Robert R. Amsterdam, the head of London-based Amsterdam & Partners LLP, which was hired by the Turkish government as part of their fight against the Gülen movement abroad, wrote to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in November 2015 that designating the movement a terrorist organization seems to be an exaggeration.
The Turkish government and President Erdoğan accuse the Gülen movement, inspired by the views of US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, of plotting a corruption investigation in December 2013 and a failed coup attempt on July 15 of this year without credible evidence.
Amsterdam’s letter was found in the leaked emails of Berat Albayrak, President Erdoğan’s son-in-law and the current energy minister, titled “Information Note” and dated Nov. 13, 2015.
According to the note, Amsterdam suggests ways for the Turkish government to fight against the Gülen movement in the US. Amsterdam says that calling the movement “terrorist” might be an exaggeration; however, he writes in brackets “We believe so [that the Gülen movement is a terrorist organization].”
Amsterdam also suggested that Erdoğan immediately “isolate” Washington’s perception of Turkey’s government that the government is not tolerant of dissidents.
Turkish Marxist hacker group RedHack seized the email account of Energy Minister Albayrak last week and began to disclose the contents on Sept. 26 after its demand for the release of two socialist writers who are currently in jail was ignored by authorities.