Turkey asks Turks residing abroad to report Gulen supporters' whereabouts

Published July 22, 2016
Pro-nationalist university students shout during a protest against US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers during a demonstration in Ankara. —AFP
Pro-nationalist university students shout during a protest against US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers during a demonstration in Ankara. —AFP

STOCKHOLM: Turkey is asking its nationals living abroad to report people and organisations that support US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen accused of masterminding a failed military coup to Turkish authorities, Swedish Radio reported on Friday.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accuses Gulen, a former ally, of being behind the plot, which crumbled early on Saturday.

In a crackdown on Gulen's suspected followers, more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and educators have been suspended, detained or placed under investigation.

On a Facebook page that caters to supporters of Turkey's ruling AK Party, a post urged people to call a Turkish number and provide information about supporters of Gulen.

When calling the phone number, public broadcaster Swedish Radio reported it reached the president's office that confirmed it was interested in information about Gulen supporters also in Sweden and said it wanted “all information you could give, personal data and addresses”.

No one picked up during regular office hours when Reuters called the number on Friday.

Turkey's ambassador to Sweden, Kaya Turkmen, had not been aware of the post, Swedish Radio said, but he said he found it natural that the Turkish state would be interested in such information.

“Every state has a right to collect information on activities that are directed against it, even if it is individuals living in Sweden,” Turkmen told Swedish Radio, which added there had been similar posts on social media in Germany and Austria.

Opinion

Editorial

Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...
Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...