Fethullah Terror Organization

I had an appointment with Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on July 21. 

As the region boils with the current crisis between Qatar and its neighbors, Turkey's domestic agenda is still locked in the coup trials and the purges in government. There is no major political breakthrough in the court cases, but another high-level politician's son-in-law has been put behind bars.

Ten months have passed since the bloody coup attempt of July 15, 2016 and we are finally talking about a judicial process. The trial that has been taking place in Ankara for a week is limited to the military officers who allegedly took part in the coup activities on that night. There are also several other small trials in provinces like Malatya, Adıyaman and Muğla.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for announcing on May 21 that the state of emergency will remain in place "until peace is fully provided." 

Turkey is compromising the judicial independence of a United Nations war crimes tribunal by holding one of its judges in detention despite an order to release him, the court ruled, referring the matter to the U.N. Security Council.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım recently explained why we should vote "yes" in Turkey's upcoming constitutional referendum. According to Yıldırım, citizens should say "yes" because terror organizations like the Fethullah Terror Organization (FETÖ) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are saying "no." 

Istanbul prosecutors on Jan. 18 demanded up to 10 years in prison for 28 suspects, including popular Turkish singer Atilla Taş, over alleged links to what they call the "Fethullah Terror Organization (FETÖ)." 

Ankara prosecutors have launched a new investigation into another 129,000 public personnel suspected of using the ByLock application, believed to be a communication means used by members of the Gülen movement, widely thought to be behind Turkey's failed July 2016 coup attempt. 

Turkey's fight against outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorism has created some interesting undercurrents and deep tides in society that cannot be overlooked. Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov's assassination is a watershed event in terms of the security apparatus or lack thereof. 

Eleven suspects were detained on Dec. 19 in Istanbul-based operations targeting alleged members of the Fethullah Terror Organization (FETÖ), headed by the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.