Erdogan’s anti-Gulen crackdown

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown of followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen has seen almost 70,000 people detained, but moves against Gulenists began long before the failed July coup

Links to Gulen’s Hizmet network

Apr 2014 Azerbaijan

23 schools and university in Azerbaijan shut down at request of
Turkish government

Jun 2014 United States

FBI raids 19 charter schools* in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (inset) accuses Gulen of trying to orchestrate anti- government plot – arrest warrant issued

Dec 2014 Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa

Hizmet network opens around 100 schools in Africa

Feb-Mar 2015 Turkey

Government seizes $5 billion in assets from Bank Asya. Zaman newspaper placed under state control

Oct 2015, U.S. Investigation finds that Hizmet paid for 214 congressional trips to Turkey in five years

Fethullah Gulen

Dec 2015 United States

Law suit in U.S. alleges Gulen violated human rights by ordering followers in Turkey’s police to “illegally plant evidence and arrest plaintiffs”

Law suits in U.S filed against 57 Gulen-linked schools
in California and Texas. Ankara declares Hizmet a terrorist group. Kenya asked to shut down Gulen’s Omeriye Foundation

Feb-May 2016 U.S, Turkey, Kenya

Azerbaijan closes Caucasus University, Somalia shuts down
hospital and schools. Pakistan hands over PakTurk network of
23 campuses to Turkey’s Maarif Foundation

Jul 15, 2016 Failed coup d’etat in Turkey

Jul-Aug 2016 Caucasus, Africa, Asia, Europe

Turkey asks Georgia to close Refaiddin Şahin Friendship School. Kyrgyzstan asked to close 30 Gulen-linked schools and university. Germany and Indonesia refuse requests to close Hizmet schools

*Hizmet network operates 139 charter schools in 26 U.S. states

Hizmet: $25 billion in assets. 10 million followers in 160 countries

Sources: Graphic News research, news agencies  

Pictures: Associated Press