Category: World

A Turkish prosecutor is seeking a 15-year sentence for Semra Köse, the wife of former police chief Ömer Köse, who has been imprisoned since 2014 due to his role in graft probes in December 2013 that implicated high-level government officials, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported.

Semra Köse will be tried by an Istanbul High Criminal Court, which has approved the indictment, on charges of terrorist organization membership due to her alleged use of the ByLock smart phone application.

Turkey considers ByLock, once widely available online, a secret tool of communication among supporters of the faith-based Gülen movement since a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 despite the lack of any evidence that ByLock messages were related to the abortive putsch, leading to the arrest of thousands who were using it.

The Gülen movement is accused by the Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of masterminding the failed coup and is labeled a “terrorist organization,” although the movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

Her husband Ömer was one of the police officers who took part in a bribery and corruption investigation in connection with state-owned Halkbank that shook the country in December 2013. The probe implicated, among others, the family members of four cabinet ministers as well as the children of then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Despite the scandal resulting in the resignation of all the cabinet members, the investigation was dropped after prosecutors and police chiefs were removed from the case. Erdoğan, government officials and the pro-government media described the investigation as an attempt to overthrow the government.

Some of the claims that were part of the corruption investigations were later substantiated in New York federal court, where Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla was sentenced to 32 months for conspiring to violate US sanctions on Iran and other offenses.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled in June in the case of a former police officer that use of the ByLock application is not an offense in itself and does not constitute sufficient evidence for arrest. The Strasbourg court’s ruling came as a source of hope for thousands of people who were arrested or sentenced on terrorism charges based mainly on a National Intelligence Organization (MİT) report that detailed users of ByLock.

The UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also stated in October 2018 that detention, arrest and conviction based on ByLock use in Turkey violated of Articles 19, 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

According to a statement from the interior ministry in March 2019, 95,310 people were charged over alleged use of the ByLock application. In its technical report, which courts use as basis for their decisions, the Turkish intelligence agency stated that 60,473 defendants had at least one message posted using ByLock while 34,837 defendants had not posted any message using the application.

Since the coup attempt, followers of the Gülen movement have been subjected to a massive crackdown, with the Turkish government and pro-government media outlets demonizing its members.

In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.

Zabit Kişi, a former teacher who was abducted from Kazakhstan by Turkish intelligence agency MİT, said in a letter to Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu that he did not have access to proper healthcare in prison, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported.

In the letter, which was made public on social media, Kişi said despite a lesion on his liver, he had not been taken to the hospital for months for a follow-up consultation. He claimed that the prison administration made him sign a petition saying it was his decision not to go the hospital.

“I suffer from debilitating pain that does not go away even with the strongest painkillers,” he said.

Lack of proper healthcare in prisons has been repeatedly criticized by human rights activists. Many have argued that health problems were often ignored until it was too late for inmates to be treated.

Kişi, a teacher, moved his family to Kyrgyzstan with the hope of landing a job after he became unemployed in Turkey in December 2015. The private school he had been working for was closed after a government crackdown on schools run by businesspeople close to the Gülen movement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.

Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. Erdoğan intensified the crackdown on the movement following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the abortive putsch or any terrorist activity.

In his absence the authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, based on allegations that he was linked to alleged putschist admirals at the Gölcük Naval Command. It became obvious during cross-examination in court that the allegations were baseless and that neither of the admirals knew him nor did he know the admirals.

Kişi’s ordeal started when he was detained in Kazakhstan for immigration irregularities when he traveled from Bishkek to Almaty. The Kazakh court ordered him to return to Kyrgyzstan, where had had a family and maintained a residence. On September 30, 2017, he went to the airport with his lawyer for deportation procedures in Almaty and started waiting for his flight to Bishkek. During the security check, his lawyer was told he could not accompany him.

He was detained again at the airport and confined to a room. He overheard airport officials talking about a plane from Turkey that would be landing soon to pick him up. A MİT team forcibly removed him from the terminal and put him on a plane he described as painted with a camouflage pattern.

