Freedom comes with a price

Hidayet Karaca
Hidayet Karaca


Date posted: March 9, 2015

HİDAYET KARACA

Currently, those who are concerned about the state of freedom in Turkey are paying a heavy price.

Those who raise demands for democracy and transparency are being raided, arrested or smeared as a result of the government’s reliance on Nazi Germany methods of persecution and oppression. The legal chaos Kafka described in a book he wrote in 1914 has turned into a reality a century later. The files compiled in secret rooms based on instructions from high-level officers and figures, the innocent people who do not even know the charges against them, the hearings without defendants and defense statements, the restricted freedoms and in particular the judges who make unlawful rulings…What this great writer depicted one hundred years ago is not something we are unfamiliar with in present-day Turkey. I was placed under arrest without even a single piece of evidence. And the decision for my arrest was made by the Penal Courts of Peace system, which was established as a project from the top by the government. And by the time I finish this piece, I will have been under arrest for 73 days as part of a plan to trigger chaos in the country.

In this cell where I am deprived of my freedom, I am closely following the course of events in my country. I sadly realize that the oppression and persecution has gone beyond the boundaries of brutality. I feel the pain of those who are subjected to the same treatment, including journalists. Like every person who wants freedom and peace, I am afraid of the complete elimination of the culture of democracy. I become even more concerned seeing that unconstitutional laws are being passed in Parliament through a reliance on majority vote. The political actors that introduced a number of antidemocratic provisions are aggravating this climate of intimidation and fear. Yet I preserve my hopes. I see that there are many colleagues, academics, intellectuals and politicians who do not submit to these pressures. This makes me hopeful that we will live in a democratic country.

As I see the reactions from different parts of the world, I realize that I am not alone in this walk towards peace and freedom. The European Parliament strongly reacted against the operation against the free media on Dec. 14, 2014. In a unanimously adopted motion, the parliament strongly condemned this coup against press freedoms.

Voices supporting free media

secretary-kerry-press-freedom-in-turkey

Congressmen in the US sent a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry in reaction to the operation against the free media. Joel Simon, head of the Committee for Protecting Journalists (CPJ), one of the most respected independent institutions in the world, sent a letter to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu urging him to take measures to stop attacks against media. A number of international organizations and institutions, including Freedom House and Human Rights Watch, raised their voice for the rights of myself and other colleagues. Even this case alone shows that the political repression in Turkey attracts a great deal of attention in the world.

Even though authoritarian barriers are being constructed, I am not detached from the world. I am full of hope. Those who dare to pay the price for the future of Turkey will not allow those who want to disconnect Turkey from the free world to do so in an attempt to protect their narrowly defined personal interests. This resistance will destroy all barriers to freedom, because freedom comes with a price.

 

*Hidayet Karaca is chairman of the Samanyolu Broadcasting Group.

Source: Today's Zaman , March 04, 2015

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Swoboda accuses Erdoğan of using Hizmet movement as a pretext

Socialist leader Hannes Swoboda asked “You were still supporting the Hizmet movement a year ago. Now you use the movement as an excuse for halting reforms. Why do you see them as a danger to Turkey now?”
Sources said Swoboda made it very clear that the EU was very concerned about the state of the rule of law in Turkey. “We are very concerned about the rule of law and the separation of powers, especially the independence of the judiciary,” he stressed.

Turkey needs a new constitution to save its democracy

Until recently Turkey was seen as an example of a country that prospered while maintaining a democratic government run by observant Muslim leaders. No longer. A small group within the government’s executive branch is holding to ransom the entire country’s progress. The support of a broad segment of the Turkish public is now being squandered, along with the opportunity to join the EU.

Police pressure businessmen who sued Erdoğan over Hizmet remarks

On one day, police paid a visit both to the residence and workplace of the businessman, who requested to remain anonymous, even though there had not been any violation of law on his part. Asking arbitrary questions at the businessman’s residence, such as, “Why did you sue the prime minister?”, “What does your husband [the businessman] do?”, “Do you own the house or is it rental?” and “Do you have a car?”, the police asked for the mobile phone number of the businessman and left. The policeman said that they came from the Tepebaşı Police Station in Ankara.

Lack of tolerance and democracy

It is not a prerequisite for democracy that everyone share the same ideas, culture, beliefs, or lifestyle, living together in unqualified happiness.
A society in which everyone shares the same ideals, interests, ideas, lifestyle, culture, language and beliefs appears to be a more totalitarian than democratic one.

Islam, terrorism and the media

We unfortunately live in an unfair world. Injustice is so ubiquitous that we can categorize it based on our neighborhood, our city, our region, our country and the world. Any kind of injustice, discrimination or otherization — such as social injustice, class injustice, inequity in income distribution and a lack of equal opportunities in education, business and social mobility — may rear its ugly head at any moment in our daily life. Not only the cases of social injustice we encounter in our daily life, but also the sentiments of rage and revolt stemming from national or international injustice may trigger reactions that are against the nature of people who normally have psychological integrity.

Turbulent times [in Turkey due to corruption probe]

The arrest of several people close to the government, including three ministers’ sons, accused of taking significant bribes, has shaken the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government to the core and plunged Turkey into political uncertainty. Whether it is the case or not — the Gülen movement denies it — the timing of the arrests has created the widespread perception that the investigation is linked to the growing tension between the AKP and the Gülen movement, also known as Hizmet.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Why Turkey wants to silence its academics

Turkey calls on parents to report Erdogan critics at German schools

Reuters interview Gulen, he says he would not flee U.S. to avoid extradition to Turkey

CHP deputy asks PM to stop arrest of women after giving birth

Punjab university: Honorary PhD given to Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen

Top court annuls controversial law on prep school closure

Turkish police to plant Gülen’s books in ISIL cells, journalist claims

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News