Yücel Emre Kaynarsu, a principle dancer at İzmir opera and ballet, allegedly dismissed from his profession for using Bankasya bank account while selling his house, as part of Turkey‘s purge of more than fifty thousand government employees over Gülen Movement links.
175 artits and dancers who are working under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were fired after a recent government decree was put into effect by Justice and Development Party (AKP) government this week. Kaynarsu was among 10 artists, musicians and dancers who were fired in İzmir Opera and Ballet over accusation of being a member of terrorist groups and posing a threat against national security and state.
Along with Kaynarsu, musician Ali Ataç and vocal artist Mehmet Şükrü Hurmalı were also dismissed in İzmir.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) seized Bank Asya on dubious grounds in May 2015, suggesting that the lender’s financial management posed a threat to Turkish banking system for its shareholder’s links with Gülen Movement, inspired by the views of US-based Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen. The bank’s shareholders denied the allegations and vowed to take legal action. No court decision has been made so far.
Since a corruption investigation that implicated figures close to the AKP government, as well as government members themselves, came to public attention on Dec. 17, 2013, there have been many similar police operations carried out targeting shopkeepers, teachers, members of the judiciary, journalists and police officers who are accused of being affiliated with the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement.
Police operations accelerated by the government decrees during the state of emergency which was declared soon after a failed coup attempt on July 15 in Turkey which the government accuses Gülen of mastermending it.
Gülen strongly denied the allegations brought by the government and insists to put any concrete evidence of crime by him and many of his followers who were arrested . There is not a court decision which declares the movement as a terrorist group either.
