Special board formed at MGK to investigate Gülen Movement's activities

A special board has been established at the National Security Council (MGK) tasked with scrutinizing the Gülen Movement's lobbying activities abroad and keeping tabs on the flow of its financial resources as part of the fight against the "parallel structure." The term is used by the government to refer to the members of the Gülen Movement in key government institutions.

The MGK, which officially branded the movement a national threat to the Turkish Republic, has advanced its fight against the alleged illegal organization by forming a board that will be specifically investigate the movement's activities. The body will look into the activities that the Gülen Movement carries out abroad and monitor the flow of its funds. The lobbying of the movement, which is allegedly aimed at creating a negative perception of the government, will also come under scrutiny from this branch.

During the last MGK meeting, officials decided to include combatting the Gülen Movement as official state policy. In the seven-hour meeting, the MGK advised the government to prepare the necessary legal framework to combat the group, which is led by U.S.-based Fethullah Gülen. The resolution is expected to be included in the Red Book, which lists top security policies and is updated every five years.

In the official statement from the MGK, it was highlighted that the fight against the "parallel structure," as well as other illegal organizations that threaten national security, will continue "with determination."

The board established at the council will keep the reports of their investigation into the Gülen Movement and submit them to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the meetings to keep him informed about the findings. This mechanism will also be in charge of how the fight against the movement evolves between the meetings of the council and spot if there is any malfunction in carrying out the decisions taken at the meetings. The parallel structure's nesting in public institutions and utility of the precautions against the movement will be followed by this board.

The Gülen Movement has previously been seen to conduct lobbying activities against the government in significant capitals such as Washington, Brussels and Strasbourg, which has adversely affected Turkey's foreign politics. Measures will also be taken against such lobbying. The ambassadorships across the world will be asked for information on the movement's work abroad.

The Gülen Movement is a transnational movement led by the U.S.-based imam Fethullah Gülen. It is accused of wiretapping thousands of people including government officials and encrypted phones. It has over 140 private schools around the world including in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Africa. It has been accused of infiltrating state institutions in Turkey and trying to overthrow the government. Government officials have continuously expressed their determination to continue to lawfully fight the Gülen Movement, whose followers are accused of infiltrating state institutions to gain control of state mechanisms and illegal wiretapping, forgery of official documents and spying.