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Tag: Turkish

  • Ailing Turkish prisoner has leg amputated after repeated ‘fit for prison’ assessments

    Ailing Turkish prisoner has leg amputated after repeated ‘fit for prison’ assessments

    A Turkish prisoner convicted over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement has had his left leg amputated below the knee after repeated medical assessments found him fit to remain incarcerated despite his deteriorating health, his daughter said on Friday.

    Abdullah Tırpan underwent surgery at İstanbul’s Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, where he had been transferred from Metris Prison earlier this week, the TR724 news website reported.

    His daughter, Esra Tırpan Yakut, said doctors had amputated his left leg below the knee but were planning a second operation to remove more of the limb above the knee because the infection had spread farther up his leg.

    “I don’t know what to say or how to express my feelings,” she said. “I’m very sad.”

    The amputation follows a series of medical assessments that concluded Tırpan could remain in prison despite multiple serious health problems, including diabetes, nerve damage and circulatory disorders.

    Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine, a state body that assesses prisoners’ fitness to remain incarcerated, concluded on December 17, 2025, that Tırpan could remain in prison. Medical boards at Tekirdağ City Hospital reached similar conclusions on May 7 and June 30, 2026.

    The June report documented several chronic illnesses but concluded that Tırpan could manage his daily activities without assistance and did not require the suspension of his sentence on medical grounds.

    Another examination on October 6 reportedly found no medical obstacle to his continued imprisonment, less than three weeks before the amputation.

    Independent lawmaker Mustafa Yeneroğlu, who visited Tırpan at Metris Prison earlier this month, warned on October 9 that the prisoner could die without urgent medical intervention.

    Yeneroğlu said Tırpan had advanced gangrene, severe discoloration and large open wounds on his left leg. He was unable to stand or meet his basic needs on his own, according to the lawmaker, who questioned medical assessments concluding otherwise.

    Tırpan’s daughter announced on X on October 20 that doctors had obtained the family’s consent to amputate her father’s leg and appealed to authorities to suspend his sentence so he could receive treatment outside prison.

    The family continues to seek the suspension of his sentence. It was not immediately clear whether authorities had initiated a new medical assessment following the amputation.

    Under Article 16 of Turkey’s Law on the Execution of Sentences, the enforcement of a prison sentence may be suspended in certain cases involving serious illness or disability. The Justice Ministry says authorities can reopen the review process when a prisoner’s health deteriorates, even after an earlier request has been rejected.

    Tırpan, a father of five who worked as a butcher for 55 years in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison on August 8, 2019, for membership in an armed terrorist organization over his alleged involvement in the Gülen movement. Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals upheld his conviction on March 7, 2022.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has targeted the faith-based Gülen movement, inspired by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, who died in 2024, since corruption investigations in December 2013 implicated him as well as some members of his family and inner circle. He dismissed the probes as a Gülenist conspiracy and designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016, intensifying a sweeping crackdown after a coup attempt in July of the same year that he accused Gülen of orchestrating. The movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

    The evidence cited in his conviction included having shares in a company operating a private school allegedly affiliated with the movement, participating in religious discussion meetings, making charitable donations to the movement, subscribing to the now-closed Zaman newspaper and maintaining an account at Bank Asya, a bank formerly affiliated with the movement.

    The court also cited his decision to send his children and grandchildren to schools associated with the movement and his possession of certain religious publications.

    Since the coup attempt in 2016, the Turkish government has accepted such activities as having an account at now-shuttered Bank Asya, one of Turkey’s largest commercial banks at the time; using the ByLock messaging application, an encrypted messaging app that was available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play; and subscribing to the now-shut-down Zaman daily or other publications affiliated with members of the movement as benchmarks for identifying and arresting alleged followers of the Gülen movement on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.

    Tırpan denied the criminal allegations. He was first arrested in August 2016 and spent approximately 19 months in pretrial detention before being released pending the outcome of his legal proceedings. He was imprisoned again in February 2025 following the finalization of his sentence.

  • 19 more jailed in investigation targeting Süleymanlılar religious community

    19 more jailed in investigation targeting Süleymanlılar religious community

    A Turkish court has ordered the pretrial detention of 19 people in the latest phase of a financial crimes investigation targeting individuals linked to the Süleymanlılar religious community, the DHA news agency reported on Friday.

    Five others were released under judicial supervision after 24 suspects were brought before a court following questioning by police and prosecutors.

    The decisions follow the fifth round of raids in the investigation, led by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Police searched 28 homes and 16 workplaces across 12 provinces after prosecutors issued detention warrants for 38 people.

