Monday, March 24, 2008

Turkish ruling party cracks down on free press   [Michael Rubin]

An e-mail from a Turkish professor:

Today's Turkish newspaper headlines are all about how Mr İlhan Selçuk's house was raided at 4 AM yesterday morning. Mr Selçuk is an 83 year old journalist, the chief editor of Cumhuriyet, an 80 year old newspaper, the oldest major national paper. He has had two heart operations. He is rather fragile and depends on regular medication and doctor's care. Yet the public prosecutor refused his release and even refused him the right to an attorney for 24 hours (which can be extended). The appeals judge went along with the prosecutor and also rejected an appeal by his lawyers to continue his detention at home or even a hospital bed. Legally the judge is right because the public prosecutor arrested him under 2 articles of the penal code (perhaps the only 2 articles) which was put there for terrorists planning an immediate attack, which isolates them from outside contact. He is charged with inciting the people to riot against the state (read that as AKP) and secretly organizing armed rebellion. Nothing could be more absurd for a man who has always advocated peace and democracy.

Mr Selcuk, was imprisoned by the military coup of 1980. He has been known for his socialist views throughout his career, but lately he has been very critical of AKP policies. It seems he has suffered so far, the same fate of other journalists, writers, party activists and public figures who have been very critical of AKP policies.

Yesterday morning 12 other people were arrested together with Mr Selcuk, in simultaneous raids in Ankara and Istanbul. One is Professor Alemdaroglu, the previous presdent of Istanbul University, the largest in Turkey, where he served the amximum legal term of 8 years. The other is the leader of the labor party, Dogu Perincek. Others are journalists and media people. They all share a common attribute of being very outspoken anti AKP, public figures. They are all accused by the same 2 articles of the penal code, .inciting to riot against the state and forming secret organizations for that purpose. These people have joined about 30 others who were arrested in the previous months charged with the same offense. These people have been waiting to be brought to trial. I wonder how long it will take the prosecutor to bring all those people to trial. Until then they just stay accused and in prison.

As a Turkish journalist points out in a private e-mail, for all the talk within the State Department of Prime Minister Erdogan and his Islamist-leaning party as representing democracy, he has now sued or jailed more journalists than any other government in Turkey. Most of those taken to court committed offenses such as depicting Erdogan unfavorably in political cartoons or editorializing against Mr. Erdogan's efforts to purge judges and financial officials who questioned his policies.

A Turkish historian comments wryly that Turkey in 2008 is like Iran in 1978. All that is needed now is the return of Fethullah Gulen who, just as Ayatollah Khomeini was in Tehran, could be met by a crowd of one million at the Istanbul airport.

03/24 07:46 AMShare