A Turkish court on Friday ordered the formal arrest of 13 individuals previously detained in a sweeping investigation into Antiochia Künefe, a well-known dessert chain accused of financially supporting the Gülen movement.
The arrests come in the wake of coordinated police operations on Monday across five provinces, during which 33 suspects were taken into custody. The probe, spearheaded by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and supported by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), allegedly uncovered financial links between the company’s operations and the faith-based movement led by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen.
Authorities reportedly seized 100,000 Turkish lira (approximately $2,500), 33 gold coins, and numerous digital documents as part of the raids. Prosecutors claim the materials show a financial trail connecting the dessert chain to entities associated with the Gülen network.
Part of a Wider Purge
Since the 2013 corruption scandals that implicated then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his inner circle, the Turkish government has treated the Gülen movement as a public enemy. Erdoğan labeled the group a terrorist organization in 2016 and escalated his crackdown following the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, which he blamed on Gülen — an accusation the movement strongly denies.
This latest operation is part of a broader pattern of targeting businesses, journalists, educators, and civil society organizations accused of affiliation with the movement. Turkish authorities frame these actions as a national security imperative, while human rights organizations and Western governments have repeatedly criticized Ankara for misusing anti-terror laws to suppress dissent and eliminate political opposition.
Scope of the Crackdown
In a statement made in July 2023 ahead of the seventh anniversary of the attempted coup, Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said that over 705,000 individuals had been investigated for alleged links to the Gülen movement. At the time, 13,251 people were reported to be in pretrial detention or serving prison sentences.
Observers note that these numbers have likely grown as police raids and court proceedings targeting alleged Gülenists have continued unabated, even after the recent death of Fethullah Gülen at age 83. Turkish officials have stated that his passing would not mark an end to the crackdown.
