Column: From confession to slander, FETÖ’s new tactics

Yasin AktayBY: Yasin Aktay*

This structure has been quite adept in portraying all the facts related to themselves and the world as they want. They have a sense of religion that legitimizes lies as an ethical code of conduct for themselves, and perhaps even renders these lies as good deeds. But in fact, in order to legitimize lies to such extent, they must see a difference in religion between themselves and those whom they lie to.

The strange part is that the members of this organization have many times deceived those who they do not consider to be of their own mind, namely religion, by collecting their donations. They have financed all their activities with the money they have collected from these people. They have always hidden their intentions, goals and objectives because they know that if they express their intentions clearly, people will never help them, never support to their activities, or they might even exclude them.

Such a profoundly furtive demeanor unavoidably leads to the emergence of an extremely different character. Today we watch and are surprised at their behavior, performances, and shows of these characters in court. No wonder, though. We expect that the group should be disarrayed as all their lies and intentions have surfaced, and no one should believe in the organization’s leadership and goals. However, we do not take into consideration this organization’s own psychology. For this reason, we are surprised that so many people act in the same harmonious way receiving orders from the same center.

It is likely that the group is still nourished by a common value. The fact that prisoners are exhibiting incredibly common and similar behavior is due to their easy communication with each other in prison conditions. Their unity makes it possible for them to launch immediate repair therapy in the face of the collapse of the common story that they relied on. Perhaps all the shortcomings of the failed story are being resolved, and, maybe they are being put into place even more firmly. Though they are diminishing to some extent in each intersection.

It may not be possible for the “service” story, which has failed for many, to recover. Immediately after Dec. 17-25, a significant mass could transform this destruction into an enlightenment and succeed in severing ties with the organization. In the past days, statements by a group of former  Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) members, in a letter recently published by Ahmet Taşgetiren addressing Fetullah Gülen, showed that even the door to go back to FETÖ wasn’t completely closed.

But at this point, one thing must be underscored. Sadly, this deceptive performance of the structure and the fact that it has turned hypocrisy into a common norm discourages the confessors, the penitent and the self-critical. With decrees, nearly 200,000 people have been discharged due to their connection with FETÖ. Many of them are based on the findings of ByLock, proof of the link to the organization. Also, many of them are based on the findings of Bank Asya accounts, which are found to be actively run by the union or during certain terms.

These determinations are the actions that have been found in the system electronically, without being subjected to any personal evaluation. Even so, of course, a human error may be present. The phone on which the ByLock app has been found may belong to someone else, and bank account activities may have another reasonable explanation. An insightful interpretation and assessment into human relations must be made. Especially prosecutors and judges should be very careful in this regard.

FETÖ’s guide is the PKK

Some of the findings are being revealed through investigations of relevant institutions or prosecutors. Here, it is important that prosecutor’s offices or related institutions act very carefully and responsibly against those FETÖ members being questioned who resort to slander under the pressure of intense confession.

The information that appears to be a confession may consist of a slander that is quite simple for FETÖ members. For them, creating more victims now has become one of the most effective ways to expand their base. Just like the PKK, the more people it could infect by victimizing them with terrorist offenses one way or another, the more it can expand it base. So, one person from every house should either be dead, in jail, or on the mountain, so that it could be possible for the organization to spread its influence over the entire region without spreading propaganda. It is clear that FETÖ received some tactics from the PKK in this style of propaganda.

Unfortunately, a significant portion of the victimization stories stem from this point.

Also, the dates of Dec. 17-25 should be applied to all, not some, as an initial criterion. Of course, not everywhere, but the stories of victimization we often hear about stem from the fact that there is no date distinguished between continuing to join lecture circles or benefaction meetings. Participation in lecture circles, attendance at their schools, or having their publications may be a sign of engagement with the organization if they were insistently repeated after Dec. 17-25, when it became completely clear that they are a criminal organization.

In this matter it does not make any sense to adopt beadledom and to go any further; it will be of no use in establishing justice nor be any more effective in the fight against FETÖ.

On the contrary, it will work to adhere those, who are in a position even to hate FETÖ, to FETÖ’s base.