Sunday, October 23, 2016

Turkey’s Post-Coup Purge

What happened after the coup?
The effects of the 2016 attempted Turkish coup have been drastic and far-reaching. The most significant after-effect that resulted from the coup is the reaction of the Turkish government, particularly President Erdogan, and the subsequent crackdown in the media and press, as well as the purge of the government, military, and state employees. This purge includes revoking press credentials, suspending and firing state employees, and arresting and detaining as many as 35,000 people in connection to the coup. Turkey announced it would release 38,000 nonviolent offenders, around a fifth of the nation’s total detainees, to make way for the wave of journalists, academics, and military personnel that have been rounded up and arrested in connection to the failed coup (Slotkin, 2016). The announcement comes as a response to the overcrowding that Turkish prisons have seen in the wake of recent events, which caused health concerns within jails and strained prison capacity to a maximum degree. In addition, Amnesty International released reports accusing the nation's security forces of unlawful beatings and torture of detained suspects, proving worsening treatment for those imprisoned.

What prompted this crackdown?
President Erdogan declared a state of emergency in Turkey that “allows the president and cabinet to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms” (BBC, 2016). This state of emergency gives Erdogan “radically enhanced powers”, particularly the power to initiate a widespread purge of those with “probable involvement” in the coup (Lowen, 2016).  Utilizing the new powers authorized by the current state of emergency, Erdogan continues to relentlessly pursue those suspected of involvement with the coup, especially those with political leanings or sympathy towards the Gulenist movement, in an attempt to root out the “virus” of insurgency. As a result of the crackdown, over 35,000 people have been arrested on coup-related charges, and another tens of thousands have been fired from their jobs (BBC, 2016). Additionally, President Erdogan’s government has increased the censure on academics and news outlets, arresting professors and shutting down over 130 media outlets. This violation of freedom of expression has already been utilized by President Erdogan’s government in other times of crisis; yet the scale of these arrests has raised international criticism. Furthermore, these actions have let Turkey to reinstate itself once again as the world’s leader in the jailing of journalists.

Image: statistics on some of the effects of the crackdown in turkish education.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36852080
Recent Developments
The purge of those suspected of opposing the government has resulted in major personnel deficiencies within government institutions and media outlets, among other sectors. These actions have been undertaken through the established state of emergency, which effectively allowed the government to bypass parliament when establishing new laws and to further stifle any expressions deemed harmful to national security. Although the state of emergency was intended to be swift, five days after the failed July coup, President Erdogan announced an extension of 90 days from October 19 for the state of emergency, resulting in about 500 protesters marching towards the country’s capital Ankara in opposition to the mass purge (“Turkey Protesters”, 2016). In addition, 15 universities have been shut down since the coup for having associations with Fethullah Gulen, the alleged coup organizer. As a result, anti-Gulen fervour has led to demonstrations calling for a “cleansing” of Gulen’s universities, while university students on the other end protest against the suspension of university teachers in Ankara (Lowen, 2016). By shutting down more than 130 media outlets and 2,000 schools as of October 14, the Turkish parliament has limited the rights of both prisoners and non-prisoners; in response, citizens of Turkey, as well as the international community, have raised concerns regarding the country’s apparent actions beyond democracy and the rule of law.


Implications for Global Politics

What implications does this have for the global community?
As a parliamentary democracy, Turkey’s purge of thousands of state employees, ranging from journalists, government workers, and academics, has called into question the identity of Turkey as a stable democracy within the international community. As news outlets are restricted within the country, several states have been vocally opposed to this censorship: Germany’s press fears Turkey’s freedom of opinion is being infringed; Switzerland’s newspaper worries it will result in a weakened democracy as President Erdogan launches his “witch hunt” against his opponents; and the New York Times suggests the democracy is facing “accelerating erosion” as President Erdogan seems to continue an ugly repression of Turkey’s citizens (“Turkey Coup: Press”, 2016). Together, the immediate concerns may halt Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union and may distance the country from its Western allies within NATO. In addition, Turkey’s military may face severe disruptions due to the coup-proofing of the force, and as the second-largest military force in NATO, this leads to both a weakening bond between the American-Turkish coalition as well as a more difficult fight against ISIS forces.

