Gülen Target of Baseless Bugging Claims, Lawyer Says
Efforts to link Fethullah Gülen's name to recent bugging claims, triggered after the contents of a conversation between a senior Republican People's Party (CHP) member and a former governor were published in a newspaper, have been described by Gülen's lawyer as a "shameless act of slander."
Gülen's lawyer Orhan Erdemli said individuals hostile toward Gülen for ideological reasons were behind what he called a systematic defamation campaign against his client.
Gülen, a Turkish scholar of Islam, is a preacher with millions of followers in Turkey. Last week, the CHP claimed that its phone lines and headquarters had been bugged by groups in the police force who it said were members of the Gülen community.
Erdemli stated, "These people try to portray my client as the person responsible for any negative development in Turkey whenever they get an opportunity to do so. They also want to change the center of attention in order to hide the realities behind corruption and other illegal operations they have committed by diverting the attention to Fethullah Gülen." He added, "These baseless claims are slander [intended] to damage the reputation of my client," and denied any link between Gülen and the possibility that the CHP's phones and buildings have been bugged.
He said claims followers of Gülen's religious community had "invaded" the police force — made in some newspapers last week — had been refuted, with courts ordering those responsible pay damages. Some media outlets were too eager to dismiss journalistic principles such as fact-checking and documenting claims when accusations directed against his client were in question, he complained.
The CHP's claims were an attempt to damage Gülen's movement of tolerance and dialogue in Turkey, Erdemli added, expressing the opinion that the public was fully aware of what the CHP was attempting to do.
Millions at home and abroad have been inspired by the success of the Gülen movement, which promotes education, brotherhood and peace, he stated. Gülen has gained the appreciation of every segment in Turkey in addition to numerous countries around the world, Erdemli added.
Erdemli also suggested it was curious the accusations had been raised against his client at the time of the Turkish Language Olympics, in which international students from more than 100 countries compete in contests measuring their Turkish skills; an event organized by the Gülen community.
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