Turkey's Erdogan vows to 'liquidate' treachery at home and abroad

April 8, 2014 
By Jonny Hogg and Gulsen Solaker
Source: Yahoo News

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday local elections had given him a mandate to "liquidate" the enemies he sees as contriving a corruption scandal and would go after their international activities and sources of funding.

In his first parliamentary speech since his ruling AK Party dominated March 30 municipal polls, Erdogan said "traitors" responsible for a stream of graft allegations and the illegal tapping of thousands of phones would be brought to account.

Erdogan accuses Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally now based in the United States, of orchestrating the graft scandal to undermine him. Gulen's Hizmet network claims millions of followers and holds influence in the police and judiciary.

Erdogan has accused the movement of running a "parallel state", spying on thousands of government officials over years and leaking manipulated recordings in a bid to unseat him ahead of last month's elections.

"March 30 is the day when the page was turned on tutelage, when the monuments of hubris were felled, and the privileges (of an elite) were lost forever," Erdogan said.

"The nation gave us a mandate for the liquidation of the parallel state. We will not have the slightest hesitation. We shall never forget the betrayal," he said.

He said the government would follow up on what he called the network's international links and investigate all "illegally collected monies and donations".

The movement, also known as Cemaat (JEH-maat), "The Community", has for decades been a spearhead of Turkish cultural influence and commerce overseas, especially in the assertive moves into Africa, the Middle East and Asia in the years after the AK Party took power in 2002.

Cemaat says the Turkish government is already putting pressure on governments to close down its global network of schools which have been a major source of influence and revenue. Government officials say Turkish embassies have stopped backing schools and business linked to Gulen.

Hizmet denies using followers in the police and judiciary to launch a graft inquiry targeting Erdogan family members, ministers and businessmen, or any involvement in the illicit recording of top officials.

Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party relied on Hizmet to break the grip on politics of the army, which carried out three coups between 1960 and 1980 and forced an Islamist-led government from power in 1997. But he now casts the fight with Hizmet as a continuation of that struggle against tutelage in any form, the final chapter in a battle for democracy and justice.

"They will answer before the courts. But not in front of their parallel courts; they will answer before the court of the nation," Erdogan said.

PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION

Erdogan has made little secret of his ambition to take up a powerful presidency, but such is his determination to finish the battle with Gulen that it remains unclear whether he will run in the first direct elections for the post in August.

He is barred by AK Party rules from standing for a fourth term as prime minister, currently a more powerful role than the largely ceremonial presidency; but the party could amend those rules with relative ease if it feels his leadership is needed to see out the feud with Gulen, senior officials have said.

Erdogan would seek to shape the presidency as a more powerful role than that played by incumbent Abdullah Gul. Erdogan was quoted on Tuesday as saying the direct election of the next president would automatically bestow the role with greater powers.

"The responsibilities will be different after these elections. It will not be a president of protocol, but one that sweats, runs around, works hard," he was quoted as saying by the pro-government Sabah newspaper.

Until now, Turkey's parliament has elected the head of state. Gul is a close Erdogan ally and co-founder of the AK Party, tipped as a possible prime minister if Erdogan were to run for what he would shape as the top job.

AK Party: Turkey is facing conspiracy to overthrow regime

27 February 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

The AK Party's Deputy Chairman for Economic Affairs Numan Kurtulmuş said that military coups in Turkey empowered the corrupt to infiltrate the Judiciary, police, and media.

In a lengthy interview with Al-jazeera Wednesday, Kurtulmuş claimed that "Arab and Islamic countries are conspiring with anarchists to bring down the legitimate government in Turkey."

Kurtulmuş slammed UAE's withdrawal of $12 billion investments as a "mistake it will regret".

He pointed out that "anarchists" have "arms" in the interior ministry, the judiciary and the media, seeking to carry out a coup against the ruling AK Party (Justice and Development Party), in coordination with foreign entities.

Kurtulmuş condemned the phone tapping of the prime minister and other government officials.
"Those conspirers from Fethullah Gulen group have no popularity and will not be able to steal the Turkish people", he said.

Link:  .middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/10005-ak-party-turkey-is-facing-conspiracy-to-overthrow-regime.

On 1997 coup anniversary, Erdogan warns of attempts to replicate it

01 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his party will not allow conspirators and liars to reach their goals.

In his speech before supporters in Balıkesir city Friday, Erdogan said that the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for March 30 will be a lesson for all "traitors" inside Turkey.

Friday marked the anniversary of what Erdogan called "a black day in the history of Turkey", namely the military coup of February 28, 1997. Erdogan recalled the repression that followed the coup, such as that suffered by conservative Muslim women who were banned from university education because of their choice to wear the Muslim headscarf. He added that the post-coup government tried to reinforce the image of poor citizens as perpetually poor, and that veiled Muslim women would always be confined to inferior jobs.
"Your votes in the upcoming elections will disappoint Turkey's enemies abroad," he told the crowd.

Erdogan made reference to Fethullah Gulen, the US based leader of the Gulen Movement, calling him the "leader of the parallel entity". Erdogan accused Gulen of fabricating a recording, allegedly of a conversation between Erdogan and his son, aiming to insult the ruling party. "Unfortunately, the Republican People's Party and the Nationalist Movement collaborate in supporting this treason," he added.

"Those people [namely, the Gulen Movement] praised the February 28 coup and honored its architects. Now they are providing information to them by taping phone calls. We can see the same scenario repeating itself with the same source of financing and the same media outlets," he said.

Supporters of Gulen, which Erdogan label the "parallel entity", eavesdropped on his phone calls and his son's, as well as encrypted calls of senior officials in the government. "Who gave them the right to eavesdrop on phone calls of the prime minister?" Erdogan asked.

"This entity has committed grave treason against the country and disclosed its most important strategic secrets. I call on my misled brothers to be aware of the reality of this entity."

"The parallel entity constitutes the last obstacle facing Turkey...On the 30th of March, you will make a choice between the old and the modern Turkey," Erdogan concluded.

Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/10035-on-1997-coup-anniversary-erdogan-warns-of-attempts-to-replicate-it.

Fethullah Gulen and CHP co-plotted a coup in Turkey, says Erdogan

02 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Fethullah Gulen, the US based leader of a Turkish socio-religious movement, of plotting the December 17 "conspiracy" and fabricating phone conversations aiming to smear the ruling party.

Erdogan delivered the remarks during a speech before his supporters in Denizli city on Saturday.
Erdogan added that "the December 17 coup d'état would have gained the support of the CHP, which planned to undertake tasks that would destabilise Turkey."

"Those hatching conspiracies - the parallel entity - will fail because they didn't hatch them skilfully," Erdogan told supporters.

He noted that all schools established by the Gulen movement saw the light thanks to his government.
Erdogan challenged Gulen to return to Turkey and lead a political party if he wishes to have a political role.
"We never bowed in front of these blows and will never do," he said. "We will continue our path towards development, justice, peace, brotherhood, and welfare."

Erdogan pointed out that his government aims at reaching $2 trillion national income by 2023, and for per capita income to reach $25,000, and for exports to reach $500 billion.
The government is moving confidently towards its goal to become among the 10 most powerful countries in the world, Erdogan said, adding that the "parallel entity" aimed at "destroying Turkish institutions and national values", but that "their conspiracy backfired."

Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/10051-fethullah-gulen-and-chp-co-plotted-a-coup-in-turkey-says-erdogan.

PM ERDOĞAN'S OFFICE CLARIFIES REASONS FOR BLOCKING TWITTER

22.03.2014
Source: Daily Sabah

Prime Minister Erdoğan's office clarified the key reasons for blocking Twitter in Turkey and pointed out it wasn't an action taken by the government

ANKARA — Access to the popular social media website Twitter was blocked by Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) on Thursday. The decision to block access to Twitter in Turkey came after Twitter neglected countless verdicts made by Turkish courts and numerous applications for the removal of harmful content.

The Turkish Prime Ministry has issued a statement clarifying the 16 reasons for the ban, pointing to similar cases in other countries.

The statement by the Turkish Prime Ministry Public Diplomacy Coordinatorship is as follows:

– The decision to apply a precautionary measure was made due to Twitter officials neglecting hundreds of court decisions issued since January.

– Prior to the decision to take a precautionary measure, the Presidency of Telecommunication requested the removal of content which infringed on personal rights and individual privacy based on court decisions made by Turkey.

– To avoid irreparable unjust treatment, access to Twitter has been blocked as a precautionary measure starting from the above mentioned date.

It has become a means for gangs

– Twitter has become a way for gangs to post illegally obtained montages and voice recordings of individuals, which leads way to character assassination.

– Court rulings cannot be overlooked and the violation of individual rights was the main reason for the pre-cautionary measure.

There is no toleration for illegal sharing throughout the world

– Different countries all over the world, at various times, have taken similar measures. To ensure the rights of individuals and maintain national security, countries have blocked content deemed illegal on internet feeds shared by social media.

– Twitter and other social media websites must be in compliance with this policy, "What's illegal in reality is illegal in virtual reality."

– We find it difficult to understand why Twitter took such a one-sided and bias stance.

– This prejudice has damaged the commercial brand name of Twitter and opened a door for a wrong and unjust impression of our country.

– Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, from the first day he stepped into office up until today, has given grave importance to the internet and the opportunities it provides. The pluralistic society and civilians alike see the internet as a valuable platform for the progress of democracy. Our government is extremely proud to bring the Internet as far as remote villages and has always supported the development of the Internet.

We are not against the internet, we are against crime

– Our government is not against the internet; we are against illegal internet data that could compromise national security and detract a citizen's reputation with information posted on Twitter or similar social media websites.

Worldwide examples of blocked access

– The Transparency Report issued by Twitter for July 1 to December 31, 2013, revealed a significant increase in requests by governments and copyright owners for information requests, removal requests and copyright notices.

– At 59 percent, the U.S. is ranked in first place for information requests. While Japan is at 15 percent for overall information requests by governments throughout the world, France and the United Kingdom follows at four percent. Among the requests sent in by Turkey, a total of 1,410 cases made up just less than 10 per cent of total requests.

For example, in Germany, October 2013, Twitter blocked user accounts associated with neo-Nazis upon requests of the German government. And in France: On October 19, 2012, Twitter removed posts containing anti-Semitic and racist content under hashtags #UnBon-Juif (#AGoodJew).

Turkey files the least requests for removal content

– Removal requests on the grounds of illegal content by Governments and other authorities has increased almost five-fold compared to the previous period. In the second half of 2013, out of a total of 365 requests, 305 requests of which were made by France, Russia follows with 14 percent of requests, while the total number of requests from Turkey made up just two percent.

– With the increase of Twitter users and retweets, copyright notices from companies have also been increased, according to report findings. Removal of content requests increased by 16 percent compared to the previous period, with a total of 12 thousand 243 accounts being affected as a consequence. In return, around 26 thousands tweets have been deleted and over 5.5 thousand media content has been removed from Twitter.

Most frequent request made by US

– According to the report, most frequently, demands for the removal of content are made by the United States, while less than 10 cases of removal requests were made by other countries. The U.S. issued requests regarding 679 accounts, of which interestingly enough, almost 80 percent were for user removals. Out of this 80 percent of the total 679 requests made, 75 percent of said requests were fulfilled by Twitter.

Link:  http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2014/03/22/pms-office-clarifies-reasons-for-blocking-twitter.

Turkish PM denounces pro-Gulen channel's designation of Palestinian resistance as terrorists

16 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced a pro-Gulen channel for framing the Palestinian resistance in Gaza as "terrorists".

In a speech before his supporters in the southern Turkish city of Antalia, Erdogan said he was not surprised at the fact that the Gulen group would label Palestinian resistance as terrorism, since they did so before when their media outlets dismissed the Mavi Marmara's Gaza Freedom Flotilla humanitarian activists as terrorists.

"The results of municipal elections of March 30 will dash the hopes of this group," Erdogan said.

Erdogan slammed the recent phone taping attempts as a crime, vowing to prosecute all those involved, hinting at the "parallel entity" which the government accuses of carrying out these operations.

On Saturday, the Gulen-owned STV channel broadcast a news story which read: "The Israeli Air Defense forces bombed 7 terrorist sites in Gaza."

Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/10326-turkish-pm-denounces-pro-gulen-channels-designation-of-palestinian-resistance-as-terrorists.

Turkey passes law to shut schools run by Erdogan arch-rival

March 1, 2014 
By Fulya Ozerkan
Source: Yahoo News

Ankara (AFP) - Turkey's parliament has passed a bill to close down thousands of private schools, many of which are run by an influential Muslim cleric locked in a bitter feud with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The move will strike a blow to Erdogan's ally-turned-rival Fethullah Gulen, for whom the schools are a major source of income, as he stands accused of seeking to topple the government with a damaging corruption scandal.

The bill, which was approved late on Friday, sets September 1, 2015, as the deadline to close down the network of schools.

"Withdraw your kids from their schools," Erdogan told a boisterous crowd of his party's supporters at an election rally in Turkey's southwest city of Denizli on Saturday.

"State schools are enough for you," he said. 

There are around 4,000 private schools in Turkey, including an unknown number of preparatory schools run by the movement of now US-based Gulen.

Tensions have long simmered between Erdogan and Gulen, who once worked hand-in-hand as Turkey's conservative pro-business middle class rose at the expense of the military and former secular elite.

But the friction reached breaking point in November when Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government first floated the idea of shutting down the schools, which aim to help students prepare for high school and university.

Erdogan said at the time he wanted to abolish an unfair education system.

"Those who benefit from these courses are the kids of rich families in big cities," said the premier, who himself hails from humble roots and has tried to cultivate an image as a man of the people during his time in office.

Eyup Kilci, deputy principal of the Gulen-affiliated Guvender school network in Ankara, condemned the new legislation, telling AFP it gives Turkey the unenviable distinction of being "the only country which bans education activities".

Erdogan's feud with Gulen escalated in mid-December, when dozens of the premier's political and business allies were detained in police raids on allegations of bribery in construction projects, gold smuggling and illicit dealings with Iran.

Erdogan accused so-called Gulenists implanted in Turkey's police and judiciary of instigating the corruption probe in a bid to undermine his government ahead of local elections on March 30 and presidential elections in August.

