Turkish Interior Minister Soylu announced: 704 detention orders in 59 cities against Gülen followers

Turkish police detained 543 of 704 arrest warrants as part of an investigation into the financial activities of followers of the Gülen movement, according to the ministry of internal affairs, citing the country’s interior minister. The operation is carried out simultaneous across 59 cities. (1)

Interior Minister stated that the operation, which started in the morning after 8 months of meticulous work, was carried out to decipher the current structure of the Gulen Movement, the supply of new personnel and financial resources. According to Interior Minister Soylu, the operation was carried out by the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department (KOM), the Counterterrorism Bureau (TEM) and the Cybercrime Department in coordination with the Security General Directorate’s intelligence unit and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK). (1)

Interior Minister Soylu made a statement on the operation together with Turgut Aslan, the Chief Advisor to the President. Soylu said, “This money transfer, which took place over 8 months, both via cargo, ATM and people who do not know each other, is entire of foreign origin. Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) really has a great contribution here, the successful follow-up of each of the security units separately. This systematic and regular money transfer has been determined as a result of an operational and operational understanding. There is a system that is transferred to the members of this organization by the managers of the organization abroad, between 3 and 6 thousand liras (160 to 320 euros), in order to keep the organization in Turkey alive and to maintain the financial structure of the organization. Among the methods are cardless transactions, hiding in cargo and physical meetings.(2)

The suspects are accused of distributing or receiving financial aid sent by Gülen followers abroad to the families of those imprisoned or suspended from public office for affiliation with the Gülen movement.

After the coup attempt, the Turkish government declared a state of emergency and carried out a major purge of state institutions under the pretext of fighting the coup. More than 130,000 public officials, including 4,156 judges and prosecutors, as well as 29,444 members of the armed forces,   were summarily dismissed from their jobs for alleged membership of or affiliation with “terrorist organizations”, with the emergency decree laws that are not subject to neither judicial nor parliamentary control. .

Victims of Turkey’s post-coup oppression say that they and their families face serious financial and psychological problems because of what the government and its supporters call hate speech, which prevents them from living a normal life, finding a job and supporting their families.

 

Human Rights activist and Deputy HDP Omer Faruk Gergeelioglu shows his reaction against the operation with the following words

“We are experiencing fires in our hearts for the young people who committed suicide, they are trying to break the hands reaching out to those who can commit suicide!!!

We call it a “crime against humanity”, they are killing the last crumbs of their humanity with their hands!!!”

1. https://www.icisleri.gov.tr/feto-operasyonunda-543-supheli-gozaltina-alindi

2. https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/ankarada-feto-operasyonu-bakan-soylu-704-gozalti-karari-alindi-543-kisi-yakalandi-42155305