated police raids and investigations.

Erdoğan has openly announced on several occasions since December 2013 that he would carry out a “witch hunt” against anyone with links to the movement. He has also ordered officials in AK Party-run municipalities to seize land and buildings belonging to institutions that are linked to the Gülen movement by any means necessary.

Source: Today's Zaman , February 12, 2016

Tags: | | | | | |


Related News

Sajjanhar: Dialogue urges one to excel in one’s own faith

Ashok Sajjanhar, the Secretary of the Indian Interior Ministry’s National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), in a statement he made during a workshop organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (GYV) Intercultural Dialogue Platform (KADİP), indicated that involvement in dialogue work encourages one to learn one’s faith more profoundly.

Frontal assault on free enterprise in Turkey: The case of prep-schools

Erdoğan fired a warning shot across the bow of the Hizmet movement, which operates some one-third of the more than 3,500 prep schools, hoping that the movement would fold under the pressure and shy away from criticizing the government on lingering corruption, the lack of bold reforms, the stalled EU membership process, the failed constitutional work, its intrusion in people’s ways of life and privacy, blunders in foreign policy and the weakened transparency and accountability in governance.

Turkey’s Hizmet Purge Is Seeping into the UK Creating Fear in Some Communities

Over the weekend, we have received 5 reports from individuals who are involved in the delivery of social services here in the UK and who are of Turkish heritage. The text messages ask for individuals to inform on members of the Hizmet movement. The impact of these messages is to create fear within members of the Hizmet movement in the UK and who are active in social work within and beyond Muslim communities.

Turkish coup was Erdogan ‘gift’

Erdogan became quite successful in his two very basic goals right after the coup. First and foremost, for putting all the blame squarely on the Hizmet movement, led by Gulen, and then carrying on a huge cover-up to hide other segments of the coup plotters. The problem is, while he has been quite successful in Turkey – he was not able to convince many in Europe and in the US.

Erdogan advisor likens Turkey purge to Aborigine, Native American, Armenian cases

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor, Mehmet Uçum, has said the Turkish state can apologize to the victims of a post-coup era purge and witch-hunt targeting the faith-based Gülen movement years after the events take place, as Australia did for the Aborigines, the US did for the Native Americans and Turkey did for the Armenians.

What is this bedlam all about?

So, as expected, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared all-out war. The enemy — what he and his advisers regard as “the junta formation within the police,” the media, the judiciary, the American Embassy, affiliates of the mainly volunteer Hizmet movement, and, well, whoever seems to disagree with the way he intends to run the country and whoever tends to believe there is no smoke without fire — have dug their trenches in a circle.

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

Rumi Forum to bestow Peace and Dialogue Awards

Saylorsburg protesters focus on Turkish cleric

Gülen movement has no political agenda

Lecture: What Went Wrong in Turkey?

Turkish trade’s center of gravity shifting in TUSKON bridges

Turkish PM: State of emergency will continue until Gülen movement completely wiped out

Will the AKP lose votes in disagreement with Gülen movement?

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News