Lawyers of Fethullah Gulen denied allegations that he worked to establish a religious state and had plans to seize control of the Turkish military in the future, saying instead he has promoted peace and religious tolerance.

"Gulen's activities are based on tolerance and meant to remove tensions within society," said lawyer Abdulkadir Aksoy in his statement in defense of the well-known preacher.

Aksoy presented a videotape containing praising remarks of former President Suleyman Demirel, former Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and former Chief of Staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi for Gulen.

Aksoy also said Gulen had written his books to enlighten society on religious affairs and denied the books contained any criminal element.

"Gulen received applause for his loyalty to the Turkish state," he went on.

Aksoy also argued that former DGM prosecutor Nuh Mete Yuksel, who brought the case against Gulen, worked to create a negative image of Gulen in the public and accused the media of publishing "subjective and abstract" allegations against Gulen.

Yuksel was sacked from his office after a sex scandal in which he had been involved was exposed to the public.

Videotapes showing Yuksel with an unidentified woman were found in the Contemporary Education Foundation and Aksoy said the foundation, which views Gulen and his group with antipathy, might have threatened the prosecutor to force him to bring this case.

Aksoy also said the indictment did not contain any concrete evidence showing that Gulen aimed at replacing the constitutional order of the state with a theocratic one.

The indictment seeks 5-10 years imprisonment for Gulen for leading a terrorist group.

Gulen is currently residing in the United States, where he is undergoing medical treatment. 2003-04-03 00:00:00

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