October 15, 2014

Gülen denies attempting to axe peace process

The lawyer of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has strongly denied claims made by the former chairman of the banned pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) who alleged in a television interview Monday evening that Fethullah Gülen defames, slanders, and obstructs people who support the peace process.

Hatip Dicle, the DEP former chairman, was interviewed on pro-government TV Monday evening and alleged that he had listened to tape recordings in which, allegedly, Fethullah Gülen says to his followers to go to prominent Kurdish associations in southeast Turkey and antagonize and slander anyone working on the peace process

Nurullah Albayrak, Gülen’s attorney, made a written statement on Tuesday and strongly denied those claims.

Albayrak wrote that Dicle’s claims were “insubstantial and baseless.” He continued: “Gülen is a person who wants peace, and has always supported peace, even in the time when few were even talking about the solution of the Kurdish issue. Gülen says that the peace process will benefit the country, and he has always stood for the peace process which will stop terrorism and solve the Kurdish issue.”

In addition, Albayrak said: “Gülen is a person who just tries to serve humanity, always. Those claims are baseless and defamatory allegations.” Albayrak promised to take legal action against anyone who might slander Fethullah Gülen.

A peace process was begun at the end of October 2012 by the Justice and Development (AK Party) government in cooperation with the jailed PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) leader Abdullah Öcalan to settle, once and for all, the country's terrorism problem and Kurdish issue.

Published on BGNNews, 15 October 2014, Wednesday