But things don’t appear to be that simple. The claim is false: both photos were taken from Associated Press reports about an earthquake in Turkey in January 2020. Her husband, Erol, worked closely with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We know the signs of when a political crisis becomes a de facto coup – so here’s a word of warning. Aug 13th 2020 Y OU MIGHT think that by now Turkey had run out of handcuffs. “We think the policies currently in action are taking Turkey to darker days,” Temurci said. During the same period, about 150,000 people were dismissed or suspended from their positions as academics, judges, prosecutors, police officers and public servants. Two photos have been shared in multiple Facebook and Instagram posts that claim they show destruction in Afghanistan following an earthquake in February 2021. Hungarian authorities have returned some 412 historical artifacts of Anatolian origin to Turkey, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry said on Feb. 28. The silence of the Republicans and the state offices responsible for power transfer tell those of us who are experienced in the business of “illiberal democracy” that the machine that creates parallel political realities is ready to take off. organization that masterminded a failed July 2016 military coup d’état • Ankara’s purchase of Russian-made S-400 air and missile defense systems xii Turkey’s Nationalist Course: Implications for the U.S.-Turkish Strategic Partnership and the U.S. Army Turkish police officers patrolling outside the court near Ankara where the trial of hundreds of people accused of involvement in a 2016 coup attempt took place on Thursday. Plus get access to seven years of our archives. “The main person that was drafting this law at the time, whom I will not name, told me, ‘Mr. Turkey and Greece have set up a military hotline to try to reduce the risk of clashes in the Mediterranean, where the two are locked in a row over energy resources and maritime borders. Prosecutors have launched 100,000 investigations since the coup attempt, and new trials may begin in 2020 as Turkish authorities arrested hundreds in 2019 over links to the Gülen movement. Last Updated: 2020-11-26 15:30. But contemporary authoritarianism works not by explicitly oppressing the people, but by accelerating the moral rot of already weakened institutions. Everything is riding on how those arms of the state and society – from the Senate and the supreme court to the press and the most insignificant of local public office – behave in the coming few days and weeks. On 12 September 2020, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) agreed to an 18-month political transition to civilian rule. “This organization is like a lizard, you can keep cutting the tail and it will grow new tails so you have to cut the head,” Olcok told Al-Monitor. The Justice Ministry has requested the extradition of 807 suspected Gulen supporters, including Gulen himself, from 105 countries. Al-Monitor - Intelligence on the trends shaping the Middle East. “The government has politicized July 15 and suspended democracy to keep their seats. Thursday, an Ankara court sentenced 337 people, including officers and pilots in the Turkish Air Force, to life in prison, concluding the main trial related to the failed coup that targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016. If it were happening in Turkey the world’s media would not think twice about calling it so. We are deeply concerned by the military coup. All rights reserved. He raised objections to the proposals, but said his concerns were quickly dismissed. The Turkish president on Sunday spoke against military coups, particularly the 1997 “post-modern” coup by the Turkish armed forces. The July 15 Monument is seen in Ankara, Turkey, during the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day's events held on July 15, 2020, to mark the fourth anniversary of the failed coup. The link to reset the password will be sent to your email address. More than 77,000 people have been arrested and another 150,000 public employees have been suspended or sacked as part of a global crackdown on the group by the Turkish government. Turkey issues life sentences over failed 2016 coup. Dissatisfied with this state of affairs, Olcok became a founding member of the Future Party established in December by former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Q3-2020 Turkey (red), OECD - Total (black) Hours worked Indicator: 1 832 Total Hours/worker 2013 Turkey Hours/worker: Total Hours/worker 1994-2013 Turkey (red), OECD - Total (black) Total Hours/worker 2019 OECD - Total (black) Long-term unemployment rate Indicator: 23.5 Total % of unemployed 2019 Turkey % of unemployed: Total % of unemployed 2000-2019 Turkey (red), OECD - … We look at the events leading up to and following Turkey's "post-modern coup" on February 28, 1997. Date 30.12.2020 Coming from an ‘illiberal democracy’, I recognise what the US president is doing by prolonging political instability, Last modified on Tue 15 Dec 2020 14.28 GMT. Turkey’s lira leads emerging markets this year after dour 2020 Currency has risen 6.5% against the dollar since start of January as tighter monetary policy shores up sentiment Save But I can tell you that what is happening in the US is a source of horror, not delight, for those on the ground. Looking back, Temurci said the politicization of the coup attempt had further polarized Turkish society. “Turkey, as a nation, lost its sense of hope and trust on July 15.”