Turkish pro-government newspaper targets German Gülen charity group

Daily Sabah, an English-language daily run by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s family, targets a German-based charity, accusing it of “terrorist financing” due to its links to the Gülen movement did.

In a report published on Friday, the pro-government daily Time to Help eV said Turkey’s Red Crescent Society and the government had He claimed he had tried to block donations to disaster management authorities.

Daily Sabah also accused Time to Help of working with Catholic Charities in South Sudan and the Red Cross in Ukraine to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.

The NGO also accused Libya of collaborating with Libya’s “rebel General Khalifa Haftar” in providing aid to areas affected by the September 2023 floods.

Daily Sabah is the English version of the Sabah newspaper and is owned by Turkvaz Media Group, which has close ties to President Erdoğan and whose top management includes members of the Turkish presidential family. are doing.

Sabah is known for its repeated harassment of government critics living abroad, including releasing hidden photos of journalists based in Sweden, Germany and the United States.

In some cases, publications revealed journalists’ home addresses in countries with large pro-Erdogan expatriate communities, violating journalists’ privacy.

A Sweden-based critic’s car was destroyed shortly after being targeted in Sabah.

Critics of the government have also been physically assaulted in Europe, including journalists Ahmet Donmez and Abdullah Bozkurt.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been following religious beliefs inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen since the corruption investigation involving then-Prime Minister Erdoğan, his family, and associates from December 17 to 25, 2013. has targeted members of the Gülen movement, a group based on his inner circle.

President Erdogan dismissed the investigation as a Gulenist coup and conspiracy against the government, designated the movement a terrorist organization and began targeting its members. Following the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, it accused Gulen of being the mastermind and intensified its crackdown on the movement. Gülen and his movement strongly deny any involvement in abortion-related uprisings or terrorist activities.

In addition to the thousands of people imprisoned, numerous other supporters of the Gülen movement have also had to flee Turkey to avoid government repression.