The UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations has terminated the consultative status of three nongovernmental organizations that have links to the faith-based Gülen movement in Turkey upon a demand from the Turkish government, according to a story on the Voice of America website on Thursday.
The committee ended the consultative status for leading charity group Kimse Yok Mu, press freedom advocacy group the Journalists and Writers’ Foundation (GYV) and business group the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), whose operations were halted in Turkey in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15.
The Turkish government holds the movement responsible for the coup attempt, while the movement strongly denies the accusation.
Turkey’s demand for the termination of the UN status of these three organizations was supported by 16 out of 19 member countries on the committee, while Israel, the US and Uruguay voted against.
With this development, the number of Turkish NGOs that have UN status has fallen from five to two.
Kimse Yok Mu gained UN status in 2010, followed by the GYV and TUSKON in 2012.
