The bullying and intimidation by public authorities led to the decision to close down the magazine. In its last issue Nokta declared its intention to “continue as before until there is real democracy.” But just a day after Nokta’s decision to halt publication, it could clearly be seen that those who resist the rule of law and freedom of expression in this country “carry on as before,” too. The Nokta offices were occupied by the police for three days at the order of the military prosecutor. The private correspondences of the journalists who were forced to discuss their sources were confiscated -- an utterly unacceptable code of conduct that goes against the rule of law, human rights and even decent governance.
How can we explain a legal system in which a military prosecutor can order raiding a news magazine and confiscate its documents, including private correspondence, but where civilian prosecutors cannot question and open a case against the alleged coup plotters who attempt to forcibly change constitutional order, a crime punishable with a life sentence? There are those who are “untouchable” in this country. And they will naturally fight to preserve their privileges at any cost.
A country that cannot try coup plotters is obviously doomed to be ruled by the oligarchs under a pseudo-democracy.
The government against which these campaigns are alleged to have been directed continues to fail to understand the gravity of the situation. They have kept their silence after each revelation of the Nokta newsweekly: the memorandum about the journalists, the coup diaries and civil society mobilization scheme, all concern activities emerging from within the military that are not tolerable in a “normal” democracy. How come the government still sits comfortably without saying or doing anything? Isn’t it this government that has been trying to bring the civil-military relations to the standard of normal democracies? Isn’t it this government that was proud to meeting the Copenhagen political criteria two years ago? By remaining silent, the government and the Parliament encourage future coup plotters and endanger the prospect for democracy and Turkey’s place in the EU.
I will repeat myself for the third time: a parliamentary committee should be set up to investigate these allegations. Nothing will come out of judicial proceedings simply because no public prosecutor or judge will dare to take up the issue, as if this is a republic of fear. If not a republic of fear, this is certainly a funny country; permission to investigate a coup plot is asked from the General Staff headquarters. Everyone knows the outcome. Remember what happened when Gen. Buyukanit said the other day that they could not find any official documents confirming the coup attempts. How curious, to look for official documentation of a failed coup? Yet we also know that retired Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok did not outright deny the claims. Abdullah Gul, deputy prime minister, announced at one stage that they knew all about the plot. Will he and the others within the state informed about these plots not come forward and talk?
Two things are at stake. First, the freedom of expression, without which we cannot get truth and have an open society. I can not imagine a practice that is so recklessly and openly oppressing freedom of expression as if it is staged to discredit Turkey’s international democratic credentials.
Second, the ugly reality of coup plots, which have been the greatest obstacle to the consolidation of Turkish democracy for last 50 years. Unless the coup allegations are properly investigated, some people will continue to think that they can do anything they like against the law, the principles of human rights and the rule of law, and that they can get away with it.
The Nokta affair will, I think, turn into a case through which Turkey and its democratic forces display their determination to eliminate authoritarian elements within the state apparatus and consolidate democratic rule.
