Turkey has frozen the assets of nine US-based organizations over alleged links to the Gülen movement, as part of a broader measure targeting 43 individuals and entities under the pretext of “combating terrorism financing.”
The decision, published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, was signed by Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The Turkish government alleges that these organizations were involved in acts tied to the Gülen movement, inspired by ideas and activism of the late Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.
Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government accuses the faith-based movement of masterminding a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 and labels it a “terrorist organization,” although the movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
The affected organizations include Breeze Inc., based in Ohio; Discovery Education Services Inc., registered in Florida; and the Lehigh Dialogue Center, located in Pennsylvania. Pinnacle Education Services Inc., operating out of Virginia, and Milkyway Education Center Inc., also known as Pioneer Academy, based in New Jersey, were also listed. North American University, located in Texas; Wellspring Cultural and Educational Foundation Inc., registered in Connecticut; DIF Printer USA LLC, based in Texas; and Nisez Trading LLC, also in Texas, were similarly targeted.
The asset freeze also affected one US-based individual, Muhammet Enes Yılmaz, who is sought by Turkey on the accusation of ties to the Gülen movement. The Turkish authorities stated that these actions were carried out under Articles 3 and 4 of Law No. 6415 on the Prevention of Financing of Terrorism, citing “reasonable grounds” for their involvement in financing terrorism.
According to Turkish media reports in November, Turkish authorities have identified DIF Printer USA LLC and Nisez Trading LLC as two companies owned by Yılmaz. The companies were allegedly used to transfer funds to Turkey via international payment systems to support the group, leading to their inclusion in the asset-freezing decision published in the Official Gazette.
The ruling also targeted 33 other individuals and organizations accused of links to various groups, including the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Three Swedish-based entities are among the organizations targeted by the measure over alleged ties to the outlawed PKK.
The Turkish government is using measures prescribed by international watchdogs to combat terrorism financing in order to target its critics, according to a report by the International Journalists Association (IJA).
The IJA was founded in Frankfurt by German-based Turkish journalists who fled Turkey after a failed coup in 2016. Bringing together journalists from a variety of countries, the association supports independent journalism and promotes online platforms.
The report, authored by UK barrister Michael Polak and Brussels-based lawyer Ali Yıldız, points out that Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code, which prescribes punishment for terrorism-related offenses, lacks the quality of law, according to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and says the Turkish government is using the vaguely worded provision to jail its critics and seize or freeze their assets.
Yıldız told Turkish Minute that the US-based organizations probably have no assets in Turkey and that the motive behind the decision is to create difficulties for the organizations in their financial transactions with US banks by smearing their records through mechanisms available to the Turkish government.
In recent years, more than 705,172 people have been investigated on terrorism or coup-related charges due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement. There are at least 13,251 people in prison who are in pretrial detention or convicted of terrorism charges in Gülen-linked trials.
Between June 2023 and June 2024 alone, Turkish authorities carried out a total of 5,543 police operations and arrested 1,595 people linked to the movement.
In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.
Critics argue that Turkey frequently uses terrorism charges to silence dissent and suppress political opposition. Human rights organizations have condemned these measures, calling for adherence to international legal standards. Observers have noted that such actions often target groups and individuals critical of the government under vague and arbitrary accusations.
The ruling allows those whose assets have been frozen to appeal the decision at the Ankara High Criminal Court. However, past attempts to overturn similar rulings have rarely succeeded, which many attribute to the lack of judicial independence in Turkey.