    Twenty-two people were initially detained in the October 19 raids. The number subsequently rose to 24, according to DHA.

    Prosecutors are investigating allegations of establishing, leading or belonging to a criminal organization, money laundering, defrauding public institutions and violations of tax laws.

    The investigation has targeted community leader Alihan Kuriş, who has been jailed pending trial since August. Kuriş has denied leading a criminal organization or participating in money laundering or fraud.

    The case has expanded through successive operations targeting people and businesses linked to the community. In September, prosecutors issued warrants for 29 suspects and secured the appointment of court-supervised trustees to 23 companies.

    The Süleymanlılar trace their roots to Islamic scholar Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan. The community runs Quran courses, student dormitories, charities and businesses in Turkey and Europe, particularly Germany. Kuriş, a grandson of Tunahan, became its leader in 2016.

    The investigation has prompted questions about possible political motives. The community has remained outside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) close circle of religious allies and has at times reportedly supported opposition parties.

    Former education minister Hüseyin Çelik, a founding AKP member, warned in August that investigations into religious communities risked becoming a way to punish groups whose leaders opposed the government.

    He questioned whether the Süleymanlılar would have faced similar action had their leadership supported the ruling party.

    The government denies targeting the community over its beliefs or political position. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has claimed that the investigation concerns alleged financial crimes rather than religious activities.

  • Azerbaijan seeks to contain Azerbaijan dispute ahead of regional summit

    Azerbaijan seeks to contain Azerbaijan dispute ahead of regional summit

    Turkey is seeking to contain a growing dispute with Azerbaijan over criticism of school headscarf restrictions, as reports of demands from Baku and uncertainty over President Ilham Aliyev’s attendance at an upcoming regional summit put the relationship under pressure.

    Azerbaijan’s decision to bar 31 Turkish nationals from entering the country on Wednesday expanded the dispute beyond the seven Turkish citizens facing arrest in absentia over alleged calls to overthrow the Azerbaijani government. The entry ban list includes opposition politicians, media figures and religious writers, with Azerbaijani officials accusing those named of making statements that threaten the country’s sovereignty and national security.

    The dispute began after Azerbaijan amended its school uniform rules on September 21 to prohibit clothing considered incompatible with prescribed uniforms or secular education. Although the rules do not explicitly mention headscarves, reports that girls wearing them were turned away from classrooms prompted protests and criticism from Turkish politicians.

    On October 12 Oktay Saral, a chief adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, called the restrictions unacceptable and urged Azerbaijan to reverse them. Members of Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) also criticized the policy. The following day, Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) accused Saral and AKP lawmakers of making “populist and irresponsible” statements and interfering in the country’s domestic affairs.

    A Middle East Eye report published October 19, citing three officials and a source familiar with the matter, said Baku had asked Ankara to dismiss Saral, prosecute social media commentators who had insulted Aliyev and block accounts identified by Azerbaijani officials. Turkey blocked some of the accounts but had taken no further action.

    Azerbaijani media outlets close to the government subsequently accused Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan of encouraging unrest against Aliyev following Fidan’s visit to Baku. The Turkish Embassy rejected the allegations, denying that Fidan had held secret meetings or issued instructions to interfere in Azerbaijan’s domestic affairs. Azerbaijani news outlet Qafqazinfo removed passages targeting Fidan after the embassy’s denial. Azerbaijan’s Press Council also criticized some Turkish media coverage, accusing outlets of exceeding the bounds of press freedom.

    Turkish political figures have sought to limit the fallout. Former prime minister Binali Yıldırım said Saral’s comments did not represent official Turkish policy, while Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli called for common sense.

    The dispute comes as Turkey and Azerbaijan prepare for the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara, where Turkey is due to take over the group’s chairmanship from Azerbaijan. Foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on October 29, followed by the heads-of-state summit on October 30.

    Turkish Foreign Ministry sources told the Cumhuriyet newspaper that all leaders had been invited and that Aliyev’s attendance was expected. Middle East Eye’s sources, however, said his participation remained unconfirmed.

    Separately, Turkey’s Center for Combating Disinformation, part of the Presidential Communications Directorate, said on October 20 that social media claims that someone had attempted to remove the Turkish flag in Azerbaijan relied on old footage. The center said the flag had not been taken down and accused those circulating the footage as recent of seeking to damage relations between the two countries.

    Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry has said 37 people were detained during protests against enforcement of the school uniform rules. The dispute has put pressure on a relationship built on close political, military and cultural ties, which the two governments often describe with the phrase “one nation, two states.”

