World leaders fear Erdogan will crush all dissent
TURKEY yesterday intensified its ruthless crackdown in the wake of Friday’s failed coup, detaining 6,000 people as world leaders and opposition politicians raised concerns that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would use the coup attempt as a pretext to consolidate his power.
The Turkish president’s military aide, Colonel Ali Yazici, was among those who were arrested on suspicion of plotting against the government on behalf of Mr Erdogan’s arch-rival, the US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen.
Speaking at a funeral in Istanbul, Mr Erdoğan vowed to “cleanse” Turkey’s state institutions of their “virus” – meaning Mr Gülen’s supporters – raising the spectre of a wide-ranging clampdown in the days to come.
“Since yesterday, the judiciary has been cleansed of these elements, they were put in custody, dismissed and imprisoned. This was necessary, but that is not enough,” Mr Erdoğan said.
On Saturday, the government launched a sweeping purge targeting Turkey’s judiciary, suspending more than 2,500 judges and arresting two Supreme Court judges.
“I wish we’d learn our lesson from this and strengthen our democracy. Unfortunately, judging from what happened these past two days, the opposite appears to be the case,” said Aylan Bilgen, an MP for HDP, the pro-Kurdish opposition party.
After a strong show of unity in support of the government, world leaders began to express fears of the strengthening of Mr Erdoğan’s hand.
Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French foreign minister, warned Mr Erdoğan not to use the failed coup as a “blank cheque” to crush dissent, a remark echoed by the Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz, who said the Turkish president should not “misuse” Friday’s events as “a carte blanche to do whatever he wants”.
Barack Obama, the US president, urged the government to respect the rule of law, as John Kerry, the secretary of state, yesterday rebuffed Ankara’s request for Mr Gülen’s immediate extradition, saying Turkey would need to provide proof of the cleric’s involvement in the coup.
Mr Ayrault added that the attempted coup had raised doubts about the “reliability” of Turkey in the fight against Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (Isil), though the Pentagon announced that Turkey would reopen its Incirlik air base, used by the US-led coalition for raids on Isil, after closing its airspace to military planes on Saturday. The base’s commander, General Bekir Ercan Van, was detained on suspicion of taking part in the coup.
Clashes broke out yesterday between security forces and putschists at a Turkish air base in the central city of Konya, a Turkish official said. He also confirmed an incident at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen airport, where police fired warning shots at rebels who were resisting arrest. They eventually surrendered.
In Ankara, Turkey’s parliament stood empty yesterday. Security forces have locked down the building after it was bombed several times on Friday night as rogue F-16s roared over the capital.
In a rare show of unity, Turkey’s four parties in parliament released a joint statement condemning the plotters. But opposition parties feel uneasy with Mr Erdogan’s response to the attempted coup and his continued calls for his supporters to take to the street.
“The people who are in the streets are calling for the return of the death penalty. Now that’s something from the coup era,” said Mr Bilgen.
The Turkish president should not ‘misuse’ Friday’s events as ‘a carte blanche to do whatever he wants’