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The ’gang’ netted again
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Hundreds of police and gendarmerie, with white envelopes from a prosecutor serving in Istanbul in their hands were knocking on the doors of some suspected "criminals" early Monday morning.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Who is that?"
"Professor, on orders of the prosecutor we request you allow us in for a house search!"
"House search?"
"Yes Sir! Sorry, but that’s the order we received. We shall search your house. We have a warrant."
"Come on in!"
Police did not know what they were looking at. Thus, from academic notes to conference CDs, notebooks and laptops, and of course mobile telephone apparatus, they gathered everything that could be carried, placed in boxes and dispatched to the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, while the professor was sent first to a medical check and then escorted to Istanbul as well for questioning on charges of belonging to a criminal gang that was alleged to be in preparation of engaging in acts aimed at preparing grounds for a military takeover.
Simultaneously, in 18 cities of the country, some 50 prominent personalities were subjected to the same humiliating treatment. Who was not among the "coup plotters"? An over 74-year-old Professor Türkan Saylan who has been suffering from cancer for some time? Or, Mustafa Yurtkuran, the acting chairman of the Atatürk Thought Association, or ADD? University rectors, those still serving and the retired ones?
The common points of all those detained or subjected to house and office search were their involvement at different degrees in the secularist republican rallies of 2007 as well as their public criticism of the Islamist applications of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. Apparently, it was now the time of taking in university professors, leading figures of the nongovernmental organizations who were not only unhappy with the way the AKP has been running the country, but worst, telling people about their concerns that the secular and democratic modern republic is being faced with a systematic counter revolution effort that aimed at creating a post-modern Islamic state on this land.
Empire of fear
The penslingers of the ruling AKP were immediately out in the sunlight for "comments" to news people. Excited and encouraged with the house searches and detentions, these former separatists, established fundamentalists or professed opportunities were declaring to news people with the glare of victory in their eyes their conviction that "as was established with the indictments" prepared by the prosecutor of the Ergenekon "gang" case, the country was on the verge of a "coup" by some antidemocratic elements and that they were perfectly sure that soon the prosecutor would declare summaries of the "heinous" acts of the professors and NGO figures who were detained or whose houses were searched yesterday?
Others? Those who are concerned of the systematic counter revolution being staged in the country by political Islam against the secular and democratic republic that Atatürk had said was his biggest accomplishment? Some of them gathered in front of the offices and houses of those detained to protest the development, but most of them were scared to raise their voices, fearing that they might be the next to be rounded up. Wives were calling husbands, husbands were calling wives, children were appealing to their parents, friends were advising friends: "Don’t engage in discussions that may land you in jail. Be careful in what you talk about. Don’t use those words such as "Ergenekon," "gang," "political Islam," "counter revolution" and such..." This is the empire of fear.
Not one by one, people are being rounded up in tens, fifties. Silivri prison where the alleged members of the "Ergenekon gang" were being "hosted" has become the place with highest literacy level in the country while the entire country has turned into a prison of the fear empire. Soon at the customs gates of the country besides the "Welcome to Turkey" placard we should place a new placard: "Criticism of government is at your own risk! Our country is not responsible if you don’t behave well and land yourself in jail."
"Who is that?"
"Professor, on orders of the prosecutor we request you allow us in for a house search!"
"House search?"
"Yes Sir! Sorry, but that’s the order we received. We shall search your house. We have a warrant."
"Come on in!"
Police did not know what they were looking at. Thus, from academic notes to conference CDs, notebooks and laptops, and of course mobile telephone apparatus, they gathered everything that could be carried, placed in boxes and dispatched to the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, while the professor was sent first to a medical check and then escorted to Istanbul as well for questioning on charges of belonging to a criminal gang that was alleged to be in preparation of engaging in acts aimed at preparing grounds for a military takeover.
Simultaneously, in 18 cities of the country, some 50 prominent personalities were subjected to the same humiliating treatment. Who was not among the "coup plotters"? An over 74-year-old Professor Türkan Saylan who has been suffering from cancer for some time? Or, Mustafa Yurtkuran, the acting chairman of the Atatürk Thought Association, or ADD? University rectors, those still serving and the retired ones?
The common points of all those detained or subjected to house and office search were their involvement at different degrees in the secularist republican rallies of 2007 as well as their public criticism of the Islamist applications of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. Apparently, it was now the time of taking in university professors, leading figures of the nongovernmental organizations who were not only unhappy with the way the AKP has been running the country, but worst, telling people about their concerns that the secular and democratic modern republic is being faced with a systematic counter revolution effort that aimed at creating a post-modern Islamic state on this land.
Empire of fear
The penslingers of the ruling AKP were immediately out in the sunlight for "comments" to news people. Excited and encouraged with the house searches and detentions, these former separatists, established fundamentalists or professed opportunities were declaring to news people with the glare of victory in their eyes their conviction that "as was established with the indictments" prepared by the prosecutor of the Ergenekon "gang" case, the country was on the verge of a "coup" by some antidemocratic elements and that they were perfectly sure that soon the prosecutor would declare summaries of the "heinous" acts of the professors and NGO figures who were detained or whose houses were searched yesterday?
Others? Those who are concerned of the systematic counter revolution being staged in the country by political Islam against the secular and democratic republic that Atatürk had said was his biggest accomplishment? Some of them gathered in front of the offices and houses of those detained to protest the development, but most of them were scared to raise their voices, fearing that they might be the next to be rounded up. Wives were calling husbands, husbands were calling wives, children were appealing to their parents, friends were advising friends: "Don’t engage in discussions that may land you in jail. Be careful in what you talk about. Don’t use those words such as "Ergenekon," "gang," "political Islam," "counter revolution" and such..." This is the empire of fear.
Not one by one, people are being rounded up in tens, fifties. Silivri prison where the alleged members of the "Ergenekon gang" were being "hosted" has become the place with highest literacy level in the country while the entire country has turned into a prison of the fear empire. Soon at the customs gates of the country besides the "Welcome to Turkey" placard we should place a new placard: "Criticism of government is at your own risk! Our country is not responsible if you don’t behave well and land yourself in jail."
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