Erdogan calls for the U.S. to extradite the "traitor" Gulen
Istanbul (AsiaNews / Agencies ) - The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan has announced his intention to request the US to expel Fethullah Gulen
(pictured) and thus compel the him to return to Turkey. Gulen
is an Islamic scholar, a one-time ally of Erdogan and now considered the
mastermind of the scandals that have involved numerous government officials,
including the prime minister himself .
The
Islamic
Hizmet brotherhood (Offerte) , created by Gulen and highly involved in the
control of the police, judiciary and private education, had supported Erdogan's
Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the fight against the secular power,
when they won the
elections in 2002 for the first time. By rising tensions between the two saw
Gulen go into self-imposed exile in the U.S. in 1997. Last year the Prime
Minister blamed Hizmet of being behind the scandals involving ministers and
their families, including that of Erdogan.
In
late March, claiming victory in the general elections, Erdogan, who has removed
hundreds of judges and police chiefs, announced that he would
make traitors "pay". As
a first step he decreed the suspension of all schools - estimated at more than
500 - which refer to Hizmet by 2015.
And
yesterday he confirmed to reporters that he has begun the process to obtain the
extradition of Gulen, who is accused of plotting with the use of illegal
wiretapping and violations of State Secrets.
The
day before in an interview with the American PBS network he had argued
that "these
elements which threaten the national security of Turkey cannot be allowed to
exist in other countries because what they do to us here, they might do against
their host".
He
added that Turkey has canceled Gulen's passport, who now resides in the United
States on a "Green Card" and that he expects him to be expelled and
sent back to Turkey.
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18/02/2021 12:50
