May 27, 2012
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Turkey hearing in US Congress sees tension, controversy
A controversial session on Turkey held at the US Congress addressed topics including freedom of the press and a fine levied on the Doğan Media Group for tax evasion, illegal wiretapping of phone lines and the Ergenekon trial.
5 December 2009 / ALI H. ASLAN, WASHINGTON
A hearing on Turkey was held at the US House of Representatives on Thursday and was attended by guests representing various backgrounds and political inclinations, which caused tension during some moments of the two-hour event.
The main topics discussed were freedom of the press and a fine levied on the Doğan Media Group for tax evasion, illegal wiretapping allegations, the Ergenekon trial, women’s rights and torture.
A Turkish journalist briefly walked out of the room while a commentator was speaking in favor of the Ergenekon trial, saying, “I can’t take this anymore.” A brief argument took place between Zaman and Today’s Zaman columnist İhsan Dağı and Hürriyet columnist Sedat Ergin in the aftermath of the event.
Pundits say the timing of the session, just four days ahead of a scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Barack Obama at the White House, is also significant.
The organizer was Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) that operates under the guidance of Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Committee also hosted a controversial panel discussion on Turkey about two weeks ago where the keynote speaker was British journalist Gareth Jenkins, known for his stance against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the Ergenekon trial.
The hearing was chaired by Donna Edwards, a TLHRC executive committee member, and started with presentations from speakers representing Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders. Following these speeches, guests from Turkey delivered their presentations. Zaman and Today’s Zaman columnist Dağı, Milliyet columnist Ergin, Sabah writer Hasan Bülent Kahraman, former European Court of Human Rights judge Rıza Türmen and women’s rights activist Dr. Selma Acuner.
Congresswoman Edwards highlighted some important reforms in Turkey under the Erdoğan government, including in the area of civilian-military relations; however, she added that according to observers lately there has been ‘deterioration’ in the field of human rights. Citing a recent editorial column that appeared in The Washington Post, Edwards pointed to problems in freedom of the press as well as some controversial wiretapping incidents and problems about the functioning of the judiciary.
Edwards claimed that some journalists did not join the session purportedly out of fear of the government and also mentioned charges pressed against journalist Nedim Sener who wrote a book investigating intelligence flaws in the murder case of journalist Hrant Dink.
There was also a great deal of interest shown by viewers, and the room was packed with spectators from various backgrounds. US and Turkish diplomats, congressional aides, human rights observers, representatives from various think tanks and civil society groups, Turkish journalists and a large number of members of the Turkish and Jewish communities in the US were present during the session.
Zaman and Today’s Zaman writer Dağı said he acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations regarding freedom of the press, but he also accused the Doğan group of monopolizing the media, which he said hindered complete freedom of expression. He also said the Doğan group had large investments in fields outside media and that it was common for media empires to be used for interests in other fields.
Judge Türmen stated that if the Doğan group was eradicated, there wouldn’t be much opposition left in the media. Sabah columnist Kahraman confirmed information provided both by Ergin and Dağı and offered as a remedy a legal transformation of the media sector in Turkey to allow greater variety in the sector.
Both Ergin and Türmen agreed AK Party has a “mixed” human rights record. Ergin acknowledged that there have been improvements in some fields but also said drastic changes in legislation were needed to reform other areas. Türmen praised reforms up until 2007 and the government’s steps regarding the Kurdish question but said “electoral authoritarianism” has been setting in since that year. Kahraman stated that he wasn’t completely unhappy about the developments in human rights.
Türmen argued bans on alcohol or practices such as forcing people to join Friday prayers have been increasing in small Anatolian towns since the AK Party came to power. He also stated that only religious people were hired for government positions and complained that school textbooks were written with a Sunni outlook. Kahraman said Turkey’s understanding of secularism was faulty, adding that religion is ‘controlled by the state’ resulting in problems for many groups.
Dağı said the Kemalist secularist ‘old elite’ in the country was hostile to the market economy and democracy, and said: “Turkish democracy is flourishing and United States has a stake in Turkish democracy. In order to rescue one media group, we should not destroy our democracy and the United States should not be part of it.” These remarks caused a brief heated debate between Ergin and Dağı in the aftermath of the hearing.
A Turkish journalist briefly walked out of the room while a commentator was speaking in favor of the Ergenekon trial, saying, “I can’t take this anymore.” A brief argument took place between Zaman and Today’s Zaman columnist İhsan Dağı and Hürriyet columnist Sedat Ergin in the aftermath of the event.
Pundits say the timing of the session, just four days ahead of a scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Barack Obama at the White House, is also significant.
