Tweet
TURKEY'S PM CRITICIZES GULEN'S NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
Turkish Press
Feb 9 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has rubbished claims of the self-exiled
U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen against the ruling AK Party
SAKARYA - Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday criticized
U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen's article published in the New
York Times on Feb. 3 that criticized the ruling Justice and Development
or AK Party.
"Gulen kept silent on Feb. 28 1997; Sept. 12, 1980 military coup; and
any kind of persecution against Muslims, non-Muslims, Kurds and Alevis,
but now, he claims that 'everyone in Turkey' is now under persecution,
using freedom of speech which was served during AK Party's term,"
Davutoglu said.
On Feb. 28, 1997, the military had deposed the then elected Prime
Minister Necmettin Erbakan.
"So what this person wants to do? He lobbies in the U.S. Congress. He
tries to provoke Armenian, Greek and Jewish lobbies against us. And
he also says 'all of you are under pressure, resist' from where he
lives," the premier said.
Self-exiled Pennsylvania-based Gulen is said to be the leader of
the Gulen movement, which is accused of masterminding an illegal
organization that is trying to topple the Turkish government through
what has been dubbed as the "parallel state," an alleged group
of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials nestled within key
institutions of the state, such as the police and the judiciary.
Gulen has been in the U.S. since leaving Turkey in 1999 allegedly for
"medical reasons." Shortly after his departure, Turkish prosecutors
opened a case against him for incitement to attacking the secular
state. He was acquitted in 2008.
Davutoglu also spoke about the latest development in the ongoing
illegal wiretapping operations in Turkey. He confirmed that two
suspects wanted in the case were detained in Romania, where they
had escaped.
"An arrest warrant has been issued for these two people. We have some
agreement for extradition with Romania and we discussed this issue
with the country's officials," he said.
Interior Minister Efkan Ala also spoke about the two suspects in
Romanian custody Saturday. "Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
launched legal procedures for extradition. I think we will get results
in a short time," Ala said.
The two suspects detained in Romania are suspected of involvement
in bugging the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his
tenure as prime minister before August 2014.
According to the Izmir governorate, 92 people, including high-ranking
army officers, academics, senior policemen and journalists, were
illegally wiretapped between 2009 and 2013. To date, hundreds of
police officers have been detained and questioned in the alleged
wiretapping probe.
The ongoing operations follow a December 2013 probe that led to the
arrest of several high-profile figures, including the sons of three
former government ministers and leading business people.
The government has blamed the wiretapping case on the Gulen movement,
and accuses the alleged "parallel state" of attempting to infiltrate
and undermine the Turkish administration.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news/422612/
Turkish Press
Feb 9 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has rubbished claims of the self-exiled
U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen against the ruling AK Party
SAKARYA - Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday criticized
U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen's article published in the New
York Times on Feb. 3 that criticized the ruling Justice and Development
or AK Party.
"Gulen kept silent on Feb. 28 1997; Sept. 12, 1980 military coup; and
any kind of persecution against Muslims, non-Muslims, Kurds and Alevis,
but now, he claims that 'everyone in Turkey' is now under persecution,
using freedom of speech which was served during AK Party's term,"
Davutoglu said.
On Feb. 28, 1997, the military had deposed the then elected Prime
Minister Necmettin Erbakan.
"So what this person wants to do? He lobbies in the U.S. Congress. He
tries to provoke Armenian, Greek and Jewish lobbies against us. And
he also says 'all of you are under pressure, resist' from where he
lives," the premier said.
Self-exiled Pennsylvania-based Gulen is said to be the leader of
the Gulen movement, which is accused of masterminding an illegal
organization that is trying to topple the Turkish government through
what has been dubbed as the "parallel state," an alleged group
of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials nestled within key
institutions of the state, such as the police and the judiciary.
Gulen has been in the U.S. since leaving Turkey in 1999 allegedly for
"medical reasons." Shortly after his departure, Turkish prosecutors
opened a case against him for incitement to attacking the secular
state. He was acquitted in 2008.
Davutoglu also spoke about the latest development in the ongoing
illegal wiretapping operations in Turkey. He confirmed that two
suspects wanted in the case were detained in Romania, where they
had escaped.
"An arrest warrant has been issued for these two people. We have some
agreement for extradition with Romania and we discussed this issue
with the country's officials," he said.
Interior Minister Efkan Ala also spoke about the two suspects in
Romanian custody Saturday. "Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
launched legal procedures for extradition. I think we will get results
in a short time," Ala said.
The two suspects detained in Romania are suspected of involvement
in bugging the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his
tenure as prime minister before August 2014.
According to the Izmir governorate, 92 people, including high-ranking
army officers, academics, senior policemen and journalists, were
illegally wiretapped between 2009 and 2013. To date, hundreds of
police officers have been detained and questioned in the alleged
wiretapping probe.
The ongoing operations follow a December 2013 probe that led to the
arrest of several high-profile figures, including the sons of three
former government ministers and leading business people.
The government has blamed the wiretapping case on the Gulen movement,
and accuses the alleged "parallel state" of attempting to infiltrate
and undermine the Turkish administration.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news/422612/