Erdogan's mortal enemy is dead

Published 21 October 2024 at 11.08

Foreign. The Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen, who was both hailed as a moderate religious leader and accused of terrorism, has died.

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According to several Turkish media, Fethullah Gülen died on October 20 at the age of 83. His death is confirmed by his nephew on social media and is said to have occurred in a hospital in the United States, where Gülen lived in exile since 1999.

Gülen became a controversial figure in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan singled him out as the mastermind behind the failed coup attempt in 2016. Gülen has denied any involvement, but is accused by the Turkish government of having built up a network of infiltrators within the country's authorities and defense.

After the coup attempt, Erdogan carried out an extensive purge of oppositional. Thousands of people with links to the so-called Gülen movement, or Hizmet, were imprisoned or lost their jobs. The movement has been branded a terrorist in Turkey since 2016.

The Gülen movement, which was once a strong power factor in Turkey, advocated democracy, human rights and peaceful cooperation between different ethnic groups, according to Gülen. To his followers, he is an advocate of peace and equality, while the Turkish government sees him as a terrorist.

Fethullah Gülen remained one of President Erdoğan's greatest enemies until his death.