Like many Turkish citizens, the Hizmet movement's participants supported Mr. Erdogan's early efforts to democratize Turkey and fulfill the requirements for membership in the European Union. But we were not silent as he turned from democracy to despotism. Even before these new purges, Mr. Erdogan in recent years has arbitrarily closed newspapers; removed thousands of judges, prosecutors, police officers and civil servants from their positions; and taken especially harsh measures against Kurdish communities. He has declared his detractors enemies of the state.

"Fethullah Gulen: I Condemn All Threats to Turkey's Democracy", 2016