ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish government-backed lawsuit has been filed against a U.S.-based cleric, who has become the chief foe of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A lawyer hired by the Turkish government, Robert Amsterdam, provided a copy of the filing in the U.S. district court in Pennsylvania. The lawsuit alleges that cleric Fethullah Gulen orchestrated human rights abuses from his residence in Pennsylvania against three men in Turkey. It alleges that Gulen ordered followers among the police and judiciary to plant evidence against the three men and build false criminal cases that led to their imprisonment.
The Turkish government claims Gulen has been running a parallel state by getting his followers into key positions in state institutions, including the police and judiciary. Gulen has denied the allegations.
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Butler reported from Washington.
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