He retaliated by sacking hundreds of police and prosecutors believed to be linked to Gulen.

The scandal, which brought down four ministers and prompted a cabinet reshuffle, has evolved into the most serious challenge yet to Erdogan since his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.

This week, the graft controversy widened to directly implicate Erdogan himself, after recordings were leaked online in which the premier can allegedly be heard discussing hiding large sums of cash and conspiring to extort a bribe from a business associate.

The incriminating tapes have prompted the opposition to call for Erdogan's resignation, while angry residents have staged protests against government corruption.

In a fresh rally on Saturday, some 600 protesters took to the streets in Ankara, shouting "They are thieves" and "Government, resign!". 

Some demonstrators were seen handing out fake euros in a mocking reference to the leaked audio tapes, which the government insists were fabricated and have not been independently verified.

At another election rally in the northwestern city of Kirklareli, Erdogan accused Gulen loyalists of "espionage" that threatened national security and warned that they would pay a "heavy price".

"They wiretapped Turkey's very confidential and very strategic conversations, and disclosed them to other (enemies)," he said. "Can there be such treachery and lowness?"

Observers say Gulen's Hizmet (Service) movement risks losing millions of dollars in revenue once its Turkish educational institutions are closed down under the new legislation.

In other attempts to contain the political crisis, Erdogan's government has recently also pushed through legislation tightening state control over the Internet and the judiciary, raising questions at home and abroad about the state of democracy in Turkey.

Gulen, who has been living in the United States since 1999 to escape charges of plotting against the secular state by the then-government, has denied any involvement in the corruption probe.

The Hizmet movement also runs an estimated number of 500 private schools around the world.

Erdogan Gains Upper Hand as Purge Defangs Islamist Rivals

Feb 25, 2014
By Selcan Hacaoglu
Source: Bloomberg News

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is gaining the upper hand in Turkey’s political feud by purging a police force and judiciary that helped him become the country’s most powerful leader in decades, analysts and police experts say.

Prosecutors driving the corruption probe that shook the government when it was made public in December have been shunted off the case, and thousands of police officers reassigned. Erdogan accuses them of taking orders from his former ally, U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose influence he has vowed to root out.
By dislodging the army as the dominant force, the alliance between Erdogan and Gulen reshaped Turkey. Now, the scale of the premier’s mobilization against the preacher threatens to do the same.

In addition to the firings, Erdogan has strengthened its grip on courts and slapped controls on the Internet, where investigation details and tapes of alleged wrongdoing have surfaced. A recording of what sounds like Erdogan and his son Bilal discussing ways to conceal funds was posted on YouTube yesterday. The tape is an “unethical” fake, Erdogan said today, vowing legal action. It amounts to an attempted coup, he said.
The European Union and Turkish business groups are among those warning of the risks.

‘Unanticipated Erosion’

“Erdogan is aiming to pack the state with loyalists,” said Anthony Skinner, head of analysis at Maplecroft, a research company based in Bath, England. While he’s ahead in the fight against Gulen, the “ongoing drive to flush out dissent will continue to have serious repercussions for the rule of law.”

The EU has urged Erdogan to ease curbs on free speech and let judges operate independently, to revive Turkey’s membership bid. Standard & Poor’s cited “an unanticipated erosion of institutional checks and balances and governance standards,” in cutting its outlook on Turkey’s credit rating on Feb. 7 to negative from stable.

Turkey’s currency, bonds and stocks were among the world’s worst performers in the month after the corruption allegations surfaced with the detention of businessmen, officials and the sons of three cabinet members on Dec. 17.

Erdogan responded by removing ministers who were implicated in the probe, and launching a counter-offensive. A second wave of arrests was foiled when officers loyal to the government refused to carry out orders from the prosecutors, who were subsequently taken off the case.

Coup Response

“We will expose the parallel organization,” Erdogan told lawmakers in parliament today. “This coup attempt will not go unanswered,” he said of the latest leak.

The police have been subjected to the biggest overhaul. The government is seeking to diminish Gulen’s influence in key units, including intelligence, organized crime and anti-terrorism, according to a former senior official in those units. He spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.

Interior Minister Efkan Ala told Kanal 7 television on Feb. 21 that 5,000 policemen have been reassigned, saying only 1,000 were related to the graft probe. He said two senior police officials involved in bugging Erdogan’s office had fled to an unspecified country, and Turkey would seek their extradition.

Interior Ministry officials declined to respond to questions about the dismissals and the extent of Gulen’s influence within the police, saying they can’t discuss administrative decisions.

‘Upper Hand’

“This country’s police, prosecutors and judges are receiving orders from somewhere else,” Erdogan said Feb. 15. “Wherever they are hiding in, we will find, expose and hold this parallel structure accountable in front of the nation.”

The head of the country’s biggest business group warned last month that the power struggle will undermine the economy. The government’s efforts to strengthen its grip on key institutions of the state are “disturbing,” Muharrem Yilmaz said. “It’s not possible to attract foreign investment to a country where the rule of law is ignored” and “the judicial mechanism is not working in line with EU norms.”

Erdogan responded by accusing Yilmaz of betraying his country.

An independent adviser to the police, who also asked not to be identified, said thousands more officers in the 260,000-strong police force are likely to be reassigned by the end of the summer. He tapped his mobile phone to show a list of alleged Gulenist officers, and said he had shared that information with pro-government police inspectors.

The police purge has “inhibited the ability of Gulenists to engage in corruption probes and arrests,” Skinner said. “Erdogan has the upper hand at the moment.”

Exam Questions

Erdogan has expanded the battle to the Internet. On Feb. 11 he accused parts of the police and judiciary of undermining his government with illegal wiretapping records leaked on the Internet. Vowing to end online “bullying,” he has pushed through legislation that allows authorities to block content deemed to be violating personal privacy without a court order.

Gulen’s followers increased their sway in the police after Erdogan’s party came to power in 2002. Students in Gulen-linked schools would be given advance knowledge of the questions in police college exams, according to the senior police official. Some cadets were sent to universities in the U.S. to help them advance, while others kept a low profile until they were appointed to key posts, he said.

The affiliations of officers are widely known, especially in small units, and secular and nationalist officers previously pushed aside by Gulenists are now making a comeback, he said.

Fist Fight

Erdogan also replaced some members of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, which makes judicial appointments. Lawmakers on Feb. 14 voted to hand control of the board to Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, ignoring objections by the opposition Republican People’s Party, which escalated into a fist fight on the floor of the chamber.

A month earlier, when the purge was in its early stages, the EU expressed reservations. “These developments could weaken investigations in progress and the capacity of the legal system and the police to conduct independent investigations,” European Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly said on Jan. 8, calling on Turkey to respect EU entry criteria including the rule of law.

‘Seriously Collapsed’

The comments reflect the shift in EU concerns about Turkey since it was officially accepted as a membership candidate in 1999. High on the EU’s to-do list at that time was reducing the political influence of the army and placing it under civilian control. Erdogan, with an assist from Gulen, has achieved that - - only to face questions from Brussels about whether his government now dominates too many areas of Turkish life.

