Turkey Erdogan wants to eradicate the Gülen movement

Following the death of preacher Fethullah Gülen, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to continue to take action against the Gülen movement in Turkey. According to the Turkish government, the organization known in Turkey as Fetö was behind the failed coup attempt in 2016.

"As a state, we will continue our fight with determination until Fetö is completely eradicated," said Erdogan. He called Gülen a "traitor-in-chief".

Gülen, who had lived in the USA since 1999, died on Sunday evening in a hospital in the state of Pennsylvania. Gülen was allied with Erdogan until his public break in 2013. He had always denied involvement in the attempted coup and accused Erdogan of having orchestrated it himself.

On July 15, 2016, parts of the military in Turkey staged a coup against President Erdogan's government. The uprising was ultimately crushed. More than 250 people died and more than 2,000 were injured.

Under the state of emergency, which Erdogan subsequently declared and which only ended in July 2018, the government took action against suspected coup plotters and supporters of Gülen's movement, but also against members of the opposition. At the time, more than 100,000 civil servants were dismissed by decree and tens of thousands of people were arrested. In Turkey, the Gülen movement is classified as a terrorist organization. Observers see the internationally active movement as torn apart following the death of its founder.

SDA