Turkish authorities have seized or frozen billions in assets and closed hundreds of institutions linked to the faith-based Gülen movement, according to official figures reported by the state-run Anadolu news agency on the anniversary of a coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
Since the attempted coup, 934 schools, 109 student dormitories, 104 foundations, 1,125 associations, 15 universities and 19 labor unions have been permanently closed. The closures were ordered under emergency decrees following the abortive putsch.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since corruption investigations revealed in 2013 implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan as well as some of his family members and inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and a conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan began to target the movement’s members. He designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016 and intensified the crackdown on it following the abortive putsch in July of the same year that he accused Gülen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
Among the first major seizures was the Gülen-linked Bank Asya. It was placed under the control of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), a government body typically tasked with managing insolvent banks, before the 2016 coup attempt and eventually dissolved. Critics, including international rights groups, argue that the government’s actions amount to mass expropriation without due process and have been used to suppress political dissent.
In addition, 784 companies with a combined asset value of 42.3 billion Turkish lira (about $1.3 billion) were taken over by the TMSF. These companies were accused of financially supporting the Gülen movement.
Turkish officials also froze domestic assets belonging to 703 individuals. The frozen assets include 5.5 billion lira, $2.5 million, €282,000 and 106 grams of gold. The seizures comprised 851 real estate properties, 66 vehicles, one yacht and 132 commercial registrations.
Additionally, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), Turkey’s anti-money laundering agency, requested international cooperation from 559 financial intelligence units in other countries concerning Gulen-linked individuals and entities. The outreach was made as part of efforts to block overseas funding streams for the group.
Turkish prosecutors have submitted analysis reports concerning 324,574 individuals and entities allegedly affiliated with the movement, officials said. In 241 cases, foreign governments were asked to freeze assets held abroad.
A 2023 report from the Institute for Diplomacy and Economy (instituDE) argues that such coordinated, large-scale confiscations — often carried out without meaningful judicial review or compensation — may meet the legal definition of “persecution” amounting to crimes against humanity under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute.
