The president of this country said that he will not abide by a Constitutional Court ruling that deemed the detention of two journalists a violation of their rights.
He said he does not agree with the Court's ruling and he continues to express his anger by making statements suggesting that he does not consider the issue to be settled. Once he is back from Africa it is highly likely that with new judicial stretching absurd reinterpretations of the law will be applied and the two journalists could be back in detention. The pro-government press -- in a most shameless manner -- has been openly targeting members of the Constitutional Court, publishing their pictures and thus making them open targets for radicals. This is a scandal, to say the least. This is extremely irresponsible and needs to be condemned. This is yet another testament to the fact that Turkey has transformed from developing democracy to corrupt autocracy.
Rumors abound that the Zaman Group newspapers will be confiscated, as we have seen with other critical papers in recent months. Needless to say, we are all stressed and concerned that such an unlawful overtaking might take place. As a former minister for EU affairs noted, the government seems intent on closing down all media outlets that criticize the government. Today's Zaman is one of the most important English-language papers of this country. I have been writing in this paper since January 2007 when it was established. There were times when the paper had a favorable view of the government's policies and supported them. There were times when there were disagreements and the paper's writers criticized those issues. Since the Dec. 17 and 25, 2013 graft scandals erupted, the paper has become a target of severe pressure from the government. The government is extremely uncomfortable with the paper's influence abroad. I hope the rumors will prove wrong and some level of sanity will return to decision-makers in Ankara. Zaman has Turkey's highest circulation and Today's Zaman is widely read in international circles.
The Boydak Group, a highly successful and respected business group from Kayseri was another target in today's clampdown on the Turkish opposition. Four executives, including its CEO, were detained on trumped-up charges. The real reason is, of course, that the Boydak Group is close to the 11th president, Abdullah Gül. Previous detentions in Manisa were aimed at sending a warning signal to former Speaker of the Parliament and founder of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Bülent Arınç, the detention of the Boydak executives constitutes an escalation in the intra-AKP fight. Arınç and a number of former ministers have not been sparing their words lately. The witch hunt that formerly focused on the Hizmet movement now seems to have widened to include critical voices from the AKP as well.
Lawlessness, or the most absurd exploitation of the law, has brought about such an abnormal situation that it is difficult to foresee how Turkey might get out of this mess. There is increasing talk of the potential for civil war this summer as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) appears to be intent on increasing its activities in the spring. Watching footage from Cizre after the curfew was lifted is heartbreaking; the images very much resemble a war scene like that of Syria. It is hard to see how this mess can be contained and some sort of normality could prevail.
Turkey is approaching one of its most defining moments in the coming months. The country is in danger of a total breakdown of its internal peace and widespread lawlessness becoming the norm. Neither the Constitution nor the Constitutional Court is immune. There is ample reason to be extremely worried about Turkey.
