Turkish court accepts indictment against 33 Gülenist suspects in Tahşiye case


A Turkish court on Friday accepted prosecutor Hasan Yılmaz's indictment accusing 33 Gülen-affiliated suspects of fabricating evidence against a religious group called Tahşiye.The court also released five of the 15 suspects who are currently under arrest as part of the case. The released suspects have been restricted from travelling abroad as the first hearing will be held on December 22.The Tahşiye group, whose members were imprisoned with false evidence and labelled terrorist by suspected Gülen Movement-linked police officers and prosecutors, is known to be a branch of the Nur Movement. The group and its leader, former imam Mehmet Doğan, are known for their opposition to the Gülen Movement and have a firmer stance against interfaith dialogue than other movements.Fetullah Gülen, the leader of Gülen movement, first targeted the Tahşiye Publishing House in 2009. In a speech, Gülen had alleged that Tahşiye group had links with extremist organizations -- including an al-Qaeda-affiliated group -- Hezbollah in Turkey, and the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front.Following his speech, Gülen-linked Zaman daily made references to the issue on its pages along with other media outlets close to the movement while the Gülen Movement-affiliated channel Samanyolu TV depicted the Tahşiye group as a terrorist organization in the television series "Tek Türkiye" (One Turkey).