What we learned from the operation

Date posted: December 22, 2013

MUTLU TÖNBEKİCİ

With the detention of the son of the environment and urban planning minister, we learned that such a ministry actually exists.

This is an unnecessary ministry in a country with the ugliest and untidiest towns and cities in the world. We learned that the war with Pennsylvania could turn into a war with Washington. While the government works to finish off the Hizmet movement, it may even call for the expulsion of the US ambassador from the country. The real duty of Halkbank is to act as Iran’s opening door to the world, and the US blockade has been violated for years. We learned that the pro-government media is allergic to shoe boxes [money used in alleged bribery was found in shoe boxes in one of the suspects’ homes]. We also learned that the wittiest jokes on social media are made in times such as these.

Source: Today's Zaman , December 22, 2013

Tags: Democracy | Hizmet (Gulen) movement | Turkey |

Related News

ECtHR Asks Turkish Gov’t For Explanation Over The Case Of Abducted Lawyer

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has decided to evaluate the application of Emine Özben whose husband Mustafa Özben (42), a Bar-registered lawyer and academic, was abducted on May 9, 2017 in Ankara by elements linked to Turkish security and intelligence services on August 4, 2017.

Police raid prominent journalists’ foundation GYV in Turkey

GYV’s members strongly protested the police measure. Underlining that the raid violated standard protocol, high-ranking GYV official Recep Usta expressed; “the protocol states that VGM technical teams can come to the building and conduct examinations; and should they find any violation, a period of a month is granted to us [to fix any issues].

Post-coup Turkey sliding into terror regime: Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk

Prominent Turkish novelist and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in literature, Orhan Pamuk, has criticized the government’s large-scale crackdown in the aftermath of the failed July 15 coup, warning that Turkey is heading toward “a regime of terror.” “In Turkey, we are dramatically putting behind bars all those who struggle for freedom of expression, and criticize the government even slightly,” Pamuk said on Sunday.

US ambassador story concocted by gov’t team, claims daily

Reports appearing in pro-government newspapers accusing US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone of remarks regarding a major graft probe were manufactured by government teams, according to the Taraf daily on Wednesday.
On Saturday four pro-government dailies ran the same story claiming Ricciardone had told a group of European ambassadors that the US had asked Turkey to cut the Iranian financial link with Halkbank — a bank that is now accused of suspicious money transfers, as well as gold trading, with Iran.

How does PM Erdoğan hurt the liberal pious of Turkey?

Turkey has been vigorously debating the nature of its democracy and popular Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling style, which has increasingly authoritarian tendencies, as never before since the Gezi Park protests in May. From my perspective, the Gezi protests, on which everyone was almost forced to take sides, is a grey area since both the government and the protesters made their share of mistakes.

Gulen movement becoming victim of its own legend

I don’t know whether they are aware of it, but a danger that needs to be taken very seriously awaits the Gulen movement. In the eyes of the Turkish society, which is believing of conspiracy theories, the Gulen movement is mythicized beyond its real dimensions. The power and influence of the Gulen movement is being so exaggerated that if no precautions are taken, this imagined power will one day destroy it.