  • New documentary explores Gülen’s legacy as his movement faces crackdown and exile

    New documentary explores Gülen’s legacy as his movement faces crackdown and exile

    Fatma Zibak

    A new documentary premiering on YouTube on October 17 examines how Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen’s teachings encouraged followers to establish schools and promote dialogue around the world, and how his movement is navigating repression, exile and life after his death, according to its producers.

    The 90-minute film, “GULEN: Devoted to Education & Dialogue,” features 35 interviewees from 14 countries. Its release comes three days before the second anniversary of Gülen’s death on October 20, 2024.

    Directed by Ahmet Ünal and produced by Raindrops Productions LLC, with Rıdvan Kızıltepe as project coordinator, the documentary follows Gülen’s ideas beyond Turkey through interviews with academics, observers and people who knew him or participated in his movement.

    Education was central to Gülen’s teachings. He encouraged his followers to open schools that taught both academic subjects and moral values, saying that science and religious faith could go hand-in-hand.

    That approach helped the movement, known as Hizmet, or “service” in Turkish, expand internationally. Schools established by its participants became its most visible institutions, along with charities, professional associations and organizations promoting dialogue between religions.

    By the time of Gülen’s death institutions associated with the movement had operated in more than 100 countries, according to The Associated Press. Their reach extended from Central Asia and Africa to Europe and the United States.

    The documentary examines that educational work along with Gülen’s views on science, faith, peace and social change. Organized into nine thematic chapters, it begins with personal encounters with the cleric before considering how his teachings influenced communities in different countries, the producers said.

    Gülen’s support for interfaith dialogue included a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1998. His followers subsequently established organizations that brought people from different religious traditions together.

    But the movement’s international growth was followed by a rupture with the Turkish government and a crackdown that reshaped its institutions and scattered many of its participants abroad.

    Gülen and his followers initially supported Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government against Turkey’s military-backed secular establishment. Their alliance later broke down amid disagreements over government policy and corruption investigations targeting Erdoğan’s inner circle. Erdoğan denied the corruption allegations and accused Gülen’s followers of building a parallel state within the police and the judiciary.

    After a failed coup on July 15, 2016, that claimed the lives of 251 people, the government accused Gülen and his movement of organizing the uprising. Gülen strongly denied involvement and condemned the coup attempt.

    Turkey sought his extradition from the United States, where he had lived since traveling there for medical treatment in 1999. Washington requested further evidence and never extradited him. He was not charged with a crime in the United States.

    The crackdown that followed brought tens of thousands of arrests, the dismissal of nearly 130,000 people from public service under emergency decrees and the closure of schools, businesses and media organizations associated with the movement.

    The campaign against alleged members has continued beyond Gülen’s death. Turkish officials have claimed that the movement remains a security threat, while its supporters describe the prosecutions as punishment for their religious beliefs and associations.

    Against that background, the film examines the movement’s future after Gülen’s death along with the coup attempt and its aftermath, including exile and the challenges of keeping communities together outside Turkey.

    Scott C. Alexander, a professor of Islamic studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a board member of the Hizmet-associated Alliance for Shared Values, claims that the movement’s future depends on its participants and their ability to endure what he describes as an exceptionally severe challenge: a powerful state using its economic, political and, to some extent, military power against unarmed civilians.

    “Many in the movement were traumatized. That is only natural. But what I have seen is that the movement is surviving the trauma,” he says in the documentary.

    The scale of the crackdown is reflected in figures Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek released in July: More than 720,000 people had faced legal proceedings since 2016 and more than 127,000 had been convicted. Investigations or trials involving another 83,404 people were ongoing, while 10,485 people were in prison over alleged movement membership or involvement in the coup attempt.

    The crackdown has also driven people accused of links to the movement to flee Turkey, sometimes taking dangerous routes across the Evros River into Greece or attempting sea crossings in small boats.

    The state’s treatment of the movement is a central question for Anwar Alam, a scholar of international relations and Islamic movements interviewed in the documentary.

    He sees the conflict as a struggle over the relationship between the state and civil society, arguing that Gülen’s encouragement of civic participation challenged political traditions that placed the state at the center of public life.

    “Whereas the Hizmet movement was trying to deepen the democracy, the state found that it is no more in control of civil society,” Alam says in the documentary.

    Other interviews explore women’s efforts to gain a greater voice in decision-making and the challenge of passing the movement’s values to younger generations.

    Those questions lead into the documentary’s final chapter, which considers how Hizmet will continue without the religious figure whose teachings brought its participants together.

    Gülen died at a Pennsylvania hospital at the age of 83 after years of ill health. The local coroner said his death was from natural causes.

    The documentary is scheduled to premiere on the Gulen Documentary YouTube channel, with teasers, interview clips and excerpts to be released beforehand.