Opposition deputy seeks answers on gov’t ban on charity

A lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has directed questions at Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on why the government banned charity group Kimse Yok Mu from collecting donations.

In a formal parliamentary question, CHP Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrıkulu asked Davutoğlu to explain the legal grounds for the government decision dated Sept. 22 to rescind Kimse Yok Mu's permission to collect charitable donations.

He asked the prime minister to respond to claims that Kimse Yok Mu was also subject to non-routine inspections over the past one year, even though the law on foundations stipulate that inspections of such organizations are done once in every two years. “How many times over the past one year has Kimse Yok Mu Solidarity and Help Association been subject to inspections or investigations? Which state institutions have conducted these inspections or investigations? Has any activity or transaction that is deemed illegal been identified as a result of these inspections or investigations? If so, what are the activities or transactions of the association that, based on solid evidence, are against the laws or involved irregularities?”

Kimse Yok Mu, which is affiliated with the faith-based Hizmet movement, became the target of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in the wake of a corruption scandal that became public with a wave of detentions on Dec. 17. The government blamed the Hizmet movement for the corruption probe, which implicated many important figures of the AK Party government, accusing the movement of plotting with foreign collaborators to take it down.

Tanrıkulu also questioned whether prosecutors have been notified if the state inspections did in fact reveal irregularities.

He also asked Davutoğlu to respond to allegations that some ministers refused to sign the decision stripping Kimse Yok Mu of its right to collect donations and that inspectors assigned by the Interior Ministry have been offered job promotions if they prepare a report implicating Kimse Yok Mu. He also demanded the text of an inspection report that provided the ground for the government decision. He indicated that the inspection was completed in just one and a half days.

Kimse Yok Mu is the only aid organization in Turkey that holds UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) special consultative status, and it began to develop internationally recognized relief programs in partnership with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2013. It was also awarded the Turkish Grand National Assembly Outstanding Service Award in 2013, under AK Party rule.

Published on Today's Zaman, 04 October 2014, Saturday