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I have seen all the military coups of Turkey and, like all Turkish people, I have experienced great suffering in all of them. After the coup of March… - Fethullah Gülen
" "I have seen all the military coups of Turkey and, like all Turkish people, I have experienced great suffering in all of them. After the coup of March 12, 1971, I was imprisoned by the decision of the junta administration. During the coup of September 12, 1980, an arrest warrant was issued for me and I lived on the run for 6 years. After the military coup of February 28, 1997, a lawsuit was filed against me on the charge of "one-man unarmed terrorist organization" and the death penalty was requested. During periods of military oppression, a lawsuit was filed three times on the charge of "leadership of a terrorist organization". I was acquitted of all these cases. While yesterday I was targeted by military governments with an authoritarian mentality, today I am being subjected to the same accusations, in a much more unlawful manner, by a civilian autocratic regime.
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About Fethullah Gülen
(27 April 1941 – 20 October 2024) was a Turkish preacher, former imam, writer and political figure.
Also Known As
Alternative Names:
Muhammad Fethullah Gülen
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Fetullah Gülen
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Gülen beweging
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Gülen-beweging
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Fetullah Gulen
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Gulen beweging
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Fethullah Gulen
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Gulen-beweging
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Muhammed Fethullah Gülen
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Additional quotes by Fethullah Gülen
It didn’t start this way. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came into power in 2002 by promising democratic reforms in pursuit of European Union membership. But as time went on, Erdogan became increasingly intolerant of dissent. He facilitated the transfer of many media outlets to his cronies through government regulatory agencies. In June of 2013, he crushed the Gezi Park protesters. In December of that year, when his cabinet members were implicated in a massive graft probe, he responded by subjugating the judiciary and the media. The “temporary” state of emergency declared after last July 15 is still in effect. According to Amnesty International, one-third of all imprisoned journalists in the world are in Turkish prisons.
Media and international observers have stated that recently, many expert police officers and terrorism experts have been dismissed due to political considerations and some have been imprisoned. World media also wrote that Erdogan supported some armed radical organizations in the region in various ways and that he wanted to become a regional power through these. For these reasons, it can be said that terrorist organizations such as ISIS and their sympathizers have found a much more comfortable environment in Turkey in the recent period.
In the past, I established friendly relations with leaders with different political views such as Mr. Turgut Özal, Mr. Süleyman Demirel and Mr. Bülent Ecevit, and I wholeheartedly supported their correct actions. I was respected by them, especially for the Hizmet movement's contributions to education and social peace. Although I always kept my distance from political Islam, I appreciated Erdoğan and AKP leaders for the democratic reforms they made in the first period of their rule. However, throughout my life I have been against the military's intervention in politics and military coups. 22 years ago “There is no turning back from democracy and secularism.” Because I said this, I was subjected to insults by political Islamist circles close to today's government, who opposed these values at that time. I stand behind my words today, just like yesterday.
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