Combating Gülen Movement to be in AK Party election manifesto


Determination to fight the Gülen Movement, which allegedly infiltrated state institutions including the judiciary and police, to undermine the government, will be underlined in the election manifesto of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The AK Party's election manifesto is scheduled to be announced on April 15 and according to sources from AK Party headquarters in Ankara, determination to fight the Gülen Movement, led by self-exiled imam Fethullah Gülen in the U.S., which allegedly tried to topple the government with the December 17 and December 25 operations, will be stressed in the text. The movement, referred to as the "parallel structure," will be defined in the election manifesto as a criminal organization that aims to eliminate democracy and use the power of the state illegitimately without being elected by the public.An arrest warrant was issued last December by an Istanbul court for Gülen, who is accused of being the leader of a criminal organization by the government, as part of the December 14 Tahşiye operation on charges of leading a terrorist organization and demonizing a rival religious group. Moreover, last week an Ankara court ordered the arrest of 32 out of 62 Gülen Movement-linked suspects who were detained as part of an investigation into the cheating that allegedly took place on the 2010 Public Personnel Selection Exam (KPSS). It is believed that Gülen is behind these cases, thus the Justice Ministry has currently combined all cases against Gülen into one and prepared all necessary documents to ask Interpol to conduct an investigation and issue a Red Notice for his extradition from the U.S.Gülen could face extradition from the U.S. in the coming days if Interpol issues a Red Notice. Several Turkish media outlets recently reported that the Justice Ministry is currently preparing a new legal case that combines all the charges against Gülen, and Turkish officials are expected to request his extradition.Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is expected to request Gülen's extradition during his upcoming trip to the U.S. on April 21, according to reports by local media outlets.