“The police and judiciary mechanisms have seriously collapsed,” said Gokhan Bacik, a political scientist at Ipek University in Ankara. Erdogan’s crackdown brings into question “not only the legitimacy of such dismissals but also the supremacy of the rule of law in the country.”

Erdogan said on Jan. 29 that he also plans to prevent prosecutors from issuing arrest orders without approval of government-appointed governors.

“The government has moved to put the police and judiciary under its control” to block the graft probe, said Hasan Oren, a lawmaker from the Republican People’s Party.

Erdogan, who faces three elections in the next two years, has accused the Gulen movement of seeking to weaken his Justice and Development Party before those votes. The first test of that will be during local elections on March 30.

“If the people make us the number one party, it means this government is honest,” Erdogan said on Feb. 4.

Link:  
 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-24/erdogan-gains-upper-hand-as-police-purge-defangs-islamist-rival.html?cmpid=yhoo.
 

Erdogan: I will not give in to any coup attempts

21 February 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Turkey will not give in to future coup attempts or pressure, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

"We will face any future coup attempts just as we have faced them over the past 12 years and as we faced the recent coup attempt. We will not give in to any conspiracies or pressures," Erdogan said in a speech made before the Confederation of Turkish Labour Unions.
He went on to stress that the political factions are facing the recent attacks collectively "because we stopped the wheel of treason. However, these attacks will not affect us, we have grown used to them since the February 28 [1997] coup, the organisers of which did not commit as much immorality as we are witnessing today."

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/9895-erdogan-i-will-not-give-in-to-any-coup-attempts.

Turkish PM reportedly sued for for libel by former ally

February 4, 2014
Source: Yahoo News

Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ally-turned-rival Fethullah Gulen is suing him in the wake of a deeply damaging corruption scandal, a newspaper close to Gulen's movement reported Tuesday.

Gulen, an Islamic preacher living in self-imposed exile in the United States, is claiming 100,000 lira (32,700 euros, $44,200) in damages from Erdogan for allegedly denigrating and insulting remarks, the Zaman daily said.

Erdogan, 59, Turkey's strongman premier since 2003, has blamed a "parallel" state of Gulen's associates within the judiciary and police for a major graft probe that opened in December implicating members of Erdogan's inner circle and their families.

Erdogan has sacked or reassigned hundreds of police and prosecutors, portraying the allegations of shady dealings as part of a plot to weaken his government ahead of local elections on March 30 and a presidential poll in August.

The purges, coupled with a heavy-handed police crackdown on protests last June, moves to exert more control on the judiciary and mooted Internet legislation have raised deep concern at home and abroad about mainly Muslim Turkey.

Gulen's Hizmet movement does indeed wield considerable influence in the judiciary and police but he has denied being behind the corruption probe.

His organisation issued a statement last month saying the government "seems to be poisoned with power".
The Journalists and Writers Foundation, a group linked to Gulen, listed on Tuesday a string of recent "deeply worrying developments" that risk making Turkey "lose its character as a state governed by the rule of law".
These included limits on the freedom of expression, unlawful wiretaps, "purging" civil servants, pressure on the media, the use of "hate-centred language", accusations of "treason" and efforts to place the judiciary under government control, it said.

EU voices concern over Turkey as graft scandal deepens

January 8, 2014
By Burak Akinci
Source: Yahoo News

Ankara (AFP) - The European Union voiced its concern Wednesday over the political turmoil convulsing Turkey as the government conducted a new mass purge of senior police officers.

In its strongest comments yet on the widening corruption scandal engulfing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the EU called for Turkish authorities to ensure they acted impartially. 

The turmoil has rocked Erdogan's government to its very core just weeks before crucial local elections in March and has sent Turkish financial markets tumbling.

In the latest development, 16 police chiefs in several major cities including Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Diyarbakir as well as the deputy head of national security, were fired Wednesday under a decree signed by Interior Minister Efkan Ala.

 

The latest purge came just a day after the government fired 350 police officers in the capital Ankara -- bringing the total number sacked to over 700 since mid-December when the graft scandal broke, according to local media tallies.

News reports said Tuesday that another 25 people had been detained on suspicion of bribery and fraud in the widening corruption probe that has targeted several key Erdogan allies.

One of the main prosecutors in the probe, Zekeriya Oz, has also been reassigned following media reports of a Dubai holiday paid for by a Turkish construction company.

"If allegations (of wrongdoing) are proven, I will resign. But if they are proven to be baseless, I expect this honourable act from those who make these accusations against me," Oz said in a statement.

Oz also said he met with two legal officials sent by the prime minister who urged him to end the corruption probe.

"They told me that the prime minister is very angry at me. They asked me to halt the probe and to write a letter to apologise to the prime minister," Oz said about the meeting in a hotel in the western province of Bursa

Erdogan, currently in Japan on an official visit, denied Oz's allegation.

"The statements made by Zekeriya Oz are lies and slander. It is out of the question that I sent him members of the high judiciary," Erdogan said in a written statement.

Mehmet Tezkan, a columnist with the liberal Milliyet newspaper, wrote that Turkey was going through "one of the deepest crisis in its history. If the allegations are true, it means that the government is rotten to the core."

The EU -- which Turkey has long aspired to join -- said the crisis was a "cause of concern".

EU urges transparent probes.

"We urge Turkey, as a candidate country committed to the political criteria of accession, including the application of the rule of law, to take all the necessary measures to ensure that allegations of wrongdoing are addressed without discrimination or preference in a transparent and impartial manner," the bloc said in a statement.

The government vowed to overcome the crisis.

"The government is in charge. We will never let the political and economic stability of Turkey be disturbed," Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said.

Battling to contain the biggest threat to his 11 years in power, Erdogan has branded the investigation a "dirty" plot to try to topple his Islamic-rooted government.

He and his allies have blamed supporters of a powerful Muslim cleric who lives in exile in the United States but wields considerable influence in Turkey's judiciary and police.

The crisis erupted in December when dozens of leading businessmen and political figures -- including the sons of three ministers -- were detained.

Erdogan was forced into a major cabinet reshuffle after the three ministers concerned resigned and the government has since gone on the offensive to root out foes in the police and judiciary.

Erdogan's critics accuse him of desperately trying to protect cronies caught up in the investigation which has focused on alleged bribery in construction projects and illicit money transfers by a state-owned bank to sanctions-hit Iran.

Media reports have said Erdogan's son was also set to be rounded up last month but the prosecutor involved was subsequently removed.

"There are some allegations about the sons of ministers. The court is dealing with this. If there are unlawful actions, corruption or bribery, this will eventually be revealed. But we cannot take allegations as fact," Huseyin Celik, spokesman for the ruling AKP party, told reporters.

In a new twist to the increasingly complex powerplay, the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) -- Turkey's top judicial body -- said Tuesday it would investigate allegations that the new Istanbul police chief was blocking prosecutors from carrying out further arrests, as well as alleged misconduct by prosecutors.

Turkey's financial markets remain jittery, with the Istanbul stock market down slightly while the dollar rebounded fractionally from an all-time low hit on Monday.

Turkey purges regulators, state TV in graft probe backlash

January 18, 2014
By Humeyra Pamuk
Source:Yahoo News

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has extended a purge of official bodies to the banking and telecoms regulators and state TV, firing dozens of executives in moves that appear to broaden Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's backlash against a corruption investigation.

