Hüseyin Çelik: No witch hunt will happen

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik has said they are not targeting the entire Fethullah Gülen movement and they will not launch a “witch hunt” against the group.

Contrary to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Çelik adopts a softer tone [toward the group] and said the following when speaking about the latest developments in an interview: “They liken us to the Feb. 28 coup. This is tactlessness. All religious groups were the target [of the coup-staging military] on Feb. 28. It is out of the question for us to launch a fight against the entire Gülen or Hizmet community. There will not be an AK Party administration that will stage a witch hunt [against the community]. No one should think this way. There will not be any action taken against those who conduct religious talks or meetings under AK Party rule. Who are those who are posing a threat to our national unity? They are those who are conducting manipulations to drag Turkey in chaos. They might be prosecutors, police officers or other civil servants. But this [accusation] must be based on documents [evidence]. A person cannot be punished if he has not committed a crime.

Published on Sunday's Zaman, 02 March 2014, Sunday