. Turkish authorities have placed hundreds of student protesters under possible criminal investigation. Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MilitaryDefense Enter promo code MilitaryDefense for 83% off and one extra month free! Even if he accepts reality and his electoral loss, Trump’s “movement” will see its task as running a parallel political reality for the next four years that will constantly threaten Biden’s legitimacy. What people want to believe is that when Trump goes, the mafioso network of 21st-century strongmen will be hit hard, and the world will be able to reverse the course of recent history. The students were arrested during weeks of … Make no mistake, this is an attempted coup. The cheer doesn’t come from some belief that the US is the guiding light of democracy. Turkey calls immediate release of detained Mali president and senior officials. Those who are analysing his behaviour in terms of psychology, referring to his famous allergy to losing, must be reminded: coups don’t always begin with a dramatic Reichstag fire, but through obscure and elusive machinations. Ustun said his main concern was the 2018 establishment of an executive presidency, which diminished the role of parliament and consolidated governing powers under Erdogan. Published: 2020-11-26 15:30. ISTANBUL — Nihal Olcok’s husband and 16-year-old son were among the 251 people who lost their lives during a violent coup attempt the night of July 15, 2016. Even the openly Biden-supporting media is hesitating to call a spade a spade, because they believe the institutions will prevail. “What has the government done in the last four years to ensure democracy and national unity?” Temurci asked. The 15 July 2016 coup d'état attempt (Turkish: 15 Temmuz darbe girişimi) was attempted in Turkey against state institutions, including the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Never mind the bitter jokes on social media (“America is faster at choosing other countries’ presidents”), the celebrations of Trump’s defeat across the world are filled with the expectation of a domino effect. Most importantly, through his recent appointments in the state apparatus and consolidation of anti-democratic loyalists, Trump is already engineering his own shadow state. And his utterances over the weekend – he both said that Biden won and that he won – suggest he might be closer to accepting reality. “My main criticism is that they are being presented as heroes of July 15 and we see this as disrespectful of the 251 people who were killed.”. Turkish President’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Turkey was “deeply concerned” over the developments in Armenia. This courtly behaviour, this “wait and see” approach towards the incumbent, depends on trusting the health of US institutions. The government accuses supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric living in self-imposed exile in the United States, of organizing the failed coup. “They will run and we will chase them,” Turkish presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun told the Hurriyet newspaper July 14, referring to Gulen supporters. Over 300 jailed for life in Turkey's 2016 coup trial. The CIA and a Turkish Coup. It is happening in several corners all at once: Mike Pompeo’s smirk – the signature facial expression of “illiberal democracies” – as he promises a “smooth transition to the second Trump administration”; the sudden changes of cadre in the Pentagon; the calculated silence of Republican senators; Trump’s invocation of the “people” and the “movement”, hinting at a popular power that might carry him further than his opponents believe. A word of caution – I am not predicting that Trump will be successful in his immediate aim. September 16, 2016. Turkey has large external financing needs, and its private sector is heavily indebted in foreign currency, raising risks to financial stability. We hope brotherly Mali people unity, stability and … Ayhan, you are right; however, we are sewing this outfit for Mr. Erdogan. © 2021 Al-Monitor, LLC. At least 116 such requests had been fulfilled at the time of reporting. We have seen this with the Istanbul municipal elections as well. The political branch of the movement still hasn’t been touched.”