Turkish Prosecutor Calls for Arrest Warrant for Erdogan's Opponent

A Turkish prosecutor has requested an arrest warrant for Fethullah Gülen, the leader of the opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who lives in the United States. According to Turkish media, an Istanbul court is set to decide on the issuance of an arrest warrant for Gülen, a former ally of Erdoğan. The Associated Press reports that Turkey had previously sought Gülen's extradition from the U.S. Gülen has been living in Pennsylvania since his immigration. President Erdoğan accuses Gülen and his movement of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government. Erdoğan claims that Gülen's supporters in the judiciary and police accused four of his ministers of misconduct and corruption, which ultimately led to their resignations, and that these conspiracies also targeted members of Erdoğan's family. In another development, Turkish media reported on Friday, December 19, that a court ordered the arrest of four individuals and the release of eight others who had been detained in recent raids on media outlets associated with Gülen's movement. Ekrem Dumanlı, the editor-in-chief of 'Zaman,' one of the country's largest newspapers, was among those released. However, the court has prohibited the eight released individuals from leaving the country due to the possibility of other charges and the ongoing investigation. They were part of dozens who were detained in this month's raids on 'Zaman' newspaper and the 'Samanyolu' television network. These arrests and the related legal case have been strongly condemned as a violation of media freedom in Turkey, drawing criticism from the European Union and the United States. Erdoğan dismissed the criticisms as baseless, stating that these investigations are a matter of internal security. After his release, Ekrem Dumanlı stated outside the court in Istanbul: 'I deny the charges related to membership in a terrorist group and return these accusations to those who have made them against me. The media cannot be restricted, the media should not be intimidated, and Zaman newspaper is not afraid of these actions.' Turkish officials claim that the detainees are suspected of fabricating false charges and evidence that led to the widespread arrests of members of a rival Islamist group on charges of affiliation with al-Qaeda in 2010. However, Gülen's group denies these allegations. In this context, simultaneous police operations were conducted in 13 cities against some media outlets. The European Union condemned the raids on media offices in Turkey, while Erdoğan stated that the raids have nothing to do with the EU.