In July 2016, Turkey was under siege and a fourth military
coup loomed large across the nation. Turkish fighter jets dropped bombs on the
parliament house, tanks and soldiers roomed several cities across the nation
which, along with coordinated explosions, rattled the nation. However, people took
to the streets to show their support. They took down tanks and with the help of
loyal police and army officials, they took down the offensive. Thus, President
Erdogan remains in power till this day. But while a response to this act seems only
logical, Erdogan’s government has now been accused of running a purge.
The initial response saw scores of people being arrested or
suspended from their jobs, with people accusing Erdogan of using the coup as an
excuse to eliminate his enemies. More than 100,000 people have been suspended
from their jobs and nearly 37,000 have been detained. Military officers, civil
servants, academics, dancers, singers and even teachers have been targeted. Erdogan
himself called the coup “a gift from God” and that it was an opportunity to “cleanse.”
[1] Amnesty International announced reported that people were beaten, not given
water and food, barred from speaking to a lawyer and even raped. [2] Thus, the
aftermath of the coup has been called a purge. To this day, people are continuing
to be arrested and detained even while EU intelligence reported discredited
Turkey’s whole basis for the purge. The report, compiled by Intcen, stated that
Erdogan had reportedly planned to purge officials before the coup attempt and
that the so called planner, Fethullah Gulen wasn’t behind the coup. [3]
This coup hasn’t only affected Turkey’s internal affairs but
has also spread to outside the country. The Supreme Court of Greece decided against
extraditing eight Turkish military citing that there would be a “curtailment of
their basic human rights.” [4] Turkey’s government has taken extreme offense to
this, not only calling the decision political rather than legal but also
threatening to botch a refugee readmission deal between both countries. [5] The
deal essentially allows Greece to return new irregular refugees crossing from
Turkey into Greece, in exchange for EU providing Turkey with certain benefits. [6]
This deal has been extremely effective with reports of only 20 people arriving per
day into Greece compared to the massive 7,000 previously arriving in 2015. [5]
Historically Turkey’s relationship with Greece has been strained over the
disputed Island of Cyprus but the tensions may have risen to a new high, with the
Greek Defense Ministry reporting that Turkish airplanes violated Greek airspace
138 times in one day. [7]
Turkey’s purge has reached also now reached school kids
around the world. Erdogan has pressured multiple governments, such as that of
Pakistan, to shut down schools associated with Gulen. Around 130 teachers and
their families have been deported from Pakistan, after being denied visa
extensions. Ankara had asked the Pakistani government to shut down any social institutions
with links to Gulen. The schools set up in 1995 by International Non-governmental
organization registered under the Turkish government catered to 10,000 students,
in a country where 24 million children don’t have access to education. [8] The
teachers have been now placed under UN protection after they applied to be
resettled anywhere other than Turkey. Fearing arrest, torture and coercion they
applied to UN Human Right Committee and now await being resettled elsewhere.
[9]
All of these issues, which have stemmed from the failed coup
attempt, ask one question. Who is really the bad guy here?
-Dawar Ahmed
-Dawar Ahmed
References
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Yeah, it seems as if Erdogan really went off the deep-end; he took the plunge. Present warming relations between Russia and Turkey would appear to support the claim that Erdogan’s government is becoming more authoritarian. This shift seems all too recent to me. Concerning this topic, I would like to know what have been the main causes of and influences on the AKPs shift towards authoritarian governance?
ReplyDeleteBoth sides are clearly atrocious. This is the classic Saddam case. We can support the government and accept their tyranny, or support a rebellion and hope the new government instated upon its success will be better, which it inevitably will not be. Thus begins a vicious cycle. If you ask me, this turmoil is inherent in the region due to its relatively recent creation and the grouping of historically heterogeneous people into a single constituency. Despite a clear cause, there is no clear solution apparent to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI like your question at the end.
ReplyDeleteThere's footage of civilians running in, shots being fired at them, and them taking the tanks. It's really crazy to think that untrained people did that just last year
ReplyDelete-Steven Rayburn
That line about Erdogan calling the coup a gift from God is pretty frightening. Seems he's wielding a heavy imbalance of power.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy to think that a coup would happen to a seemingly stable country.
ReplyDeleteGulen has schools in the united states as well. He had a school in Roswell that my sister attended for a year or so.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing I can think of that could still deter Turkey from continuing its path of an authoritarian regime is their potential interest in joining the EU. - Yonatan W
ReplyDelete