Turkey’s state TV apologizes for broadcasting song with Gulen lyrics

The state-run Turkish Radio and Television Channel (TRT) on April 1 apologized for “mistakenly broadcasting” a song whose lyrics were written by the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of masterminding the failed July 2016 coup attempt.

The broadcast of “Huzunlu Gurbet” (Melancholy Exile), with lyrics written by Gulen, on the music station TRT Müzik immediately drew a reaction from social media users, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The broadcaster later stated that it had “mistakenly broadcast” the song in the repeat of a program first aired 12 years ago.

“It is respectfully announced to the public that ‘Huzunlu Gurbet,’ sung by Ahmet Ozhan, was mistakenly broadcast during the repeat of a program produced in 2005,” TRT Muzik stated in a tweet.

The Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), through which Gülen is widely believed to have orchestrated the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt, which left 249 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.