The authorities have already reassigned thousands of police officers and about 20 prosecutors, and fired some state television officials in response to the corruption investigation, the biggest challenge to Erdogan's 11-year rule.

Investigators are believed to have been looking into allegations of corruption and bribery involving trade in gold with Iran and big real estate projects, although full details of their charges have not been made public.

The combative prime minister says the investigations, which began a month ago with arrests of high profile figures including the sons of three of his cabinet ministers, are part of an attempted "judicial coup".

His opponents say they fear a purge of official bodies will destroy the independence of the judiciary, police and media.

"It's like reformatting a computer. They are changing the whole system and people in various positions to protect the government," said Akin Unver, assistant professor of International Relations in Istanbul-based Kadir Has University.

Among dozens of officials dismissed in the latest sackings, Turkish media reported on Saturday that the deputy head of the banking watchdog BDDK and two department heads had been removed.

Five department chiefs were fired at the Telecommunications Directorate (TIB), a body that carries out electronic surveillance as well as serving as telecoms regulator, and a dozen people were fired at Turkey's state channel TRT, including department heads and senior news editors.

A government official said the firings were carried out for "the benefit of the public" and more could come: "Right now we are working on this issue and if we identify cases problematic to the public's benefit, more dismissals could be considered."

Pictures of money-counting machines and reports of cash stacked in the homes of people linked to the graft probe have caused uproar among the Turkish public.

Unver said the aim of the purge at the telecommunications watchdog could be to prevent further videos and pictures being published on the Internet.

"They are seeking a monolithic structure over the Internet," he said.

Several thousand people took to the streets in Turkey's biggest three cities on Saturday demonstrating against a government-led draft bill to increase controls over the Internet.

The bill would give the courts the power to rule on removing online material that "violates individual rights", an article that opponents say is murky and could lead to the arbitrary closure of websites.

In Istanbul's Taksim Square, where police fired teargas and water cannon to disperse the crowd, protesters called for the government to resign. Some chanted: "There are thieves around," referring to the corruption allegations.

SEIZURE OF ASSETS

Erdogan has suggested the graft inquiry, which has led to the resignation of three cabinet ministers and detention of businessmen close to the government, is an attempt to undermine his rule by Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric with influence among the police and judiciary.

Earlier in the week the government reassigned twenty high-profile prosecutors, stepping up the purge of the judiciary.

Many of the people who have been fired are believed to be associated with the cleric's Hizmet movement, which claims more than a million followers and runs schools and charities throughout Turkey.

Gulen's lawyer says the cleric has nothing to do with the graft investigations, and his followers say they are victims of a witch hunt.

In a separate move denounced by the opposition as an attempt to target it, Turkish authorities have seized the assets of Mustafa Sarigul, the main opposition CHP party's mayoral candidate for Istanbul.

The state Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) said it seized Sarigul's assets after he and his business partners failed to repay a loan dating back to 1998.

Sarigul denied he had an outstanding debt, describing the move as "a provocation".

"I have not received one single letter from TMSF in 16 years... Those who have lost the trust of the people and carried out this political attack on me will get the answer at the ballot box on March 30," he said, referring to local elections.

Erdogan, who has presided over an extended economic boom that has transformed Turkey and lifted millions of people from poverty, remains the country's most popular politician.

He and his moderate Islamist AK Party have long battled for influence against the secularist military establishment that dominated Turkey over the past century. Conflicts with the judiciary, police and Gulen followers add to his list of enemies.

It is still not clear what effect the crisis will have on Erdogan's political fortunes ahead of local elections approaching in March.

Last year saw mass street demonstrations among Turks who accuse the prime minister of authoritarianism, but those protests did little to undermine Erdogan's support among his conservative base of followers.

 (Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun and Mert Ozkan in Ankara, Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul, Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Peter Graff and Andrew Heavens)

Erdogan's son ready to testify over graft probe

January 24, 2014
Source: Yahoo News

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday hit back at critics who have alleged that he has been stalling a corruption investigation reaching his family, while a lawyer says the leader's son was ready to give testimony to prosecutors.

Erdogan last month dismissed four government ministers implicated in a vast corruption and bribery scandal surrounding alleged illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects. He then quickly moved to replace police officials involved in the investigation, an action which news reports said thwarted a second corruption probe that sought to question his son, Bilal Erdogan, among others. Police allegedly refused to bring Erdogan's son for questioning on prosecutors' orders.

Erdogan insists the corruption investigation targeting people close to him has been orchestrated by an Islamic movement led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan says Gulen's followers have risen to key positions in Turkey's judiciary and police, and that they want to harm the government ahead of local elections in March.

Gulen has denied any involvement in the probe but hundreds of police officials, prosecutors and judges — either directly involved in the investigations or believed to sympathize with the religious movement — have been removed from posts and reassigned to other positions.
 
"If you are honest and honorable, you'll come and show the evidence," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara on Friday, responding to opposition party accusations that the government was trying to cover up a corruption inquiry focusing on his son.

He then threatened to reveal a corruption file on the opposition party's strong candidate for the mayor of Istanbul in the March local elections, unless the opposition party releases the file by Sunday.

In a more conciliatory gesture, Erdogan said that some articles of much-criticized draft legislation — which critics say aims to tighten government control over the judiciary — could be put on hold. Opposition parties say the measure would allow the government to block corruption investigations, and the European Union expressed concerns, calling on Turkey to respect the principles of rule of law and the separation of powers.

The state-run Anadolu Agency quoted lawyer Ahmet Ozel as saying late Thursday that 33-year old Bilal Erdogan was prepared to give testimony but he had not received any papers summoning him to testify.

"My client is ready to go and testify to prosecutors upon reception of an official notification," Anadolu quoted Ozel as saying.

The statement came following a brawl in parliament where opposition legislators accused the prime minister of obstructing the investigation and of "harboring" a man wanted for questioning. An opposition deputy was briefly hospitalized after being punched by a legislator from Erdogan's party.

Erdogan on Friday refused to apologize to the opposition legislator who was hurt in the scuffles in Parliament, saying opposition deputies had provoked the fight by insulting him and his family.

"Whoever insulted me and my family to such an extent should apologize first," Erdogan said.

Turkish newspapers last month published details of an allegedly leaked prosecutors' summons calling Bilal Erdogan to give testimony as a "suspect" in an investigation into an alleged organized crime syndicate. 

Newspaper reports said the investigation allegedly surrounds irregularities in the operations of an educational foundation whose board members include Bilal Erdogan.

The prosecutor who issued the summons complained that police officers had not carried out his orders for arrests and accused the Istanbul chief prosecutor and police of hampering the probe. He was later removed from the case.

The corruption scandal and Erdogan's response has eroded investor confidence, causing the Turkish lira to plummet to almost daily record lows. Turkey's central bank announced Thursday that it was intervening in the foreign exchange markets but failed to stop the lira's slide.

Erdogan threatens to unveil graft accusations against rival

January 24, 2014
Source: Yahoo News

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Friday to t divulge a file of corruption allegations against the main opposition candidate for Istanbul mayor, raising the stakes in a political battle after a graft investigation implicating his own government.

