Turkish authorities detained 92 people in a week of nationwide raids targeting alleged members of the faith-based Gülen movement, Turkish Minute reported on Saturday, citing Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The detentions are part of a long-running crackdown on followers of Fethullah Gülen, an Islamic cleric who lived in exile in the United States until his death in October 2024. The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of orchestrating a failed coup on July 15, 2016, a charge the movement strongly denies.
In a post on X Yerlikaya said the detainees were accused of maintaining ties with the movement through public payphone communications, providing financial support to associated charities, spreading propaganda on social media and attempting to flee the country. The operations were conducted by gendarmerie units across 34 provinces in coordination with public prosecutors and the gendarmerie’s counterterrorism department.
According to Yerlikaya, 59 of the detainees were placed under arrest and eight were released under judicial supervision, while the rest remain in custody pending investigation.
The detentions are part of ongoing efforts by Turkish authorities to dismantle what they describe as the “current structure” of the Gülen movement.
The Gülen movement is renowned worldwide for its contributions to education, social welfare and interfaith dialogue.
The Turkish government, however, labeled the group as a “terrorist organization” in May 2016, before the failed coup took place, a designation not recognized by other governments and major international bodies, including the United States and the European Union.
The movement’s followers, also known as Hizmet (Service) supporters, say they have been unfairly targeted in a campaign of political persecution aimed at silencing dissent and consolidating power. The post-coup purge has seen hundreds of thousands investigated and tens of thousands imprisoned on terrorism-related charges widely viewed as politically motivated.
According to the latest figures from the Justice Ministry, more than 126,000 people have been convicted of alleged links to the movement since 2016, with 11,085 still in prison.
In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.
