"Turkey arrests three academics on 'terrorist propaganda' charges"

Submitted by Robert (United States), Mar 18, 2016 at 13:03

Dear Daniel Pipes,

Once more, you've written an excellent analysis - this time of contemporary Turkey under "Ottoman Sultan" Erdoğan.

However, events are unfolding so quickly about and inside this country, that I think you need to write Part II.

Regarding Turkey's "intelligentsia" (using a Russian concept), 2,000 academics have written a letter protesting the treatment of Kurds (the curfews of Turkish Kurdish cities, etc.) and now the police has arrested three of these academics and charged them with disseminating "terrorist propaganda":

http://www.danielpipes.org/16561/turkey-erdogan-gambles-loses

It is significant to point out that if I was to use this forum to promote the idea that the PKK - which is classified as a terrorist organization by our country, the USA, I could also be charged with promoting terrorist. However, in regard to Turkey under Erdoğan, any support of any Kurdish organization is interpreted by him, the the security forces and courts which are under his control, is deemed to be "promoting terrorism." Liberals in our country the narrow interpretation of our Constitution, under the late Justice Scalia, as mistaken. In Turkey we see the other extreme - using the legal term "terrorism" in an all-encompassing way. Imagine what would happen in our country if our Supreme Court Justices construed challenged statues in such a way as to give its term the broadest interpretation? Fortunately, at least the Highest Court in Turkey, now the only significant Turkish institution not yet under the complete control of Erdoğan has ruled to release the arrested journalist. But, in our country, our presidents have consistently enforced the rulings of our Supreme Court (as under President Kennedy and later Johnson). But that's not the case under Erdoğan.

Another issue to be considered here, is Putin's successful reversal of Assad's military position on the ground - exactly against the policy of Erdoğan; what a humiliating defeat for Erdoğan!

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