Alliance for Shared Values rejects Turkish probes into movement links to past violence

The Alliance for Shared Values (AfSV) has issued a formal statement rejecting recent investigations and mass detentions in Turkey that attempt to link the Gülen movement to past violent incidents. The group characterized the accusations as “baseless” and “malicious,” asserting that the movement has focused on education, dialogue, and peace for nearly fifty years.

AfSV argued that the reopening of unresolved cases is a political maneuver designed to divert public attention from corruption allegations and to shield the actual perpetrators of crimes from judicial accountability. The group claimed the judiciary is being used as an instrument of political punishment, with decisions regarding the guilt of movement participants allegedly being made in advance.

While the AfSV statement did not name specific cases, reports indicate the investigations involve the 2009 helicopter crash that killed politician Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and the 2011 death of intelligence officer Kaşif Kozinoğlu. Recent raids related to the Yazıcıoğlu investigation led to the imprisonment of 36 individuals, including journalists Emre Soncan and Mehmet Yaşar Durukan.