. Ece Temelkuran is a Turkish journalist and political commentator, and author of How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship, Donald Trump has lost the election – yet Trumpland is here to stay | Aditya Chakrabortty, ‘Those who are psychologising Trump’s attitude must be reminded: coups don’t always begin with a dramatic Reichstag fire, but through elusive machinations.’, resident Trump’s refusal to concede to his successful challenger is “giving great comfort” to “authoritarian regimes” around the world, said Joe Biden’s biographer on CNN. Today’s authoritarian societies are not fully formed dictatorships, single-party states – they don’t need to be. They had joined countless citizens in the streets to defend Turkish democracy against a military takeover in an event that continues to shape the country to this day. Since the Americans might not know about our countries as much as we do about theirs, we can tell them that it has happened just like this here too – we trusted the institutions and were certain the leader wouldn’t dare. He was there to prevent them from deciding to militarily intervene in Syria. President Trump’s refusal to concede to his successful challenger is “giving great comfort” to “authoritarian regimes” around the world, said Joe Biden’s biographer on CNN. Turkish court jails 337 for life over 2016 coup attempt Updated / Thursday, 26 Nov 2020 14:15 Turkish police officers stand guard outside a Turkish court in Ankara “I acknowledge that fear is a human emotion, but many did not answer their phones and many did not take the streets like our supporters,” Temurci told Al-Monitor. Once he’s gone, you’ll be free to change the system however you like,’” Ustun told Al-Monitor. AFP Published at 12:33 pm November 26th, 2020 File photo: People react near a military vehicle during an attempted coup, in Ankara on July 16, 2016 Reuters. Following a mild contraction in real GDP growth in 2020, we expect a weak rebound in 2021. Mart 1, 2020 ~ isnetozelburo. The attempt was carried out by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that organized themselves as the Peace at Home Council whose members have never been identified. Make no mistake, this is an attempted coup. But I can tell you that what is happening in the US is a source of horror, not delight, for those on the ground. “It considers anyone associated with that segment — even tangentially through, for instance, a bank account, a newspaper subscription, an app or an educational history — to be part of a terrorist network.”. In a video message on the coup’s 24th anniversary, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was jailed for reading a poem when he was the mayor of Istanbul. The July 15 Monument is seen in Ankara, Turkey, during the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day's events held on July 15, 2020, to mark the fourth anniversary of the failed coup. Those who did not vote for [the AKP] were declared traitors and we see this as a contradiction of democratic norms.”. Its overall score has decreased by 0.2 point due to a lower fiscal health score. Sign up for the Week in Review newsletter. The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent. Diego Cupolo | Turkish economy | Mar 3, 2021, Diego Cupolo | Human rights | Mar 2, 2021, Mustafa Sonmez | Turkish economy | Mar 1, 2021. We know the signs of when a political crisis becomes a, How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship. Former members and supporters of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party discuss the four-year anniversary of the 2016 failed coup and say that the rule of law and democratic principles have been weakened in the country. The American ambassador interrupted a Turkish cabinet meeting. In a recent appearance on Turkey’s Halk TV, Temurci also condemned post-coup narratives that depict AKP figures as defenders of democracy, claiming he could not reach party members by phone the evening of July 15, 2016. She joined it along with many figures from the former Justice and Development Party (AKP) who say Turkey’s ruling party lost its reformist roots following the coup attempt. Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim preacher who was once an Erdogan ally, is accused of ordering the failed putsch. But this is also about undermining consent: a large proportion of the country does not trust the media or Congress or the Democrats, and now the actual functioning of electoral democracy is discredited in their eyes too. He told the Turkish leader that Washington “would not like to see the Turks go beyond their borders. Photo by Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images. “By head, I mean the strong figures in this movement who are still in this country. Since then, 282,790 people have been detained and 94,975 arrested on coup-linked charges, according to a statement issued this week by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Olcok said that despite years of post-coup purges, key political figures with links to the Gulen movement have yet to be prosecuted in Turkey. American democrats shouldn’t expect a clear-cut power-grab from Trump, but rather a maddeningly obscure process that keeps everything up in the air until the masses are exhausted and lose interest. If you live in those countries like Turkey, which American liberals think of as