Prosecutor's Office Objects to Fethullah Gülen Acquittal
The Chief Prosecutor's Office of the Supreme Court of Appeals objected yesterday to the acquittal of Fethullah Gülen on charges of establishing an illegal organization to undermine the state's secular order, which was upheld by the appeals court in early March.
The Chief Prosecutor's Office said Gülen, one of the world's most influential religious scholars, should be tried on charges of "establishing an organization with the objective of committing crimes" and demanded that lawsuits filed against Gülen be dropped due to the statute of limitations. The 9th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld Gülen's acquittal unanimously on March 7, stating that there was no evidence to prove that Gülen had formed an illegal organization to undermine the secular structure of the state.
The accusations directed at Gülen by the Chief Prosecutor's Office, however, contradict the provisions of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). According to Article 131 of the TCK, an organization with the aim of committing crimes must constitute two or more people, but Gülen has so far been tried alone on charges directed at him.
The Chief Prosecutor's Office also stated in its indictment, filed yesterday with the Supreme Court of Appeals, that Gülen's activities cannot be considered acts perpetrated by a terrorist organization. "There is no evidence to prove that Gülen was engaged in terrorist activities or that his organization has perpetrated armed attacks," read the indictment, which contradicted accusations included in the first lawsuit filed against Gülen.
The lawsuit was first filed against Gülen in 2000 by the chief prosecutor of the Ankara State Security Court (DGM). Gülen was tried under Counterterrorism Law no. 7 on charges of "establishing an illegal organization to undermine the secular structure of the state with the aim of replacing it with a state based on Shariah law as well as engaging in various activities to this end." (Metin Arslan, Ankara)
- Created on .