Men accused of attempting to rape 6 teachers: We thought they were Gulenists


Date posted: February 17, 2017

Three suspects accused of attempting to rape 6 female teachers in İzmir have told a court they “wanted to force” the teachers to leave the town because they thought that the victims had links to the Gulen movement, which the government accuses of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt.

The suspects are being tried at an İzmir criminal court and face up to 20 years jail time on charges of “causing damage to property” and “sexual harassment.”

According to CNN Turk news portal, the three man identified with initials Y.I., M.A., M.B., came to the house where the teachers — S.C. (39), İ.P. (26), B.D. (26), E.Ş. (40), F.Ö. (66) and B.Ö. (26) – were staying in and started kicking the door and threatened the women to let them in. The suspects reportedly fled after H.Y., a villager, approached the house upon hearing calls for help from the victims.

Even though the incident took place weeks before the coup attempt the suspects said in their defense that they thought that the teachers were Gulenists and thereby wanted to dismiss them from the town.

“We were drunk and we do not remember much. We did not engage in any kind of verbal harassment. Maybe we did. We were drunk so we do not remember. We just threw stones to drive them out of town. Because we thought they were Gulenists”, the suspects said.

Source: Turkey Purge , February 17, 2017


Related News

Erdogan Purge Against Gulenists Could Prove Lucrative

The power struggle between the Turkish state and the Fethullah Gulen-led Hizmet Movement continues to reverberate in Turkey. The number detained, arrested, jailed, and dismissed from their jobs since the July 15 coup attempt has reached well over 100,000, 40,000 of whom have been detained on suspicion of having links with Hizmet. One third of the highest-ranking armed forces officers have been dismissed. Almost every major institution—military, judiciary, media, education, business—has been affected.

Don’t lose the plot

Turkey’s attempted coup shocked an already tense society. At least 240 people were killed, and the country narrowly averted a disastrous military takeover. The plot was led in part by followers of the Gulen movement, a secretive Muslim sect that runs a global network of schools, charities and businesses and has infiltrated the Turkish state. It is only natural that Turks should be determined to identify and punish the conspirators.

What we learned from the operation

While the government works to finish off the Hizmet movement, it may even call for the expulsion of the US ambassador from the country. The real duty of Halkbank is to act as Iran’s opening door to the world, and the US blockade has been violated for years. We learned that the pro-government media is allergic to shoe boxes [money used in alleged bribery was found in shoe boxes in one of the suspects’ homes].

In A Letter, A Jailed Woman Reveals Abuse And Ill-Treatment In Turkish Prison

A letter by a jailed Turkish woman who wrote to her aunt from Konya prison revealed the ill-treatment of detainees who were subjected to abuse, inhuman and cruel treatment in Turkey’s detentions and prisons.

Bryan couple joins interfaith tour of Turkey

María de Lourdes Ruiz Scaperlanda, Special Correspondent Perhaps curiosity first put the idea in their minds. Or perhaps it was simply the opportunity for exotic travel. But Freddie and Carrie Komar promptly realized that this was no ordinary tour. “When I started, this was just a trip to Turkey. But now,” Carrie paused and smiled, […]

Silence of the (AKP) lambs

Erdoğan risks his own Islamic beliefs just to lead his voters to believe that Gülen and his followers are not Muslims, but puppets and even agents of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) — just like Ivan Watson of CNN International! — and Mossad. Erdoğan also keeps claiming that Fethullah Gülen and Hizmet movement supporters are terrorists.

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

Gülen’s followers banned from mosque in Germany

An interview at a party-state

The Middle Eastern voice of Europe — Natacha Atlas

Erdoğanist Turks Target Inter-Cultural Dialogue Activities Of Gülen Followers In Germany

Post-coup purge will affect Turkey’s education sector for decades

Nigerian President opens Turkish Hospital

The more we learn, the more we are the same

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News