The opposition accused Erdogan of bullying and defied him to make public any accusations he cared to level.

Erdogan, speaking to party members in the capital Ankara, also accused a key business leader of "treason" for saying the government's efforts to reform the judiciary might unnerve investors and deter foreign capital from coming to Turkey.

Erdogan called on Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), to disclose what he called corruption allegations in a party file against Mustafa Sarigul, the CHP's candidate for Istanbul mayor in March municipal elections.

"I'm giving you until Sunday. If you don't disclose the corruption file on the Istanbul municipal candidate, I will," Erdogan said in comments aired live on television.

 

He did not make clear what such a file would contain.

CHP Deputy Chairman Haluk Koc, responding to Erdogan, said:

"No one is holding you back. The security forces, judiciary and police are yours. The CHP is here, Sarigul is here, disclose whatever you know.

"Bring it on. Does extortion suit a prime minister? CHP has never bowed down to bullies. It won't take a step back."

Erdogan also accused Kilicdaroglu himself of involvement in the leak of a 2010 sex tape that forced the resignation of his predecessor at the CHP, Deniz Baykal. Erdogan did not elaborate.

 

Turkey's popular leader sees a police investigation into corruption and bribery charges that came to light last month and included the arrest of family members of cabinet ministers and businessmen close to the government as a "coup plot" against the ruling AK Party, in power since 2002.

 

He has responded by removing thousands of police officers and about 120 prosecutors from their posts and reassigned them and by pushing through legal changes that tighten his control over the judiciary.

 

On Thursday, Muharrem Yilmaz, chairman of the business group Tusiad, said such legal changes may not comply with European Union norms and could raise concerns about the rule of law.

 

Erdogan lashed out at Yilmaz, saying such a warning amounted to a threat against the government.

"You can't say, 'International capital won't come.' If you do, it's treason against this country.

"They are threatening their own government by saying foreign investment won't come ... We will take a stance against those who take a stance against the AK Party," Erdogan said.

 

The political turmoil has weighed on Turkish financial markets, with the lira plumbing record lows.

But capital outflows have been relatively limited, with Thursday's successful sale of a $2.5 billion eurobond issue seen as a vote of confidence from foreign investors.

(Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; editing by Ralph Boulton)

US envoy: We believe in Turkey’s future with the EU

January/18/2014
Source: Hurriyet Daily News

Francis Ricciardone, the United States Ambassador to Turkey has pledged Washington’s belief in Turkey’s future with the European Union during a courtesy visit to the new EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. Ricciardone congratulated the new minister and wished for success in his new position.

“We believe in Turkey’s future with the EU,” Ricciardone told reporters before the meeting with Çavuşoğlu on Jan. 17. Expressing Washington’s optimism with regard to Turkey’s EU membership, Ricciardone recalled that the U.S. has long been supporting Turkey’s bid to join Brussels and that it will continue.

Çavuşoğlu, for his part, said the meeting had no specific agenda and was merely a courtesy visit, but recalled that Washington was not only Ankara’s important ally and partner, but also an advocate of Turkish accession to the EU. “We want to thank to the U.S. and our friends in the U.S. on behalf of the ambassador. We have no doubt that the U.S. will continue to support to Turkey and Turkey’s integration with Europe,” he said.

The new minister said the EU and U.S. were in talks for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and cooperation between Turkey and the U.S. on this issue was also underway.

Link:  http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-envoy-we-believe-in-turkeys-future-with-the-eu.aspx?PageID=238&NID=61224&NewsCatID=338.

Turkish NGOs want action on corruption, ‘parallel state’ claims

January/17/2014
Source: Hurriyet Daily News

 
The grave political turmoil and polarization in Turkey has triggered uproar from leading civil society organizations that have declared that both corruption allegations involving the government and claims about a “parallel state” are harming democracy, peace and stability.

Representatives of seven nongovernmental organizations held a joint press conference on Jan. 17 to publicly express their concerns over the recent crisis in the country.

“We, who produce and work for Turkey, have come together to assess the process that we have been experiencing,” said a joint declaration issued by the Confederation of Turkish Craftsmen and Tradesmen (TESK), the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), the Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers (TZOB), the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (TÜRK-İş), the Turkish Confederation of Employers’ Unions (TİSK), the Labor Confederation (HAK-İŞ) and the Civil Servants Trade Union (MEMUR-SEN), whose representatives were present at the press conference.

“The corruption claims and parallel state claims that have infested the environment have been threatening societal peace and stability and openly posing a danger against our internal peace,” the group said, urging the authorities to work toward enlightening all claims.

The term “parallel state” is commonly used by critics of the followers of the U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, many of whom have been employed in the judicial and security bureaucracy.

The government recently accelerated a purge of a judiciary Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan considers to be embroiled in a plot to undermine him with specious corruption allegations.

The removal of a series of high-profile prosecutors on Jan. 16 hit at the heart of investigations made public on Dec. 17, 2013, that have put Erdoğan into one of the biggest crises of his 11 years in power. They came a day after the government tightened its grip on a panel that controls the appointment of all judges and prosecutors.

The developments, which will deepen segregation in society instead of strengthening unity and solidarity and threaten the trust in agencies and institutions, are making it harder for people to focus on peace, democracy and developments, TESK head Bendevi Palandöken said.

The civil society grouping also underlined that Turkey was still waiting for a new Constitution that complies with the principles of universal law and EU standards.

Erdoğan’s supporters see Gülen – a former ally whose network of followers is influential in the police and judiciary – as a prime mover in a smear campaign. Erdoğan sees the investigation, like the Gezi Park Resistance in 2013, as a “foreign-backed plot.”

The affair has exposed a deep rift within the political establishment, shaking markets, helping drive the Turkish Lira to new lows and prompting expressions of alarm from Washington and Brussels about threats to the independence of the judiciary.

Link:  http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-ngos-want-action-on-corruption-parallel-state-claims.aspx?pageID=238&nID=61200&NewsCatID=338#.

Erdogan tells Turkish ambassadors to spread word of 'treacherous' plot

21 hours ago
By Tulay Karadeniz
Source: Yahoo News

ANKARA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan ordered his ambassadors on Wednesday to confront allies with the "truth" that a graft investigation shaking Ankara was the result of a foreign-backed plot to sabotage Turkey's international standing.

 

Erdogan, visiting Brussels next week, also mockingly rejected European Union expressions of concern about his moves to tighten control over a judiciary he sees as central to the conspiracy. His finance minister said political turbulence may hinder Turkey in reaching a 4 percent growth target this year.

What erupted a month ago as a corruption inquiry involving the sons of three ministers and businessmen close to the government has grown into one of the biggest challenges of Erdogan's 11-year rule and damaged Turkey's image abroad.

Erdogan said politicians, domestic and foreign media and financiers were conspiring against Turkish interests.

"We expect you to exert more effort to defeat this treacherous operation targeting Turkey by telling our partners the truth," Erdogan told the conference of Turkish ambassadors in the capital Ankara.

Details of the corruption allegations have not been made public, but are thought to relate to construction and real estate projects and Turkey's gold trade with Iran.

Erdogan's supporters see U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen - a former ally whose network of followers is influential in the police and judiciary - as a prime mover in a plot backed by foreign collaborators.

