GYV harshly denies PM’s allegation that Hizmet, PKK working together
The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) strongly criticized and denied recent remarks from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who alleged that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the so-called parallel structure are “working together,” saying the allegation is baseless slander directed at the movement.
The parallel structure is a term that is being used by the government to refer to the faith-based Hizmet movement inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
Davutoğlu, who spoke to reporters on his way back to Turkey from Poland on Tuesday, had said that his government knows “who is working with whom,” adding that it has documents of meetings between the PKK and the “parallel structure.”
The GYV released a written statement on Thursday to respond to the allegations directed at the Hizmet movement by pro-government circles. In the statement it says that whenever unlawful deeds or government corruption arrive on the public agenda, ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) officials attempt to direct attention to the Hizmet movement via “imaginary and unreasonable accusations that become more intense each time.”
The statement said the latest example of such accusations was made by Davutoğlu, who attempted to link the Hizmet movement with the outlawed PKK organization.
“Instead of making a civil society movement a target of the masses with such a serious claim, the state authorities should put a judicial mechanism in place to prove its accusations. As it is understood, the esteemed prime minister preferred to be a part of this ugly plan by occupying the public with such baseless claims without having sufficient information or documents.”
Pointing out that the arrested police officers who conducted operations against the Kurdistan Communities' Union (KCK) -- an umbrella network that includes the PKK -- were claimed to have Hizmet ties, the GYV asked how the prime minster could then turn around and claim the Hizmet is cooperating with the PKK. “It's nothing more than reversing the truth,” it said.
The statement pointed out that back when he was prime minister, current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself said the PKK had leaked the details of secret Oslo talks between Turkish intelligence officials and PKK members in 2011. But then, following the December 2013 corruption scandal, the government directed its accusations at Hizmet, saying it had leaked the details. The GYV underscored that this is another example of slander that the movement has been subjected to at the hands of the Turkish government.
Pointing to the perception operation being conducted against the movement via the pro-government media, the GYV statement said that the latter is attempting to depict the Hizmet movement as anti-settlement process. The process is being conducted to end Turkey's decades-old Kurdish problem. The statement said slanderous statements like, “The Hizmet community is sabotaging peace and the settlement process,” are being made while at the same time pro-government journalists are attempting to appeal to the sensitivities of nationalist by arguing that the “Hizmet and PKK are acting together.”
The GYV also said the government is “trying to escape its political and judicial responsibilities” regarding the settlement process because it has realized trouble will emerge amongst the PKK support base if the ongoing negotiations fail, but it also has come to understand that other segments of society will cause trouble if the negotiations are successful. The foundation explained that this is why the government has attempted to link the Hizmet movement with the PKK, since using the “parallel state” as a scapegoat has become habit.
Gov't manipulates public's perception of Hizmet
Instead of responding to the corruption and bribery allegations directed at it, the government is trying to manipulate the public's perception of Hizmet by holding it responsible for the corruption investigations and accusing it of trying to orchestrate a coup, according to the foundation.
The GYV statement said the AK Party government and pro-government media alleged that police officers planted incriminating safes at the apartment of former Interior Minister Muammer Güler's son, even though Güler confessed that they belonged at the apartment while he was being questioned by the parliamentary Corruption Investigation Commission.
The organization also said that former Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan had claimed he had paid the tax on his infamously expensive watch; however, then it was later revealed that the tax on the watch was paid by Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, a key suspect in the Dec. 17 corruption probe.
The government claimed that some voice recordings that were leaked to the media were fabricated and that the corruption allegations targeting state officials were baseless. However, a Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) report recently showed that the incriminating voice recordings that were leaked, including conversations between state officials, were authentic. The GYV said that the government is trying to direct attention toward Hizmet and the police -- who revealed corruption -- to escape the consequences of its own deeds.
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