Longtime Opponent of Erdogan Passes Away

Fethullah Gülen, the founder of the FETO organization banned in Turkey and a prominent Islamic cleric, has died. He was considered a long-time adversary of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The news was confirmed live on air by Hande Fırat, a representative of Hürriyet newspaper on CNN TÜRK.

“Recently, his health had deteriorated significantly. In addition to renal insufficiency and diabetes, he also suffered from dementia,” she stated.

Gülen was accused of orchestrating a coup attempt against Erdoğan in Turkey in 2016. The writer and Islamic preacher had been living in the United States as an exile. Erdoğan had accused Gülen of attempting to create “parallel structures” within the police, judiciary, armed forces, and media. However, the cleric denied all allegations.