A digital archive of potential spouses for members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) is the latest evidence of the group's warped cult mindset, imposed on members forced to devote their lives to FETÖ. A catalog of women and men, who were supposed to be matched among members of the group, was found in possession of a FETÖ member tried on terror charges in Istanbul.
The member, identified as E.Ç. was among 48 defendants in a trial related to the group, accused of killing 251 people on July 15, 2016, coup attempt.
When investigators examined a memory card in his possession, they found a large database of people, complete with a spreadsheet and filtering options to narrow down the search for potential spouses. The database contains personal information about FETÖ members, from their position in the group, weight and height, color of their skin to their profession as well as education, character and information about their family.
It also contains information on how long they have been with the terrorist group. Another section of the database is dedicated to the personality of those FETÖ members are supposed to pick among as future spouse. Some in the database are marked as "open-minded" while others are tagged nervous, gentle or adventurous.
Another section shows whether the potential spouse had married or engaged before. A filtering option in the database allows matchmakers for the terrorist group to allocate spouses to those "in jobs requiring the use of arms." A printable form attached to the database asks users of database what they "seek" in their spouses. All candidates are accompanied by photos of male and female FETÖ members.
The terrorist group, which long posed as a religious charity, is known for its thorough intervention in the private lives of its members. Suspects detained previously and members who severed ties with FETÖ confessed that the elders, the group's members in higher ranks, ordered them to marry people they picked for them in a bid to prevent leaking the group's secrets.
Investigations after the 2016 coup attempt revealed that FETÖ even prepared catalogs of women particularly for its infiltrators in the judiciary, military, law enforcement and bureaucracy. Although members who are not specifically picked to infiltrate a public agency were free to marry anyone, FETÖ members serving as judges in high courts or high-ranking military officers recruited by the group were banned from marrying someone FETÖ did not approve of, former members said.
