Turkey Judiciary System Is Now Fully Under Control Of Its Political Power'

Friday, February 16, will go down in history as the day Turkey's long-troubled judiciary was declared as entirely subordinated to its repressive ruler — President Erdoğan, to be exact. 

Two events that day placed journalists in jail at the center. A German–Turkish reporter, Deniz Yücel, kept in Turkish jail for a year, was released pending trial. Meanwhile three prominent, senior journalists, along with three others, were sentenced to 'aggravated life imprisonment' by a Turkish court over allegations of 'inciting the 2016 coup attempt'.

The convictions followed a months-long trial during which the prosecution alleged that the journalists sent 'subliminal messages' urging the overthrow of the government via a TV appearance and newspaper columns. 

The prominent journalists handed life sentences were the brothers Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan, who have been detained since 2016, and Nazlı Ilıcak. The conviction defied an order by Turkey’s top court to release Mehmet Altan, after it found that his detention had violated his rights.

Legal experts unanimously argue that the indictment is a farce, and that the convictions seal the total collapse of the justice system in the country.

The case of Deniz Yücel, Turkey correspondent with Die Welt daily, exposed other dimensions. He was kept mainly in solitary confinement for 366 days pending indictment, and could only be released after intense, top-secret negotiations between the German government and Turkish President Erdoğan himself. His sudden release without any proper judicial process seemed as puzzling as the arrest a year ago. It led to the conclusion that, having been stripped off whatever remained of its independence, the Turkish judiciary is acting as an extension of an autocratic power.

Nate Schenkkan, a project director with Freedom House and a Turkey expert, discusses this issue in a video interview with Ilhan Tanir, editor with Ahval English news site.