A court in Istanbul has sentenced a Muslim preacher to 8,658 years in prison in a retrial. As per an NDTV report, the Muslim televangelist named Adnan Oktar surrounded himself with scantily clad women he called "kittens". These women, who used to surround him during his tv show, wore lots of makeup and little clothes as he preached creationism and conservative values.
In 2021, 66-year-old Oktar was sentenced to 1,075 years in jail for crimes including sexual assault, abuse of minors, fraud and attempted political as well as military espionage. This ruling was overturned by an upper court.
10 others sentenced the same term
As per reports, the court has also sentenced 10 other suspects along with Oktar to 8,658 years in prison each.
Showing some little similarities with the notorious self-styled godman Ram Rahim, Oktar, has also been labelled by his critics see as the leader of a cult. Oktar gained notoriety for his programmes on the online A9 television channel. He has been time and again denounced by Turkey's religious leaders. Oktar was taken into custody in Istanbul in 2018 as part of a probe by the city's police financial crimes unit.
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