Taming Erdogan’s retributive reign in Turkey
As a keen follower of events in Turkey, my observation over the years about development in that country presents a state where impunity has been entrenched. Judging by the leadership pattern of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his party, the Justice Development Party (AKP), you would agree with me that in Turkey impunity has […]
As a keen follower of events in Turkey, my observation over the years about development in that country presents a state where impunity has been entrenched. Judging by the leadership pattern of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his party, the Justice Development Party (AKP), you would agree with me that in Turkey impunity has been taken to the summit.
Political developments in Turkey dating back from the days Erdogan was the Prime Minister, and the time he was transmuted to President of Turkey, citizens are meant to endured repressive rules with utter disregard for human rights.
It is sad to note that, AKP’s led government only present sour experiences for majority of the people of Turkey. Particularly those identified as perceived enemies of Erdogan and his AKP ruling party. The media, judiciary, security forces and even teachers have been muffled or made to pay dire consequences for their actions or inactions against the autocratic tendencies of the AKP-led government.
For instance, a report from the İIstanbul Institute pointed at a government crackdown on media outlets such as the Zaman and Bugün dailies, and Samanyolu TV, which are owned by people inspired by the ideas of Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. The reports revealed that a government-backed operation launched recently, Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu top executive Hidayet Karaca were detained. While Dumanlı was released pending trial, journalist Karaca was kept imprisoned.
Erdogan has done all within his power to gag the press and in the process his administration has raided and arrested a number of journalists and media representatives, which make Turkey a hostile country for media practitioners.
International communities have intervened and their pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears. For instance the European Commission also condemned the arrests. Also in February and March 2015, members of the US Congress and 74 members of the US Senate wrote to US Secretary of State, John Kerry, expressing deep concern about the recent arrest of journalists and urged the government “to stop suppressing the free press and put an end to gross intimidation efforts among members of the media who express opinions or report events in a way that the regime feels is opposed to their interests.”
On 30 December 2014 Sedef Kabaş, a television presenter, was arrested after criticising on Twitter the decision of the Istanbul chief prosecutor to drop the 2013 corruption investigation. Her offending tweet read: "Don’t ever forget this man. He is the prosecutor Hadi Salihoglu, who decided not to pursue the proceedings in the December 17th case".
Police searched the journalist’s home and confiscated her computers and mobile phone. According to Turkish authorities, Ms Kabaş was arrested on charges of “targeting individuals involved in anti-terror operations”, and in a second indictment of “making insults” and “preventing officers from doing their duty” by keeping officers waiting outside her house and accusing them of being partial. In the indictments, prosecutors are seeking up to five years in prison for each indictment.*
In March 2015 two cartoonists from the Turkish satirical magazine Penguen were found guilty of insulting President Erdoğgan in a cartoon published on the cover of the magazine’s August 2014 issue. The cartoon depicted newly elected Erdoğgan arriving at his presidential palace and saying: “What a bland celebration. We could have at least sacrificed a journalist”. The court subsequently commuted a prison sentence of 11 months and 20 days in prison to a fine of 7,000 Turkish liras.*
On 2 March 2015 investigative journalist Mehmet Baransu was detained and charged with obtaining classified documents and faces up to eight years in prison on grounds that he illegally obtained and published the documents in a series of articles in Taraf in early 2010, in which he revealed an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Turkey by members of the Turkish military.
On 2 June 2015 President Erdoğgan submitted a criminal complaint demanding the imprisonment of the editor of Cumhuriyet, Can Dündar, for publishing video of Turkish intelligence agents apparently delivering weapons to Islamist fighters in northern Syria. Mr. Erdoğgan’s complaint seeks a life sentence for Mr Dündar for “forming an illegal organisation, crimes against the state, obtaining confidential information pertaining to national security, political and military espionage, unlawfully making confidential information public and attempting to influence a trial”.*
This is reportedly at least the fourth case that Mr Erdoğgan has attempted to bring against Can Dündar in the last 13 months. The threats against Cumhuriyet and other media have provoked international protests in addition to journalists; prosecutions have been brought or threatened against students, musicians, actors, lawyers and opposition politicians.
Some may criticized some of the journalists above for publishing harsh and personally offensive criticism of President Erdoğgan, their comments however were clearly made within the context of political expression. Freedom of expression on political matters is a cornerstone of democracy and the right to impart information and ideas and express opinions on political matters enjoys the highest degree of protection under the Convention.
Tijani writes from Niger State