'Minor Sexual Assault' Cult Member in Turkey Sentenced to 1075 Years

Turkish Court Sentences to 1075 Years and 3 Months for Minor Sexual Assault Charges

Adnan Oktar sentenced to 1075 years and 3 months in prison (Adnan Oktar Instagram capture)

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Adnan Oktar, a well-known cult leader in Turkey, has been sentenced to 1,075 years in prison on charges including rape and sexual assault. The victims testified that they were repeatedly sexually abused from a young age and were even forced to take contraceptive pills.

On the 11th (local time), The Guardian reported that Adnan Oktar, a famous cult leader in Turkey, was sentenced to 1,075 years and 3 months in prison for crimes including rape, sexual assault of minors, fraud, and attempted political-military espionage. Oktar, who is currently 64 years old, would be released at the age of 1,139 if he serves the full sentence, effectively a life sentence.

According to The Guardian, an anonymous rape victim testified in court that Oktar continuously sexually abused women. The victim joined Oktar’s organization at the age of 17 as a minor and was subjected to ongoing sexual abuse. Additionally, some of the women who were raped testified that they were forced to take contraceptive pills.

Oktar denied the charges. Although 69,000 contraceptive pills were found at his residence, he claimed they were used for skin diseases and menstrual irregularities. Last month in court, he denied the charges by saying, "I have almost 1,000 girlfriends." He also asserted, "I have an abundance of love for women, and love is a human quality as well as a quality of a Muslim."

He was arrested in 2018 by Istanbul police along with more than 200 other suspects. Among them, 236 defendants were indicted, and 78 were detained during the trial process. Most suspects have consistently claimed innocence since their first warrant review in September 2019.

Adnan Oktar is a cult leader who advocates extreme Islamic creationism. He first drew public attention by claiming that Darwinism and other evolutionary theories deny the existence of God and inspired communism, Nazism, and terrorism.

He gained significant influence by preaching on the TV channel ‘A9TV’ in 2011. In 2010, he was selected as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan. However, he was criticized by other Islamic leaders for featuring women who dressed revealingly on TV. Due to a large-scale police crackdown, including the seizure of Oktar’s villa used as a TV studio by Turkish authorities, A9TV was shut down.