The organizer was Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) that operates under the guidance of Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Committee also hosted a controversial panel discussion on Turkey about two weeks ago where the keynote speaker was British journalist Gareth Jenkins, known for his stance against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the Ergenekon trial.
The hearing was chaired by Donna Edwards, a TLHRC executive committee member, and started with presentations from speakers representing Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders. Following these speeches, guests from Turkey delivered their presentations. Zaman and Today’s Zaman columnist Dağı, Milliyet columnist Ergin, Sabah writer Hasan Bülent Kahraman, former European Court of Human Rights judge Rıza Türmen and women’s rights activist Dr. Selma Acuner.
Congresswoman Edwards highlighted some important reforms in Turkey under the Erdoğan government, including in the area of civilian-military relations; however, she added that according to observers lately there has been ‘deterioration’ in the field of human rights. Citing a recent editorial column that appeared in The Washington Post, Edwards pointed to problems in freedom of the press as well as some controversial wiretapping incidents and problems about the functioning of the judiciary.
Edwards claimed that some journalists did not join the session purportedly out of fear of the government and also mentioned charges pressed against journalist Nedim Sener who wrote a book investigating intelligence flaws in the murder case of journalist Hrant Dink.
There was also a great deal of interest shown by viewers, and the room was packed with spectators from various backgrounds. US and Turkish diplomats, congressional aides, human rights observers, representatives from various think tanks and civil society groups, Turkish journalists and a large number of members of the Turkish and Jewish communities in the US were present during the session.
Freedom of press
Hürriyet daily’s columnist Ergin’s presentation concentrated on the tax fine levied on the Doğan group, which his newspaper is a part of. Stating that the $3 billion tax evasion fine exceeded the total value of the Doğan group, Ergin said such a thing could not possibly go unnoticed in the eyes of the free world. He also criticized Prime Minister Erdoğan for his recent statement that columnists “write too much.”Zaman and Today’s Zaman writer Dağı said he acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations regarding freedom of the press, but he also accused the Doğan group of monopolizing the media, which he said hindered complete freedom of expression. He also said the Doğan group had large investments in fields outside media and that it was common for media empires to be used for interests in other fields.
Judge Türmen stated that if the Doğan group was eradicated, there wouldn’t be much opposition left in the media. Sabah columnist Kahraman confirmed information provided both by Ergin and Dağı and offered as a remedy a legal transformation of the media sector in Turkey to allow greater variety in the sector.
Ergenekon trial
Türmen stated his belief that the Ergenekon trial was increasingly creating the impression that the government was using prosecutors to suppress opposition and listed the problems he spotted in the judicial process. He also complained that the judiciary was not entirely independent from the government. Dağı agreed there were “some shortcomings” in how the trial was being conducted but also suggested looking into the ‘bigger picture’. He stressed the problems with the role of military in Turkish politics and highlighted a latest military document obtained by Ergenekon prosecutors regarding a covert ‘cage plan’ to kill and harass non-Muslims in Turkey with the aim of boosting pressure against AK Party government from the West. Dagi said, “Ergenekon trial is key to enhance Turkish democracy and human rights.” Ergin agreed that when the investigation started in 2007, it was “justified”; however, later criticisms increased that it turned into an instrument for the government to suppress the opposition.Human rights, secularism
At the start of discussions on the state of human rights, Dağı objected to the organizers’ finding that human rights have been deteriorating in Turkey. Saying there hasn’t been a dramatic change in the number of applications to the European Court of Human Rights, he said Turkey has never been as democratic as it is now during the past decade.Both Ergin and Türmen agreed AK Party has a “mixed” human rights record. Ergin acknowledged that there have been improvements in some fields but also said drastic changes in legislation were needed to reform other areas. Türmen praised reforms up until 2007 and the government’s steps regarding the Kurdish question but said “electoral authoritarianism” has been setting in since that year. Kahraman stated that he wasn’t completely unhappy about the developments in human rights.
Türmen argued bans on alcohol or practices such as forcing people to join Friday prayers have been increasing in small Anatolian towns since the AK Party came to power. He also stated that only religious people were hired for government positions and complained that school textbooks were written with a Sunni outlook. Kahraman said Turkey’s understanding of secularism was faulty, adding that religion is ‘controlled by the state’ resulting in problems for many groups.
Dağı said the Kemalist secularist ‘old elite’ in the country was hostile to the market economy and democracy, and said: “Turkish democracy is flourishing and United States has a stake in Turkish democracy. In order to rescue one media group, we should not destroy our democracy and the United States should not be part of it.” These remarks caused a brief heated debate between Ergin and Dağı in the aftermath of the hearing.
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