A minivan picked him up after landing at the airport in Ankara, and he was driven to what he described as a freight container where he was subjected to torture and abuse for more than three months.

Although Kişi requested an investigation into his allegations of torture, authorities rejected his appeals.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose health is a frequent subject of debate and speculation, is receiving medical advice from an Israeli cardiologist, according to an Israeli news website.

Ynetnews, the English-language web edition of the Yedioth Ahronot newspaper, reported on Thursday that the deputy director-general of the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Professor Itzhak Shapira, advises Erdoğan.

“He is a trained cardiologist, which might suggest the Turkish leader is dealing with heart problems, but there is no official information to support that speculation,” said the website.

Ynetnews referred to Shapira as the overseer of medical tourism at the hospital who advises world leaders on medical issues and treatments.

Sources familiar with the relationship between Erdoğan and Shapira say they “won’t be surprised if they met in Turkey.”

Sourasky Medical Center and Shapira have declined to comment.

There is growing speculation in Turkey about the health of Erdoğan, who will turn 68 in February. He was seen in public and in videos in the past months walking or speaking with difficulty or dozing off in front of the cameras.

In an apparent bid to dismiss speculation about his health, Erdoğan shared a video of him playing basketball on his Telegram channel in October. In the video he was seen wearing uniform number 15 with “R. Tayyip Erdoğan” printed on it. He was also the team captain and was seen encouraging his teammates.

The president was joined by former NBA star and current Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) head Hidayet Türkoğlu.

Rumors about Erdoğan’s health have been circulating for years, with one of his doctors going on record in 2011 to deny that the Turkish leader had cancer.

In 2011, Erdoğan, then prime minister, underwent laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery and has been walking more carefully ever since.

Meanwhile, Erdoğan announced on Monday that his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, might soon make an official state visit.

Speaking to reporters, Erdoğan floated the idea of the two nations signing an energy deal, owing to their location on the coasts of the gas-rich Mediterranean.

“Politics is not a struggle, we must take politics to a line of peace,” he said.

A senior source confirmed that Herzog has been mulling traveling to Turkey but said a final decision has yet to be made.

Ties between Israel and Turkey have been tense since a Turkish NGO oversaw a flotilla of ships that tried to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010.

Ahmet Güngör, a former police officer who was fired from his job after a coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, has gone missing after fleeing to Greece, the TR724 news website reported on Wednesday.

Güngör was one of the more than 125,000 civil servants who were expelled from public service under a state of emergency declared after the coup attempt on the pretext of an anti-coup fight.

According to TR724, his family, who hasn’t heard from him since he fled to Greece on Monday, are worried about him.

The family lost touch with Güngör as soon as he crossed the Evros River into Greece, TR724 said, adding that it had been determined that the former police officer wasn’t being kept at a police station in Greece and that he hadn’t been pushed back to Turkey.

Although the family contacted all the relevant institutions in Turkey and Greece, they haven’t been able to learn Güngör’s whereabouts, TR724 said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government launched a war against the Gülen movement, a worldwide civic initiative inspired by the ideas of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, following corruption investigations in late 2013 that implicated then-prime minister and current President Erdoğan’s close circle.

The war against the movement accelerated after the attempted coup because Erdoğan and his AKP government accused the movement of masterminding the abortive putsch and initiated a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.

A total of 319,587 people have been detained and 99,962 arrested in operations against supporters of the Gülen movement since the coup attempt, Turkey’s Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said in a statement in December.

In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.

A 16-year-old has died by suicide in Turkey’s eastern Diyarbakır province as a result of depression caused by actions of the Turkish government, which, following a coup attempt in 2016, embarked on a massive crackdown on non-loyalist citizens, Turkish Minute reported on Saturday.

According to the report, the teenager, identified as Bahadır Odabaşı, threw himself from the 10th story of his apartment building due to depression caused by the situation of his father, Nurettin Odabaşı, a former teacher who was fired from his job by an emergency decree and arrested on terror-related charges due to his alleged links to the Gülen movement after the attempted coup.

