He was among the 236 defendants on trial since September 2019 and had faced a diverse array of charges, from espionage to sexual abuse.
A prison term totaling 1,075 years was handed down to Oktar in the trial where 78 people, including the cult leader, were in detention. The 64-year-old Oktar and dozens of his followers were arrested in simultaneous nationwide raids in 2018.
A 499-page indictment portrays him and others as a criminal gang thriving on blackmail, extortion, money laundering and a string of other crimes.
Among more serious charges are attempting political and military espionage, torture, abduction, illegal wiretapping, fraud, threats, attempted murder and forgery, as well as sexual abuse.
The court gave Oktar a total of 1,075 years and three months in prison over the charges of founding and leading a criminal organization, political or military espionage, aiding the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), sexual abuse of minors, sexual abuse, deprivation of liberty of a person, torture, disturbance of right to education, recording personal data and making threats.
Prosecutors say the gang he led had been involved in a recruitment scheme since the late 1990s and this involved brainwashing young women. “The organization used its good-looking members to deceive young girls and women. Those members raped or sexually abused women and were blackmailed first by members pretending that their affairs were recorded on video. They were also brainwashed under the pretext of religious teachings,” prosecutors say in the indictment.
In the 2000s, he became a household name after he founded A9 TV and sporadically appeared on hourslong talk shows where he delivered his opinions on world views, occasionally breaking into bizarre dance routines with his followers.
