Erdoğan on Release of Gül and Dündar: I Don’t Obey or Respect the Court Ruling

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President Erdoğan has commentated yesterday (February 28) on the Constitutional Court ruling that the detention of Cumhuriyet daily Editor in Chief Can Dündar and its Ankara Representative Erdem Gül who had been under arrest since November 26 due to their report on National Intelligence Service's (MİT) trucks, had violated their rights, as “AYM (Constitutional Court) may have decided that way. I will remain silent on the ruling. But I don’t obey the decision. I don’t respect it either.

Erdoğan had also remarked on an earlier decision of removing the access block to Twitter, as “I don’t respect the decision”.

“Nothing to do with freedom of expression”

“Firstly, I have not made any statement sill now. I have not commentated on the matter. But I have to tell this; this incident is no way related to the freedom of expression”.

“In my opinion, media can’t have unrestricted freedom. These reports include all sorts of assaults against the Prime Minister and the President of this country. Will we sit back and watch while it attacks the Prime Minister and the President?

“The Constitutional Court may have decided on the matter and I can only remain silent on this decision. But I can’t accept it. And I neither obey the decision, nor respect it. Because there is an obvious reality here. This is not an acquittal or release order. Actually, the court [of first instance] deciding on the matter could have insisted on its decision”.

“Intelligence services have unlimited authority”

“Intelligence services are not formations which any prosecution can easily interfere in. Our National Intelligence Service (MİT) brings aid to the Turkmens. They can’t interfere in its practices regarding this aid and treat them as if they had caught members of the enemy [...]”. (EA/DG)