Turkish government officials have voiced their determination to continue to target followers of the Gülen movement following the death of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish-Islamic scholar whose views have inspired a worldwide civic network, also known as the Hizmet (Service) movement, Turkish Minute reported.
Gülen’s death was announced by the Gülen-linked Herkul website on Monday. The 83-year-old cleric, who had been living in the United States since 1999, died at a hospital where he had been receiving treatment for some time, Herkul said on X on Monday.
Gülen and his followers have been targeted by the Turkish government for about a decade, facing multiple accusations that ranged from masterminding corruption investigations in December 2013 to orchestrating a coup attempt in July 2016.
The movement was listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey in May 2016, and the crackdown on the movement increased in the aftermath of the coup attempt, which claimed the lives of some 250 people.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a news conference in Ankara on Monday that the death of the leader of “Fetö,” an expression coined by the Turkish government to refer to the movement as a terrorist organization, will not weaken the fight against the movement’s members.
“Our nation’s determination in the fight against terrorism will continue, and we will not become complacent due to the news of his death,” Fidan said.
“This organization has become a threat rarely seen in the history of our nation,” Fidan said, accusing Gülen followers of “being used as weapons against their own country.”
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç echoed a similar view, saying Turkey’s fight against the movement would continue despite Gülen’s death.
He said on X that the death of Gülen will in no way disrupt the government’s determination in the fight against the group; on the contrary, their battle will continue with the same determination and perseverance.
The minister said ongoing legal proceedings against members of the group would continue unaffected.
More than 705,000 people have been investigated thus far on terrorism or coup-related charges due to alleged links to the movement since the coup attempt, according to a statement from Tunç in July.
Those people were convicted of terrorism simply because of actions such as using a mobile phone application known as ByLock; membership in a labor union or an association affiliated with the Gülen movement; and having an account at the now-closed Bank Asya, sending their children to Gülen-linked schools or having subscriptions to Gülen-linked publications, which are all considered signs of membership in the Gülen movement and criminal evidence.
According to rulings from the European Court of Human Rights, the use of ByLock, once widely available online and considered a secret tool of communication among supporters of the Gülen movement, does not constitute a reliable piece of evidence or a criminal offense.
Around 130,000 public workers were also purged from the state following the coup attempt due to links to terrorist organizations, mostly due to their links to the Gülen movement.
Turkey still regularly rounds up Gülen followers at home and demands their extradition from countries where his network is active. In some cases, Turkey’s intelligence service has abducted Gülen followers from foreign countries.