"They are trying to deal a heavy blow to Turkey's economy. They are making efforts to push interest rates higher. In order to make international investors uneasy they use every means.

"Most importantly they are working hard to harm Turkey's image in the world," Erdogan said.

He has responded by purging the police of hundreds of officers and seeking tighter control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, raising alarm in Brussels in particular, which has been engaged in years of protracted EU membership negotiations with Ankara.

EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fule told Turkey's new EU minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in their first meeting this week that any changes to the judiciary must not call into question Turkey's commitment to meeting EU membership criteria.

Erdogan rejected such concerns.

"I'm sorry but we won't be taken in by evaluation like 'this is contrary to the European Union acquis'. We know how to read and write. We can see what is going on," he said.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

Erdogan's AK Party has proposed a draft bill giving government more say over the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which makes top judicial appointments, a move the opposition says would violate the constitution and sees as an attempt to stifle the corruption investigation.

President Abdullah Gul, who would have to ratify the bill, called for compromise on Wednesday, saying Turkey's rival political parties should instead agree on changes to articles in the constitution governing the judiciary.

"There is agreement among the parties that there should be an HSYK which is independent and impartial and within the framework of EU principles," Gul said, adding prospects for a deal should become clear within a couple of days.

But the main opposition CHP said it would only negotiate if Erdogan withdrew the draft bill first, while a senior AK Party official said he was not optimistic of reaching a compromise.

The feud has shaken investor confidence and raised questions about the credibility of Turkey's institutions, helping drive the lira - already battered by waning investor appetite for emerging markets - to historic lows.

Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said the political turbulence was among factors which could prevent Turkey reaching its target of four percent economic growth this year.

"It makes investors tense both domestically and abroad. This tension will be reflected in consumption and investment decisions and hence in growth," he told a news conference.

Erdogan has overseen strong economic growth in Turkey since coming to power in 2002, transforming its reputation after a series of unstable coalition governments in the 1990s ran into repeated balance of payments problems and economic crises.

The AK Party's reputation for economic management has been one of the cornerstones of its three successive election wins over the past decade, a record Erdogan wants to maintain in the run up to local elections in March and a presidential race which he is expected to contest in August.

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in Brussels; Writing by Daren Butler and Nick Tattersall; Editing by Ralph Boulton)

Turkish graft scandal triggers feud over judicial independence

January 10, 2014
By Orhan Coskun
Source: Yahoo News

ANKARA (Reuters) - One of Turkey's most senior legal figures warned Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party on Friday that efforts to tighten its grip on the judiciary would breach the constitution, deepening a crisis triggered by a damaging corruption scandal.

Erdogan has cast a wide-ranging graft investigation, which poses one of the biggest challenges of his 11-year rule, as an attempted "judicial coup" and has responded by purging the police force of hundreds of officers and seeking tighter control over judicial appointments.

His AK Party unveiled plans this week, due to be discussed by parliament's justice commission, to give government more say over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, rolling back reforms championed by the European Union.

"These regulations concerning the independence and impartiality of judges ... will be in contravention of the constitution," said Ahmet Hamsici, deputy chairman of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), in a 66-page report.

"It is clear that this situation represents a contravention of the principle of judicial independence (and) the separation of powers," said the report, submitted on Friday to the parliamentary commission and seen by Reuters.

The AKP bill, published on parliament's website, proposes changes to the structure of the HSYK, the body responsible for appointments in the judiciary, which would give the justice minister greater power over its activities.

Erdogan's supporters have cast the corruption probe as a smear campaign contrived, ahead of elections this year, by a U.S.-based Islamic cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who exercises broad, if covert, influence in the judiciary and media.

The affair, exposing a deep rift within the Turkish political establishment, has driven the lira to new lows and shaken investor confidence in a country whose stability has largely derived from Erdogan's strong grip on power.

But it is the government's reaction, seeking tighter control over the judiciary, police and even the internet, which risks doing the deepest long-term damage, not least to Turkey's ambitions to join the European Union and to its relations with Washington, already critical of its record on human rights.

Erdogan denounces 'judicial coup' against Turkey

January 4, 2014 
By Burak Akinci
Source: Yahoo News

Comments: I found the comments  to the article almost as interesting as the article itself. I would like to share what some of those comments were and my response to them.

"At a luncheon in Istanbul with generally pro-government intellectuals, writers and journalists, Erdogan reiterated his view that shadowy groups in Turkey and abroad are conspiring to oust him from power.

If anyone has been following the events in Turkey over the last few years. It has been Mr. Erdogan and his party who have been trying to bring the shadow of conservative Islam over a country that although Muslim has a secular government. He has jailed dozens of high ranking military officers, opposition activists, countless news people and anyone else he views as a possible political threat to himself or government. He has several time tried to change various clauses in turkey's constitution to take a more conservative Islamic view. He is an ardent supporter of the I.H.H. which in many countries has been labeled a terrorist organization. He is also a firm supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood another well know terrorist organization. He was not only close but highly vocal against the recent events taking place in Egypt and has been know to have had dealings with Hamas in Gaza. Just few things I thought you should know about the man."

My response:  " a firm supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood another well know terrorist organization" Who said that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization? Al Sisi and his gang of murderous criminals- who have been murdering peaceful civilians- have accused the Muslim Brotherhood of being a terrorist organization. Are you a supporter of Sisi and company? Are you a supporter of military coups? Anyone who knows what is happening in Egypt- and has a conscience-is disgusted with the barbaric behavior of Sisi's Junta.
Prime Minister Erdogan's support for the Muslim Brotherhood is to his credit. When the coup in Egypt happened all political parties in Turkey stood in unity against it. Apparently, you are ignorant of this fact.

 "Three of his ministers' son got caught red handed hiding millions of dollars in their homes. Because the operation by the police was not reported to his internal affairs minister (whose son was also arrested in the operation), Erdogan reshuffled the police organization, and by-lows that now requiring police to report all the operations to his ministry... so how is this a plot against Erdogan's government? He is so successful picking the thieves as his ministers and he complains about a "plot"?!? I do not get it. This guy is such a manipulator."

My response: 
 " He is so successful picking the thieves as his ministers.." Who said that his ministers are thieves? The sons of a few ministers have been accused of illegal activity. How does that prove that the ministers, themselves, have done anything illegal? Also, there is the legal principal of innocent until proven guilty. Or are you saying that anyone who is accused of any crime should be punished? It seems that you are very prejudiced against Prime Minister Erdogan. Everything that you say is nonsensical.


" THE BIGGEST THIEF --ERDOGAN'S-- DAYS NEAR AND AS LONG AS HE STAY MORE PROBLEMS
WILL BE IN TURKEY AND HE IS THE FATHER OF THE CORRUPT MINISTER AND GUL THE PRESIDENT APPEARED YESTERDAY TO PROTECT HIM AS HE IS ALSO IN THE LIST OF CORRUPT
PEOPLE .
WHEN HIS 50% CABINET MEMBERS RESIGNED OR CHANGED WHAT ALL OF US WILL THINK
THT ALL MEMBERS IN HIS GOVT. ARE THIEVES.
WHEN HE WILL KICK OUT THEN TO TAKE HIM TO TRIAL WILL BE EVERYTHING CLEAR WHAT
PRPERTIES HE HAS IT IN OTHER NAMES AND SO ON.
HE IS SCARES TO RESIGN BECAUSE IF HE DO IT WILL BE TAKEN TO THE COURT FOR TRIAL.
THAT IS WHY HE IS KEEPING HIMSELF IN HIS POSITION , OTHERWISE WILL BE TREATED LIKE MURSI OF EGYPT WHO HAS VISITED HIM TOO IN TURKEY.

