Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has continued his assault on basic freedoms in his country with an assault this month on the decision of the Constitutional Court. The Court had the temerity to disagree with Erdoğan and rule that the imprisonment of two prominent journalists for a report on alleged illegal arms transfers to Syria was a violation of their rights. Erdoğan has announced that he will simply ignore the ruling of the court because he disagrees with it. Erdoğan has become increasingly bold in his crackdown on opponents and civil liberties — relying on his base of Islamic organizations.
We have previously discussed the rapid decline of civil liberties in Turkey after the election of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his coalition of Islamic parties. This includes the arrest of Mehmet Emin Altunses, 16, who allegedly committed the crime of “insulting” Erdoğan. calling people who use birth control “traitors” and saying Muslims discovered America, you are not allowed to be disrespectful or insulting in discussing Erdoğan. Then there was the prosecution of model and former Miss Turkey Merve Buyuksarac, 26, for criticizing Erdogan for quoting a few lines from a poem called the “Master’s Poem” from weekly Turkish satirical magazine Uykusuz. Erdogan’s totalitarian measures have earned him the nickname “Buyuk Usta” (the Big Master). The fact is that censorship and repressions is that it tends to become increasing absurd as leaders try to punish those who would insult them or question their leadership. For example, the government recently investigated physician Dr. Bilgin Çiftçi for allegedly insulting Erdoğan after sharing a meme comparing Erdoğan’s facial expressions to the Gollum character in the “The Lord of the Rings” movies.
In this case, as we previously discussed, Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and Ankara representative Erdem Gül were charged for publishing images of Turkish trucks carrying ammunition to Syrian militants. The paper said the images proved that Turkey was smuggling arms to rebels. Turkey (and Erdoğan’s family members) has been accused by various groups and countries like Russia of profiting on oil purchased from ISIS — money that has been used to fund the terrorist organization. The United States has been accused of knowing of these operation and only recently targeting fuel trucks despite the long pipeline that openly operated through our ally, Turkey.
Now a Court has stood its ground in defense of the lingering notion of the rule of law in Turkey. Erdoğan responded in his signature authoritarian style: “The Constitutional Court may have reached such a verdict. I would only remain silent. I am not in a position to accept it. I do not obey it nor do I respect it.” There you have it. After breaking down the secular tradition of the Turkish government and introducing Islamic values into the government, Erdoğan is now saying that he will simply disregard judicial opinions that he disagrees with. It is even more chilling that the ruling was meant to correct the earlier of abuse of Erdoğan’s government in charging journalists with espionage and aiding a terrorist organization for merely doing their jobs.
Erdoğan left no doubt that he views the law and government in strictly personal and autocratic terms: “The media cannot have unlimited freedom. These reports are an attack on the current president of this country. This has nothing to do with freedom of expression at all. This is an espionage case.” The sheer stupidity of such a statement leads one to assume that he does not really mean it. However, Erdoğan’s twisted religious-based view of government allows him to disregard notions of separation of powers or the rule of law when they oppose his action or those of his government.
Notably, Dündar and Gül are still facing possible life sentences in a trial, which is due to start on March 25th. The government continues to maintain that by simply investigating and reporting on a national issue, the men are guilty of “obtaining and revealing secret information pertaining to the security of the state for espionage purposes,” “seeking to overthrow the Turkish government” and “aiding an armed terrorist organization.”
Turkey remains one of our most important allies in fighting “extremism” in the region, which it eviscerates basic human rights and civil liberties.
Olly:
It’s never necessary or even helpful to speak here Olly–as your posts prove most every time.
There is an abundance of progressive “spades” on both sides of the aisle. JT has clearly aligned himself with one side of it ideologically but his character will not set-aside his duty to the rule-of-law. That is the honor many progressives of the political establishment lack. When he shines a light on the effect of a government ignoring their duty to the law, we get a glimpse of the future that awaits us as we ignorantly support ideologues that will trample all over the rights of the people in search of some a perfect union.
