The Kabul Tribune (KT) — A report by Nordic Monitor, citing an investigation by the Belgium-based human rights organization Solidarity with Others, alleges that Turkey's state-funded Maarif Foundation expanded its control over schools in Afghanistan and other countries as part of a broader campaign to advance Ankara's political and ideological objectives.
According to the report, the Turkish Maarif Foundation,
established in June 2016 and funded by the Turkish government, has taken
control of schools previously affiliated with the movement inspired by the late
Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen in at least 29 countries.
The report says that in Afghanistan, the transfer of 11
schools operated by the Afghan-Turk Çag Educational NGO took place between 2018
and 2019 after what it describes as two years of sustained diplomatic pressure
by Turkey.
According to the investigation, Afghan security forces
conducted coordinated raids in several cities during the transfer process,
detained staff members, and used force against protesting parents and students
before the schools were placed under the management of the Maarif Foundation.
The report alleges that Turkey used diplomatic influence,
investment incentives, security cooperation, and bilateral agreements to
persuade host governments to transfer schools affiliated with the Gülen
movement to the Maarif Foundation, often bypassing domestic legal procedures
and property rights.
Solidarity with Others said the Turkish government has
transferred more than 27.7 billion Turkish lira (about $900 million) to the
Maarif Foundation since its establishment and argued that the foundation
functions as an instrument of the Turkish state rather than an independent
nonprofit organization.
The report further concludes that the cumulative actions of
Turkey and cooperating governments could amount to persecution under Article
7(1) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, citing alleged
politically motivated seizures of schools, dismissals of educators,
restrictions on movement, and denial of legal remedies.
Turkey maintains that the Maarif Foundation is an
international education institution serving students worldwide. Ankara also
continues to accuse the Gülen movement of orchestrating the failed July 2016
coup attempt, an allegation the movement has consistently denied.
