CELEBRATING THE RESISTANCE AGAINST
THE FAILED COUP ATTEMPT OF JULY 15, 2016

DEMANDING JUSTICE

SUSTAINING PRESSURE AGAINST
FETULLAH GULEN AND HIS CULT  

“You must move in the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach all the centers of power. You must wait for the time when conditions are ripe. You must wait until such time as you have gotten all the state power, until you have brought to your side all the power of the constitutional institutions in Turkey. I trust your loyalty and secrecy. I know that when you leave here you will conceal what I have instructed.”
Sermon of Cult Leader Fetullah Gulen


T wo years ago today, on July 15, 2016, a group of Turkish military personnel hijacked Turkey’s military assets and turned them against the people of Turkey in a failed coup attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government. They bombed highways, bridges, and the Turkish counterparts of Congress, the White House, Pentagon, FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. When brave citizens took to the streets to defend their country and their democracy, they were met with tanks on the ground and strafed from above. More than 250 innocent people were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded.

These putschists were the obedient servants of the self-declared Imam Fetullah Gulen, who resides in a heavily fortified compound near the quiet town of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.

We believe that in the very least, Gulen inspired this violence with his sermons, much like Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who a U.S. Court found had used sermons to inspire his followers to bomb the World Trade Center in 1993.

Rahman was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. In sad contrast, each passing day that the United States delays the extradition of Fetullah Gulen to Turkey, the people of Turkey are denied justice for the horrors they suffered on July 15, 2016.

On behalf of more than 1 million Turkish and Turkic Americans nationwide, the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC) urges Americans to press for the extradition of Fetullah Gulen to Turkey to face justice.

In addition to the crimes that they have committed in Turkey, Gulen and his insidious cult (Fetullah Gulen Terrorist Organization-FETO) have also been involved in possible criminal activities here in the United States:

  • FETO has been spreading across this nation by exploiting charter schools and the so-called intercultural and interfaith associations. Thankfully, many of the “schools”, except where the cult exercises political influence, are closing or losing their permits to operate. We strongly recommend viewing the documentary, “Killing Ed”, which uncovers the Gulen network’s operations in America.

  • U.S. and State authorities must investigate whether FETO engaged in corrupt business practices by siphoning public education funds; corrupt political practices by illegally funneling foreign money into American political campaigns; ethics violations by taking political leaders on lavish trips to Turkey without proper disclosures; immigration fraud by importing their own labor force, even foreign English teachers over obviously more qualified Americans; unfair labor practices that border on indentured servitude and discrimination against women; and, blackmail and racketeering.

  • FETO works quietly, diligently and systematically to infiltrate public institutions. We pray that the United States recognizes the harms of FETO early. We commend whistle blowers who are cooperating with Turkish and American law enforcement to stop FETO in America.

Today we remember and honor those who lost their lives and who were wounded two years ago and urge the United States to prosecute and extradite FETO leader Fetullah Gulen to Turkey without further delay.

Respectfully,

Gunay Evinch, Esq. Co-Chair | Dr. Halil Mutlu, Co-Chair
Murat Guzel, Treasurer | Oya Bain, Secretary General

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORY BOARD
Nevin Bakir | Tuncay Bayrak | Aydin Mamedov | Ayhan Ogmen, Esq. | Behram Turan | Memis Yetim | Ibrahim Kurtulus | Mustafa Kemal Ozdemir

Washington Turkish House
1526 18th Street NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036
www.tasc-usa.com