PEACE ACTIVIST"

My response:
 "Peace Activist"? You don't sound very peaceful to me. Why are you using all capitals? I have news for you, it is the sons of a few ministers who have been accused of illegal activity- not the ministers, themselves. You mentioned President Morsi of Egypt. Why? Are you against President Morsi? Do you support Al Sisi's Junta -which is responsible for murdering peaceful civilians? Is what happened in Turkey related to what happened in Egypt? Yes, the two are related. The NWO/ Illuminati is behind the coup in Egypt, just as it is obviously behind the scam against Erdogan's administration. Prime Minister Erdogan is correct to think that what is happening in Turkey is a scam from an international organization.

" At least Erdogan has shown h0w much a claim Islam still has upon this country, and hopefully Europe will finally and forever denyTurkey membership -- Islam's trappings even if suppressed is not enough -- Islam needs to be eradicated forceibly. Forcibly because it's the only Islam will go down."

My response:
    Membership in The European Union is a death sentence for democracy and human rights. It is in the best interests of Turkey to stay away from the EU.


 "Good chance Israel and the the US Media (owned by Jewish Interests) in concert with the CIA and President Gull (hiding in the US since 1999) together with Jewish Banking Interests (Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, Rothschild etc.- who have made a Fortune Shorting the Turkish Lira over the past two years) have jointly launced these disturbances in Turkey and funded the Protestors. Uprooting Government corruption is by itself a Good Thing however the clandestine interests of third parties behind causing these upheavals are perhaps least known to the general public. Israel wants wants chaos in the area until all Muslim Brotherhoods are removed from power in their geographic area of the world. Mr Gull (in Exile) stupidly thinks he is forwarding his own interests to return in glory to Turkey after the next elections when in fact he will be Removed from Power. Erdogan, whether directly complicit in the Corruption has been caught flat footed and embarassed by the International Media - therefore embarassing the Country and making it likely that he too will be dethroned in the next elections. I am sure the Turkish people have had enough of all this drama surrounding their Country of 76 Million - who are generally hard working family people."

My response:
           I am confused. I don't know if I should applaud you or scold you. Yes, you are right about the Zionists, US government and the one percent/NWO/ Illuminati being involved. But you are assuming that there is corruption. Prime Minister Erdogan is not embarrassed by the international media. Most of the international media is owned by the Zionists and the NWO. What PM Erdogan is saying is correct. From what you said about international parties being involved is correct, but it is wrong for you to assume that the corruption charges are valid. Didn't you consider the possibility that some of the judges of Turkey are under the control of the Zionists and the NWO?

" Strangely enough he has not denied the crimes committed by his inner circle. He thinks while people look for secret plotters under every stone, people will forget the theft and graft. It will not happen that way at all."

My response: 
      Why should he deny crimes which have not be proven? Who says that his "inner circle" has committed any crimes?

" An Islamist trying to manage a secularist nation, therein lies the problem. Some would say similar to the challenge faced by the US. In any case a (another) military response would not be surprising."

My response:
  "A secularist nation"? Who says that Turkey is-or should be- a "secularist nation"?

Here are a couple of comments which are positive-most comments were negative.
" Here is thThe Opponent of PM Erdogan of Country are envious of his successful terms as PM. He has turned around the economy of Turkey from a very weak economy to one of the strongest in Emerging Markets. Turks Income has risen 4 times, since his taking the power. No one would mind that if Average American's income increased 4 Fold in just 10 years, but the fact is in US, middle class is shrinking and there has been almost no increase in Middle Class's income since 1970's while Upper Richest Class's income has increased 100's if not 1000's of times."
  " PM Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul's rule has been Best thing that ever happened to Turkey in recent times. It has ushered Turkey into a High Income country. Before the AKP Party came to Power in 2001, Turkey's Banking sector was on brink of collapse, Turkish Lira was 100,000 for 1 US Dollar, after Election of Erdogan, Turkey's economy boomed faster than any country in Europe, now 2 Turkish Liras are traded for 1 US dollar. Average Per Capita Income is almost $10,000 US dollars, up from $2500 or so dollars back in 1999. So,"

Here is the article:

Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday hit out against a corruption probe that has dragged down members of his government, calling it an "attempted assassination" and a "judicial coup".

At a luncheon in Istanbul with generally pro-government intellectuals, writers and journalists, Erdogan reiterated his view that shadowy groups in Turkey and abroad are conspiring to oust him from power.

"What they wanted to do was an attempted assassination of the national will," he said in the address later broadcast on television.

"They tried to carry out a judicial coup in Turkey.... But we are going to oppose this operation, this December 17 plot that targeted the future, the stability of our country," Erdogan said.

A string of public figures including high-profile businessmen and the sons of three ministers were detained on December 17 over allegations of bribery for construction projects as well as illicit money transfers to sanctions-hit Iran. 

Several MPs including a former culture minister have resigned from the ruling party AKP since the raids, which the government has suggested were instigated by supporters of an influential US-based Turkish cleric. 

Erdogan was also forced into a major cabinet reshuffle after the resignation of three ministers whose sons were implicated in the probe. 

 

The corruption scandal has sparked a fresh wave of protests against Erdogan, half a year after he faced down a series of nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

It has also hurt the economy, sending the Turkish lira currency to a record low against the dollar and shares tumbling on the Istanbul stock exchange.

Erdogan on Saturday expressed confidence that Turkey would overcome its current difficulties and pointed to municipal elections set for March as a test for his government ahead of presidential elections in August.

"We will not allow a cloud to be cast over Turkey's future," he vowed.

Meanwhile Turkish President Abdullah Gul has promised that any corruption would not be hushed up.

"If acts of corruption are covered up, society will disintegrate," said Gul on television Friday night. "Nothing must be hidden. Those who have not committed a crime, have nothing to fear." 

Gul and Erdogan were co-founders of the AKP in 2001. 

Since a government crackdown in June on protesters opposed to plans to develop an Istanbul park, the two leaders have carefully avoided any confrontation but have been demonstrating different styles in the crisis -- Erdogan is seen as authoritarian while Gul has appeared as a unifier.

Erdogan's government, in power since 2002, has accused loyalists of US-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose movement wields influence in the police and judiciary, of instigating the corruption probe.

A journalist at the meeting with Erdogan Saturday, Fikret Bila, said the premier told them that he had received a letter from Gulen's movement, "possibly drafted by Gulen himself", calling for reconciliation between the two sides.

But Gulen's movement said in a statement that "this letter was not addressed to Mr Prime Minister and it includes no references to bargaining."

Gulen, who left Turkey for the United States in 1999 after being accused of plotting to form an Islamic state, has denied involvement in the graft investigation.