In a first comment after the death of your opponent – Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he died an dishonorable death and that he will pay for his crimes in the afterlife, reported “Daily Sabah”, quoted by BTA.
„He cannot escape divine justice,”, Erdogan said in a speech in the capital Ankara.
Gülen, leader of the Hizmet movement, died on Sunday at the age of 83 in the United States, where he had lived since 1999. Gulen was initially an ally of Erdogan, but later a rift occurred in their relationship. After the attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016, the government accused Gulen and his supporters of orchestrating the coup, and the preacher's movement was designated by Turkish authorities as the “Fethullahist Terrorist Organization” (FETO). However, Turkey was unable to extradite him from the US to face trial in his home country.
„These traitors managed to avoid Turkish justice despite our efforts, and it was thanks to the help of their superiors,”, Erdogan said, alluding to the role of the US in providing asylum to Gulen and other supporters.
„They did not pay for their crimes, crimes against people whose rights they violated, against people they made martyrs. But they cannot escape divine justice. Allah has a severe judgment for them. "Allah will ask them to account for every crime they have committed against the nation," the Turkish president said.
He said that the Turkish state will continue its fight against FETO until it is completely wiped out. “We will hunt them down, no matter where this pack of hyenas is in the world”, Erdogan said.
In 2014, an arrest warrant was issued against Gülen, and two years later his organization was declared a terrorist organization by Ankara. Hundreds of schools, companies, media and organizations associated with him were closed, and their property – confiscated. At least 77,000 people suspected of ties to the Hizmet movement were arrested, and about 150,000 teachers, magistrates, military personnel and other government officials were suspended.