Democratization under fire in T

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl
Subject: Re: Democratization under fire in Turkey
Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl

-------------------- Forwarded from : igi at igrey.demon.co.uk --------------------

Democratization under fire in Turkey

By Ismet Imset 

   Despite promises to its western allies to rapidly 
restore the freedom of expression in Turkey, 
Ankara's coalition government appears now to be 
heading towards a major crisis on the issue. Prime 
Minister Tansu Ciller's initial pledge to lift a 
controversial article in the anti-terrorism law 
expectedly backfired this week with an agreement 
reached in the higher echelons of the government to 
integrate the said the law into the Turkish Penal 
Code and only then abolish it. 
   Over 100 Turkish intellectuals, academicians, 
scientists and writers are currently in prison and a 
majority of them are serving jail terms according to 
Article 8 of the anti-terrorism decree which regulates 
punishment for written and spoken crimes, i.e. 
propaganda of terrorism.
   "We will either abolish it or abolish it," Ciller had 
said last month on her way to Washington where she 
personally promised an anxious Bill Clinton to go 
ahead with the said reform. "We will lift article 8 and 
all criminals of thought will be free."
   Immediately upon her return to Ankara, the Prime 
Minister faced once again the realities of Turkey. 
First, she faced reaction from the country's 
nationalist conservative press circles who argued 
openly that a major gap would develop if the said 
article was lifted. "It is impossible to think anyone 
can defend article 8," Turkey's Press Council chief 
and Hurriyet columnist Oktay Eksi said. "What is 
important is if other Penal Code articles are efficient 
to meet requirements."
   Eksi, siding with the parliamentary conservatives, 
was among those who argued that even if the said 
article should be lifted -- necessary amendments 
would have to be made in the penal system to 
prevent "propaganda against the integrity of the 
state."
   The parliamentary hawks in Ciller's True Path 
Party (DYP) meanwhile argued that an abolishment 
of the article would eventually lead to the lifting of 
all barriers before separatist propaganda and geared 
up this week to challenge the Prime Minister 
personally. Their view appears to be backed also by 
Turkey's senior commanders who believe that even if 
the said article is lifted, its restrictions should be 
placed into the judicial system.
   Under so much pressure, the government now has 
reached a principle decision to lift the article, as 
promised to the West, but at the same time integrate 
it into article 311 of the penal code which foresees 
the punishment of anyone who "openly provokes a 
crime to be committed." In practice this would hence 
mean the release of high profile intellectuals cared 
for by the Western media but a continued repression 
of any others who would openly try to debate major 
policy and crisis issues, with the Kurdish issue 
coming at top of the list.
   "Ciller can fool us but not the West," wrote Ilnur 
Cevik, the editor-in-chief of the English language 
Turkish Daily News. "So now, when she came back 
home and faced the realities in the country, she made 
her usual U-turn. She saw once again ...the 
hardliners."
   The situation has expectedly led to furthering the 
crisis  with the junior coalition partner Republican 
Peoples Party (CHP) but threatens more Turkey's 
overall relations with its western allies.
   For the first time since the 1980 junta period, 
Ankara has ended up in a serious ordeal within 
NATO as well, owing to its handling of its Kurdish 
crisis. Last month, Turkey formally protested 
Holland and withdrew its ambassador from 
Amsterdam after its Kurds opened a "Parliament in 
Exile" in that city. It has also reportedly stopped 
arms purchases from that country and Norway. 
   Worst is Turkey's ailing relations with major 
European countries. The recent U-turn on 
democratization is bound to hinder efforts to find 
Turkey a place within the European Union. Ankara 
last week denounced a Council of Europe resolution 
to suspend it from the organisation as being of 
"unacceptable nature" but the protest was hardly 
heard by worried allies.
   The Council's 34 member states approved earlier a 
resolution in Strasbourg asking its governing 
committee of ministers to suspend Turkey unless it 
showed significant progress towards a withdrawal 
from Iraq before a June 26 European Union Summit 
and also called for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish 
problem and democratic reforms of Turkey's 
constitution and laws.
   "No entity has the right to dictate to the Turkish 
parliament..." was the summary of Ankara's reply.
   Political observers in Ankara agree now that 
Turkey faces a major isolation in the world if it fails 
to carry out all of its promises and insists, instead, on 
introducing new repressive laws into its system. 
Even its Customs Union membership is at serious 
risk as Parliament, failing to make necessary reforms 
in other fields, has managed only to make 
amendments in three out of over a dozen areas which 
need re-adjustment. Meanwhile, human rights 
violations throughout the country continue with the 
ongoing military campaign on Turkey's Kurds, 
newspaper seizures, arrests, dissapearences and 
torture. 
   The West is byfar impatient now when dealing 
with Ankara as it has been listening to promises of 
democratization from consecutive DYP coalition 
governments since 1991  but seen little if no 
improvement. Nothing substantial has been achieved 
in any field. The economy is in shambles, hyper 
inflation has become part of daily life, plans for 
privatization have backfired and amid the growing 
economic problems, Ankara has failed to deal with 
spreading terrorism and a steadily growing control by 
military and hawks on national affairs. 
   "The West," explains Ilnur Cevik, "wants real 
democratic reforms and not just superficial legal 
improvements like lifting a vital article... but then 
adding the same limitations in another law." The 
question is whether Ciller, who also knows this, is 
able to do anything within the current political 
system where a military-backed "state-within-the-
state" has more say on politics than her own 
government.
   
Ends


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