Saturday, May 26, 2012
   
Text Size

Gulen Trial Postponed Again

State Security Court II in Ankara has postponed the trial of Fethullah Gulen, one of the prominent Islamic scholars in Turkey. It is believed that Gulen and his group known as Nurcu wanted to overthrow the existing secular regime and create a religious state instead by creating an illegal organization.

Huseyin Eken, the presiding judge postponed the trial to another date and refused prosecutor Nuh Mete Yuksel's demand to issue an arrest warrant for Gulen. Gulen is currently in the U.S. going under treatment for heart-related complications.

Yuksel is seeking a prison sentence of up to 10 years for Gulen. Judge Eken said they have not received an answer from the U.S. authorities to take Gulen's deposition in the U.S. He also noted that some witnesses testimony has not reached the court. Eken said books written by Gulen namely "Measures and Lights on the Road 3-4," "Eternal Light 1-2-3," "Under the Shadow of Belief," "Broken Pick" and "Life After Death" have been obtained by the Court.

After Judge Eken's opening remarks, witness Serhat Ozkan, who is the co-author of the book "The Schools of the Hodja," told the court about his contacts with the people from the group. Ozkan claimed that the people in the group insulted Ataturk, the founder of the Republic despite their image of respecting Ataturk's legacy. 03.29.2001

Share Link: Google Yahoo MyWeb Del.icio.us Digg Facebook Myspace Reddit Technorati Stumble Upon Yahoo Bookmarks MSN Live