Olly
There’s progressive world views and then there is calling a spade a spade. McConnell is in the same league as Erdogan. Regardless of who carries whose lunch, we have enough problems at home without being distracted by tin pot dictator wannabes abroad. This blog consistently attacks Obama and Clinton without surfacing the more despicable types like McConnell and Inhofe. Everyone agrees that Erdogan is a bad guy. Everyone agrees that Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Islamic extremism is wrong. I might let Turley buy me lunch but we would have to talk about the sewer that is Washington and the American political structure.
isaac,
When or perhaps if ever you are able to apply constitutional principles ahead of your progressive worldview then Professor Turley might consider you worthy of carrying his lunch.
The Obama Years: dictatorial Sunni jihadi ISIS sympathizer / America’s ally. Makes perfect sense.
Odd that a country that no longer espouses the rule of law should “remain one of our most important allies in fighting extremism in the region”
Well, right, because he’s a dictator.
Let’s ensure we protect our Constitution, Separation of Powers, and especially the 1st Amendment so that we do not emulate so much of the rest of the world.
Turkey is our SOB in the region. Erdogan is a perverse Turk, not representative of most Turks. These people who hold the best interests of their people hostage out of spite or some power agenda are found in most countries. Mitch McConnell comes to mind. McConnell is in fine company with Erdogan. Here is someone who will thwart the appointment of a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court thus weakening one of the branches of government purely out of spite. A third of all Presidents have nominated and seen appointed members during their last year, some two, some on the last few days, all leaving it up to the House to decide.
With the Congress and the Senate in Republican hands and the likelihood that Clinton will be appointing the 9th member if Obama is successfully ignored, as well as at least one other, perhaps two, the Republican position makes no sense other than to take it out on Obama at the expense of all Americans. Right now in this last year of Obama’s term the nomination is surely to be more center of right than in any other circumstance. In other words this is the best scenario for the Republicans and they cross their arms and purse their lips and wag their heads, nope. This is close to a treasonous act, one among many performed by the Republican party during these past seven years of hiding their shame by turning the focus on Obama at the expense of the well being of the country. The past seven years of Republican, ‘if I can’t be boss then nobody gets anything’, attitude seems today to be accepted as some sort of gamesmanship instead of the childish behavior that it is.
McConnell is a pimple as is Erdogan, blemishes on the face of Democracy and its responsibility to the people. Yet Turley seems to be too close to this forest to see any of its weeds. It would be interesting to see a compare and contrast series of posts, a pimple from another country and one of our own right here at home. Of course this is not the road to getting nominated to the Supreme Court, so I guess not.
Well Mespo, at least Justice Thomas has the humility to speak only when necessary. And here I thought your absence was indicative of that virtue. My mistake.
Sheryl Atkisson and James Rosen can empathize.
Squeeky,
Welcome back. I had this idea you had abandoned us to go work for the Trump Campaign.
What’s with the guy and woman with the stone faces sitting on the couch in the video? I assume they are the hosts looking at a monitor, but come on, she’s just to the side of them. Can’t they look at her? How would you like performing your poetry in front of an audience of stone faces? They exude warmth. Perhaps they need one more cup of coffee!
Disrespect for constitutional principles and the rule of law starts with the United States. All eyes are on us. A city on a hill and all that… We set the pace. Without these principles there are no individual liberties. Without these principles there is only tyranny. We retain little right or moral authority to set the bar high when leaders and potential leaders – Bush, Obama, Trump, and Clinton have no respect for these notions. It’s a worldwide cultural and political current that now gains steam. We, here, are culpable for taking the low road.
What portion of the North Atlantic is Turkey on? I agree with Justice Holmes. Kick em out now. He is a demon. I would also advise, if I was Obama, all journalists of American stripe to leave the country now and advise all business companies to think twice about investing or doing business. No tourists should go in.
He has a phone and a pen, he can do what he wants.
mespo727272 – off point as usual. Try to focus on the issue – works with practice.
Behave at the Trump rallies. Journalist gets slammed by Secret Service. A taste of things to come?
Well, if Obama can get away with it, why not Erdogan??? I just hope he keeps his hands off Gulsen and Sertap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WVp8v2Kauc
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
And we think Assad is bad. This guy needs to be kicked out of NATO!
He has become enlightened; he is like our leader, Obama.
In more startling news, SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas actually thought up a question today during oral argument after more than 10 years of cogitation. Somewhere Anita Hill threw up.