Turkish government files suit against Gulen

Wednesday, 09 December 2015 6:45 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 09 December 2015 6:45 PM ]

The file photo shows Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, the United States. ©AP

The Turkish government has lodged a civil suit with a US court against a US-based opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, alleging human rights abuses.

Robert Amsterdam, the founder of the UK-based firm Amsterdam and Partners LLP, said on Wednesday that the case against Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen was filed with a district court in the northeastern US state of Pennsylvania on December 7.

The suit alleges that, on Gulen's orders, his followers "illegally planted evidence, fabricated search warrants, secured illegal wiretaps and ultimately arrested plaintiffs without any legal basis" back in 2009.

The suit, which seeks punitive damages, names three individuals as plaintiffs, rather than the Turkish government, which has hired the law firm.

The suit was brought under the Alien Tort Statue, an 18th century law that has been used to try alleged human rights cases from across the globe in US courts.

"We're suing them (Gulen and 50 of his followers) ... in respect to these false imprisonments. Mr Gulen has a long history in Turkey of engaging his followers aggressively and falsely imprisoning hundreds of people," Amsterdam said.

Gulen is facing another suit in a Turkish court, which accuses him of plotting against a rival religious group.

Over the past few weeks, the Turkish government has intensified its crackdown on the supporters of Gulen.

Turkish police stand guard at the entrance of the headquarters of Koza-Ipek Holding, a conglomerate linked to Fethullah Gulen that owns opposition television stations and newspapers in Ankara, Turkey, October 27, 2017. ©AP

Earlier this week, police in Turkey arrested 18 people, including senior police officers, in 13 provinces, accusing them of supporting the cleric.

Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, is regarded as an outspoken opponent of President Erdogan and his policies.

Erdogan has accused the cleric and his followers of plotting to overthrow the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after prosecutors seen as sympathetic to Gulen launched a corruption probe against the Turkish leader’s inner circle in 2013.

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