The teenager, whose father has been in prison for the past four years, lapsed into depression and took his own life, Bold Medya said, adding that his body was sent to a hospital for autopsy.

Nurettin Odabaşı was brought to the funeral in handcuffs, accompanied by gendarmes.

Following the coup attempt in 2016, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) declared a state of emergency and carried out a massive purge of state institutions, summarily dismissing by means of emergency decree-laws more than 130,000 public servants including academics, teachers, military personnel, diplomats and police officers, for alleged membership in or relationships with the Gülen movement.

The Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, is accused by the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of masterminding the failed coup and is labeled a “terrorist organization,” although the movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

The purge has damaged the unity of many families and left children to the care of relatives. Such separations have had a negative impact on the mental and physical well-being of the children. In cases where grandparents are responsible for the child’s care, they cannot meet every need, especially in education and schoolwork. SCF

Political parties and nongovernmental organizations in Germany have criticized the appointment of a former advisor to then-prime minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who in 2014 had kicked the relative of a victim of Turkey’s largest mining disaster on camera as a commercial attaché at the Turkish Consulate General in Frankfurt, the Sözcü daily reported on Wednesday.

Yusuf Yerkel sparked public outrage in May 2014 when he in front of the cameras kicked the relative of one of the 301 victims of the tragedy during a visit to Soma in Manisa province, where the accident took place. The man and others were protesting Erdoğan, whose policies they held responsible for the tragedy.

While Yerkel hasn’t yet been accredited as a diplomat, according to Sözcü, reactions by politicians and activists against his appointment had widespread media coverage in prominent outlets in Germany, including the Frankfurter Rundschau, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Bild dailies as well as broadcaster ARD.

“It’s clear to us that anyone who kicks a defenseless worker who is lying on the ground must not become a commercial attaché at the Turkish Consulate General,” Saadet Sönmez from the Left Party (Die Linke) said in a statement.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) also said they didn’t welcome Yerkel and disapproved of his appointment, according to Sözcü.

“We cannot accept that a militant person, an extremist and an anti-democrat is being appointed as a commercial attaché,” Atila Karabörklü, chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), told German daily Frankfurter Rundschau on Tuesday.

The left-wing Federation of Democratic Workers’ Associations (DIDF) also condemned Yerkel’s appointment, calling for his “immediate withdrawal.”

“If the appointment decision is not revoked, we will … expose Yerkel’s anti-working class face …” added the DIDF.

Yerkel, who doesn’t have a degree in business, will be given a monthly salary of 6,000 euros during his assignment as commercial attaché, which will last for three or four years. He and his family will be granted diplomatic immunity and their travel and healthcare expenses in Turkey will be paid by the Turkish government.

The former aide’s appointment also had sparked criticism in Turkey, not only due to his treatment of the protestor in Soma but also due to his alleged lack of training to fulfill the responsibilities of a commercial attaché.

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leader President Erdoğan are widely criticized for filling state posts with their cronies and eschewing merit-based assignments.

Yerkel has a bachelor’s degree from the politics and international relations department of a university in İstanbul, according to his biography.

The İzmir 2nd High Criminal Court has rejected an appeal from imprisoned 82-year-old businessman and philanthropist Yusuf Bekmezci to be released for proper medical care, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing the Bold Medya news website.

Although Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) issued a medical report saying Bekmezci was not fit to remain in prison, the court said there was too much evidence against him and that he was a flight risk.

Bekmezci’s lawyer, Saadet Aytekin, criticized the decision on Twitter, saying her client was unconscious in intensive care and needed to be immediately released.

Bekmezci, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, underwent an operation on January 4, during which his heart stopped. Bekmezci was revived after 15 minutes of heart massage and electroshock and was taken to intensive care, where he remains unconscious.

Bekmezci was arrested for alleged links to the Gülen movement and tried on charges of terrorism, with the prosecutor demanding a life sentence.

The court  handed down a sentence of 17 years, four months in April 2021.

