Assault on democracy

December 26, 2014

The mass raid and arrests of journalists, screenwriters and television news producers across Turkey on December 14 stand as glaring evidence of an impinging crisis in its democracy. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that these arrests were a move towards eliminating the “parallel state”, a network of the loyalists of Sunni cleric Fethullah Gülen, who are accused of attempting to overthrow the government and seize power. The arrestees include the editor-in-chief of Zaman, Turkey’s largest daily newspaper, head of the TV channel, Samanyolu, and about two dozen other persons. 

Condemning the arrests, Human Rights Watch said, “The public detentions that appear to be without sufficient evidence they committed a criminal offense will harm media freedom and chill free speech.” The European Union criticised it for being “incompatible with freedom of media, which is a core principle of democracy.” Taking a snipe at the already waning EU-Turkey relations, Mr. Erdogan responded saying, “We have no concern about what the EU might say, whether the EU accepts us as members of not.” Not coincidentally, it was in December last year that allegations of corruption erupted against the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in which Mr. Erdogan and his inner circle of ministers were said to be deeply implicated. Calling it a conspiracy plotted by the Gülen Movement, Mr. Erdogan responded with a media clampdown and purged the police and judicial investigations. Since then, the clash between Mr. Erdog˘an and the Gulen Movement has only been intensifying.

After serving as the Prime Minister for three consecutive terms and elected as the President with about 52 per cent votes in August this year, Mr. Erdogan can no doubt lay claim to popular support in Turkey. During the initial term, he was fairly successful in maintaining economic growth, keeping the military out of politics, implementing education and health reforms and improving relations with the West. But since then, he has also been criticised of authoritarianism and religious orthodoxy. The Taksim Square protest in the summer of 2013, which was quelled by excessive force, is evidence of the growing unrest against his policies. Studies report that Turkey arrested more journalists than any other country worldwide in 2013, and a recent Freedom House report suggests that it has one of the most repressive Internet regulation policies globally. Along with a rising religious orthodoxy, Mr. Erdogan has also been criticised for his views on abortion and contraception. Turkey may claim to have a legitimate electoral political system, but a stable democracy is one that promotes free speech, protects liberties and safeguards minority rights. Turkey, unfortunately, seems to be drifting away from this path.