Prominent Turkish religious figure Fethullah Gülen passed away in a medical facility.
Turkish religious leader Fethullah Gülen, who had been residing in the United States, passed away recently. News outlets reported this, and the information was additionally confirmed by Gülen's nephew to Turkey's public broadcaster TRT. Additionally, groups close to Gülen also acknowledged the demise. The 83-year-old individual passed away in a hospital due to dementia, kidney failure, and diabetes.
Turkey's government pinned the blame for the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, on Gülen's movement. Gülen refuted any connection to the coup attempt against Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since 1999, Gülen has resided in the United States' Pennsylvania state. The US government refused to extradite Gülen multiple times at Turkey's request.
Gülen's influence grew through his Hizmet movement. Gülen and Erdogan had been allies for a long time, but they had a falling out in 2013. Subsequently, the Turkish government accused Gülen of leading a "terrorist" organization. In 2017, Gülen lost his Turkish citizenship.
As per Turkey expert and journalist Eren Güvercin, speaking on X, for several years, Gülen was a significant ally for Erdogan. Without Gülen's supporters in the judiciary and police, Erdogan would not have managed to weaken democracy and the rule of law in Turkey. Following a power struggle between Gülen and Erdogan, Gülen's supporters fled abroad. They positioned themselves as defenders of democracy and human rights. Despite the deep-rooted animosity between Gülen and Erdogan, they were not advocates of a democratic system.
The European Union, in response to the political tensions between Turkey and Fethullah Gülen, has not issued an extradition request for Gülen due to concerns about the rule of law and human rights in Turkey. After Gülen's passing, it remains to be seen how the European Union will approach the ongoing issue between Turkey and Gülen's followers.