How does this relate to global politics?
While Turkey has experienced bouts of instability before, the current crackdown has been deemed as an “unprecedented assault on principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression” in a letter on behalf of MESA, the Middle East Studies Association, to Secretary of State John Kerry. The imposed travel ban, the closure of universities, and the continued threat to academics only serves to further discourage foreign researchers and intellectuals by limiting academic freedoms. This loss of academia, along with the increased outsourcing of Turkish academics, affects not only Turkey’s intellectual community but the freedom of speech and the very fundamental identity of democracy. The international community, led by organizations such as Amnesty International, have expressed concerns that Turkey’s government is failing to uphold citizens’ basic rights by taking advantage of their declared state of emergency.  Additionally, Turkey’s national stability has become an issue for the country’s allies, especially relating to issues such as ISIS and the refugee crisis, in which Western allies have a vested interest. Turkish cooperation in these matters is essential, especially to countries such as the United States; therefore, the U.S administration “now appears increasingly willing to tolerate a partner whose commitment to democratic rule of law has become shaky, at best” (Birnbaum, 2016). However, trust in the nation’s justice system remains low, as the government continues its purge of non-government loyalists. On the global stage, these ongoing developments are viewed as problematic to Turkey’s human rights record and to their democracy as a whole.

Image: names of those that died opposing the coup as “martyrs”, established in a monument in Istanbul's Taksim Square. This praise occurs in parallel with the mass detentions and censoring against those considered as supporting the coup.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36852080

How is it related to class material?
President Erdogan’s initial move to a more Islamic government has been the determinant factor for the July coup, as the Peace at Home Council felt it needed to protect Turkey’s weakening democracy. After Turkish parliament member Ismail Kahraman stated that the “new constitution that the AKP is preparing will have no reference to secularism”, secularist officers immediately feared the possibility of the establishment of Shariah law in Turkey (Geerdink, 2016). Although Turkey has long been praised for its separation between religion and government, the large percentage of Muslims within the country has inspired the AKP and President Erdogan towards their non-secular agenda, and their move from Western politics. Despite the Peace at Home Council’s efforts to halt the government’s progress, many international news outlets have suggested President Erdogan’s growing appearance as an authoritarian leader. This is only stressed as President Erdogan gains appearance and likeness to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but develops hostility with the U.S. for their refusal to deliver Fethullah Gulen. President Erdogan’s increased suspicion with the U.S. may be as a  result of his distaste for “Western” culture, and therefore his separation from secularism as it is seen as a Western approach to politics. Although the approach appears to hold the favor of Turkey’s parliament, the growing fear as well as desire for an Islamist government has caused a split between Turkey’s people and the country’s position in NATO.
                                                                References         

Arango, T., & Yeginsu, C. (2016, August 17). Turkey to Release Tens of Thousands of
Prisoners. NY Times. Retrieved from

Baron, B., & Newhall, A. W. (2016, August 19). Letters and Statements: Middle East Studies Association. MESA. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from http://mesana.org/about/board-letters-statements.html

Birnbaum, M., & DeYoung, K. (2106, September 21). The Aftermath of Turkey’s Failed Coup Threatens Its Ties with Western Allies. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-aftermath-of-turkeys-failed-coup-threatens-its-ties-with-western-allies/2016/09/20/314bb754-6e0d-11e6-993f-73c693a89820_story.html

Bradley, M. (2016, August 16). Erdogan's Purge to Coup-Proof Turkey's Military May
Backfire. NBC News. Retrieved from

Geerdink, F. (2016, May 2). Stop Defending Turkey's 'Secularism' - It's Been a Lie All Along. Huffington Post. Retrieved from

Lowen, M. (2016, October 3). Turkey Post-Coup Purges Convulse Society. BBC. Retrieved from

Norton, J., & Kasapoglu, C. (2016, September 23). Turkey's Post-Coup Crackdown Hits
‘Gulen Schools’ Worldwide. BBC. Retrieved from


Turkey Coup Attempt: More Than 130 Media Outlets Shut. (2016, July 28). BBC. Retrieved from

Turkey Coup Attempt: State of Emergency Announced. (2016, July 21). BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36852080

Turkey Coup: Press Fears for Democracy. (2016, July 18). BBC. Retrieved from

Turkey Protesters March Against Post-Coup Purge. (2016, October 16). BBC. Retrieved from

Yeginsu, C., & Arango, T. (2016, July 25). Turkey Cracks Down on Journalists. NY Times. Retrieved from         


Group Members: Claire Acree, Grace Hale, Safya Osman, Ester Brito Ruiz, Jori Vajretti

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)