a horrible yet impossible example of what might transpire in their own land, you know that an impossible tomorrow can become today’s reality, very quickly indeed. But although the wave of arrests related to the bizarre coup attempt that rocked the country in … “This is a source of delight [for them] … ” Turkey, my country, falls into that category of authoritarian regimes. While the Trump administration is doing its best to sow confusion and challenge the mail-in ballots that helped deliver Biden a victory, the president-elect is acting coolly “presidential”; he is receiving calls from world leaders, which, he suggests, are the first steps in restoring respect for the US across the world. “This is a source of delight [for them] … ” Turkey, my country, falls into that category of authoritarian regimes. However, several leading figures in the breakaway party interviewed by Al-Monitor said their aim is to reverse the nation’s slide into authoritarian rule in recent years and to repeal an executive presidential system passed in a controversial 2017 referendum. Here's what you can now access. 60 suspects were given jail sentences of various lengths while 75 were acquitted. If it were happening in Turkey the world’s media would not think twice about calling it so. 412 smuggled artifacts returned to Turkey . State media in Turkey say that as many as 121 people have been arrested over suspected links to a cleric that the government believes helped organize a 2016 coup. Like other opposition parties in Turkey, Future Party members straddle a fine line between addressing legitimate threats posed by Gulen supporters still operating in Turkish institutions and fostering an impartial legal system that issues fair rulings for government critics, journalists and civil society leaders, many of whom remain imprisoned amid lengthy court proceedings. According to the pro-government Daily Sabah, 2,532 defendants in these trials were sentenced to life in prison. Ayhan Sefer Ustun, a former AKP deputy chairman and the Future Party's vice president, criticized many of the post-coup changes that have taken place in Turkey. “The state officially considers a quite large segment of society morally and legally responsible for the coup attempt,” Schenkkan told Al-Monitor. Some critics have accused some Future Party members of having partaken in AKP efforts to consolidate its governing powers. Selim Temurci, deputy chair for the Future Party and a former AKP Istanbul provincial chair, echoed criticism of the presidential system, blaming a two-year downturn in Turkey’s economy on a highly centralized decision-making process that “disregards democracy and rule of law.”. Turkey has been experiencing a deepening human rights crisis over the past four years with a dramatic erosion of its rule of law and democracy framework. And Trump has been manipulating these institutions for four years: see the way he used his term to pack the courts with rightwing judges at dizzying speed. “I did not just lose my husband and son that night,” Olcok told Al-Monitor. Turkish security forces detained 20 people that have illegally been selling the sand of the world-famous Patara Beach in the Mediterranean province of Antalya on Feb. 27. Nate Schenkkan, director for special research at Freedom House, said coup-linked detentions and attempted extraditions have slowed in pace but are likely to continue indefinitely. Detentions of suspected coup-plotters are still taking place. Overview of holidays and many observances in Turkey during the year 2020 Olcok, however, reflecting on the fourth anniversary of the failed putsch, said she believes the government has misrepresented the legacy of those who died that night, using the event to limit the democratic rights they fought for while infringing on rule-of-law principles in the post-coup purges that followed. To date, Turkish courts have concluded 275 of 289 trials linked to the 2016 coup attempt. Ustun said he initially backed the presidential system, believing it would help prevent future coup attempts, but was unsettled when he saw drafts of the legislation. Nonetheless, a spectre of hesitation is haunting Washington. A brief guide a complex situation in Turkey, which has seen an attempted coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Al Jazeera Photo. Turkey’s economic freedom score is 64.4, making its economy the 71st freest in the 2020 Index. “We will make them pay for the people who lost their lives and were injured during the coup attempt.”. You’re now subscribed to Al-Monitor. They manufacture crises and prolong political instability, keeping the masses on their toes, but ensuring leaders can act with impunity. Right after the coup, military leaders promised to reinstate a civilian government and hold elections within a relatively short timeframe. Photo by Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images. Egemen Bezci and Nicholas Borroz. The few routes available for him to remain president will be difficult to travel.
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