Ankara has been burning in the fire of the Ocalan case for sometime now because it has political dimensions, especially domestic politics-wise, not over the legality. The opposition front, including parties outside Parliament, are lying in wait to attack the Justice and Development (AKP) government over Ocalan.
In debates focusing on the European Union (EU), assessments are being made that Ocalan will be released as one of the final demands by Brussels, after that he will be brought back to politics and will even become a deputy. Although this does not reflect the reality, this propaganda influences citizens in the street. They are anxious the retrial will open other doors. We have to accept that an important part of the society will interpret today's ECHR verdict with this psychology.
The government wants to see the verdict in detail first. This will determine how it is going to act afterwards. There was an AKP parliamentary group meeting yesterday. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech, however, he did not make any assessments of the Ocalan file, the hottest debate this week.
The AKP government has a certain approach on this issue: To deal with the result calmly rather than through emotional reactions. The government does not want the verdict to be used as a tool in domestic politics. Prominent names in the government have been holding negotiations with related parties in order to curb tension for a few months, in the period after a possible verdict. The opposition parties have not responded positively to this request yet. Apparently, the verdict will heat up political life in Ankara.
Comments are also coming from the government wing. Justice Minister Cemil Cicek says that a retrial will not be the end of the world. He favors discussing the legal aspects of the case rather than its political dimensions. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was also asked about Ocalan. His answer was: "Turkey has nothing to fear. Besides, a terrorist organization's leader, who committed crimes witnessed by the whole world, would be sentenced for the same penalty even if he were tried a hundred times. I have no doubts about it…" We might conclude from Gul's remarks that he is prepared for any negative outcome.
The flag-burning incidents that began in Mersin and escalated in Trabzon also have an aspect related to the Ocalan case. The last scene determined by the writers of this scenario was the verdict on Ocalan. If the provocations had reached the desired goal and a sensitive wave fed by nationalism had effervesced in a way that there is no turning back, the ECHR verdict would have caused turmoil nationwide. Thank God, the first scene of the play ended in failure and commonsense prevailed in the streets. What are we supposed to do? First and foremost, we have to respond the ECHR verdict in a cool manner. Utopian conspiracy theories, which claim Ocalan will be released, have no possibility of materializing. What he did is called terrorism and what he is guilty of is called murder. He is the chief culprit of thousands of crimes. In fact, the ECHR's objection is not against the essence of the trial but rather against the procedure.
Even if the process results in a re-trial, the decision of the Turkish judiciary is certain. We should never allow Ocalan to darken Turkey's European horizon. This ringleader of a terrorist organization ruined Turkey in the 1980s and 1990s. He has brought back memories of the era of bloodshed and tears. We should at least prevent our future from being mortgaged. The way to do this is to approach the developments in a composed manner instead of reacting emotionally. The important thing is Turkey's benefits and its interests. In fact, turmoil and chaos are the main goals of separatist terrorism.
As Constitutional Court Chief Judge Mustafa Bumin said while evaluating the headscarf issue: The ECHR verdict as unquestionable and is above everything else. We should trust the Turkish judiciary.
May 11, 2005