Speaking to Bold Medya earlier, his daughter Şeyma Bekmezci said her ailing father had been condemned to die in prison.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-Prime Minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.

Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the abortive putsch or any terrorist activity.

According to Şeyma Bekmezci, her father could barely understand the court proceedings due to his advanced Alzheimer’s and was unable to defend himself. The lack of proper health care in prison has caused his mental state to deteriorate. “He completely forgets himself in court and is in a vulnerable position,” she said.

Human rights activists and opposition politicians have frequently criticized authorities for not releasing critically ill prisoners so they can seek proper treatment.

According to the Human Rights Association (İHD), as of June 2020 there were more than 1,605 sick inmates in Turkish prisons, approximately 600 of whom were critically ill. Although most of the seriously ill patients had forensic and medical reports deeming them unfit to remain in prison, they were not released. Authorities refuse to free them on the grounds that they pose a potential danger to society. In the first eight months of 2020, five critically ill prisoners passed away because they were not released in time to receive proper medical treatment.

The family of former police officer Ali Osman Kayan, a father of four serving a sentence for conviction of links to the Gülen movement, said they have not been able to visit him for nearly two years due to the distance between the prison he’s in and the family home in Izmir, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported on Wednesday.

Speaking to Bold Medya, Kayan’s wife said they have to travel 1,300 kilometers to visit her husband in a prison in eastern Elazığ province. Kayan’s four children have not been able to see their father since February 3, 2020.

“My eldest son said he could barely remember his father’s face,” said Kayan’s wife. “The last time we went to visit my husband, the youngest children said they did not want to go anymore because it was a long journey for a very short visit.”

Kayan’s wife added that their only means of communication has been short telephone calls for the past two years.

Although Kayan appealed to authorities several times asking to be transferred to a prison closer to his family, his petitions were not approved.

Kayan was arrested in November 2016 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. His case is currently with the Supreme Court of Appeals.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.

Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the abortive putsch or any terrorist activity.

According to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), everyone has the right to respect for his or her private and family life, their home and their correspondence. Public authorities cannot interfere with the exercise of this right except as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

In 2019 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled in favor of two political prisoners and said Turkey had violated Article 8. Both prisoners were sent to a prison more than 800 kilometers from their families. Abdulkerim Avşar and Abdulkerim Tekin appealed to the court saying their families could not visit due to the long distance.

Turkey was ordered to pay 6,000 euros to each in compensation and 1,000 euros to Avşar for expenses.

Refik Yeşil, 68, a late stage cancer patient, was arrested on Monday on terrorism charges for alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing the Bold Medya news website.

Police officers first made contact with Yeşil during a morning hospital visit and asked about his illness. They later went to his house in the afternoon and detained him. He was arrested by a court after spending the night in a police detention center in Antalya province.

Yeşil was diagnosed with lymphoma five months ago and was going through diagnostic tests in preparation for his fourth round of chemotherapy. He is accused of membership in a terrorist organization for managing a labor union, AKÇADER, which was closed down for its alleged links to the Gülen movement; for having an account at the now-closed Bank Asya, one of Turkey’s largest commercial banks at the time; and for using the ByLock encrypted messaging app. The app was widely available in Apple’s App Store and Google Play, but the government claims it was exclusively used by followers of the movement and considers it evidence of terrorist activity.

Yeşil’s trial is expected to begin on January 18.

Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government launched a war against the Gülen movement, a worldwide civic initiative inspired by the ideas of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, after the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013 that implicated then-prime minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s family members and inner circle.

Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy, the AKP government designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. They intensified the crackdown on the movement following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that they accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the abortive putsch or any terrorist activity.

The Turkish government accepted such daily activities as having an account at or depositing money in a Gülen movement-affiliated bank, working at any institutions linked to the movement or subscribing to certain newspapers and magazines as benchmarks for identifying and arresting tens of thousands alleged members of the movement on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.

According to a statement by Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, as of November 15, 2021 a total of 319,587 people had been detained and 99,962 arrested in operations against supporters of the Gülen movement since the coup attempt.