Mustafa Said Türk, a severely disabled Turkish man who was briefly jailed in 2023 over alleged ties to the faith based Gülen movement, died on Sunday at the age of 88, the TR724 news website reported.
Türk had been paralyzed and bedridden since suffering a brain hemorrhage in 2018. He required constant care from two professional caregivers and had a long history of serious health issues, including two strokes, a heart attack, a stent implant and insulin-dependent diabetes.
On July 31, 2023, Türk was arrested at his home in Turgutlu, Manisa province, after the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld his 10-year sentence.
During his 24-day imprisonment Türk was reportedly moved repeatedly between hospitals and the Council of Forensic Medicine for medical evaluations. He experienced heart failure and pneumonia, lost nearly 20 kilograms and contracted an infection while hospitalized. Due to a public outcry, he was released on health grounds.
A report dated Aug. 9, 2023 from Manisa Merkezefendi State Hospital concluded that Türk was unable to survive on his own in prison but did not recommend postponing his sentence, instead suggesting he could be held in a specialized facility.
Turkish authorities have been criticized for the imprisonment of chronically ill people, especially those allegedly linked to the Gülen movement.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement since corruption investigations revealed in December 2013 implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan as well as some members of his family and inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and a 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 an abortive putsch in 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
Türk was initially arrested following the attempted coup on July 15, 2016 and was held in pretrial detention for 18 months in Manisa T-Type Prison, after which he was released pending trial.
His conviction was based on evidence including financial transfers to his account at Bank Asya — a financial institution linked to the Gülen movement that was shut down by the government — in 2014-15 for his grandson’s education; phone calls with individuals under investigation, including his son; and longstanding ties to US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen. Prosecutors also cited his 2002 visit to the United States and subscriptions to the Zaman newspaper and the Sızıntı magazine, both of which were closed by decree following the 2016 coup attempt. Participation in religious gatherings and charitable donations associated with the movement were also listed as evidence.
Bülent Arınç, a former deputy prime minister from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and former parliament speaker who is a close friend of the Türk family, said when Mustafa Said Türk was arrested in 2016 that he had known him for 40 years and that he was a philanthropist who supported educational activities.
