Former teacher arrested and sent to prison in Diyarbakır province on conviction of Gülen links

Figen Çapkur, 46, a former teacher who was summarily fired from her job by a government decree, was arrested and sent to a prison in southeastern Diyarbakır province on Tuesday to serve a sentence on conviction of links to the Gülen movement, Bold Medya reported.

Çapkur was arrested after a six-year, three month prison sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeals. The police reportedly did not present an arrest warrant, and Çapkur’s daughter, who was at the door, refused them entry without it.

The police told the 13-year-old girl that if she did not want to be “traumatized” she should allow them inside. Çapkur was inside the apartment saying goodbye to her two children other at that moment.

In a tweet shared by Çapkur’s son on her behalf she said her daughter suffered from epilepsy and she was worried that the confrontation with the police could trigger an episode.

“Of course, my daughter did not want to hand me over without a warrant. I hope she does not get sick again,” she said. “I have not done anything wrong, and I want my children to know this. I told my son to post this after my arrest.”

Çapkur was first arrested on February 28, 2018 and was released pending trial nine months later. Her husband, Tahir Çapkur, was arrested on similar charges in August 2016 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He is currently in a prison in eastern Elazığ province.

Çapkur’s son said on Twitter his mother’s only wish was for her not to be arrested until their father was released.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.

Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. Erdoğan intensified the crackdown on the movement following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016, that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the abortive putsch or any terrorist activity.