‘Turkey also hit by a pandemic of injustice in 2020’

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Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chair Muharrem Erkek has shared the findings of his report entitled "2020 Inventory of Injustice in Turkey." 

Erkek has noted that "the legislative, executive and judicial powers have come under the domination of the same political party with the system that the government calls the Presidential Government System."

As reported by Birkan Bulut from Evrensel newspaper, CHP Vice Chair Erkek has asked, "The ruling party of this system will supposedly introduce a judicial reform in the country. Can we really expect a reform that will establish a democratic rule of law from this regime?"

Specifically focusing on the last year, Erkek has noted that "in 2020, Turkey was a country where there were violations of freedom of thought and opinion, freedom of expression and right to a fair trial."

Referring to the strip search debates as well, he has added that "there was injustice, not only in law, but in social and political sphere as well."

"In 2020, Turkey suffered from a huge pandemic of injustice along with COVID-19," Erkek has indicated further, adding that "what happened even in the last year went well beyond the promises for reform."

Pressure and bans

In his report, Muharrem Erkek has listed the mounting pressure and bans in the country briefly as follows:

"There is an attempt to push the Evrensel, BirGün, Cumhuriyet, Sözcü and Korkusuz newspapers into financial distress through the public ad cuts imposed by the Press Advertising Agency (BİK).

"While the 'pro-government' channels were fined 400 thousand lira in 2020, the channels critical of the government were fined 10 million lira, which was 25 times higher than the former. Several journalists are sent behind bars because they did journalism, solely because of their news.

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"The judgements of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) were disregarded in violation of Article 90 of the Constitution.

"Even the discussions on whether the Constitutional Court and ECtHR judgements will be implemented or not show how farther we have drifted apart from a democratic state of law. Tens of thousands of citizens are put on trial for allegedly insulting the AKP Chair [and President Erdoğan].

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'Regulations against equality'

"While miners, bar association chairs, representatives from various NGOs and unions marching to defend their rights were prevented, the AKP Chair, in crowded rallies without any measures taken, threw tea on people 'so that they could enjoy themselves'. Women's democratic rights to protest and demonstration were prevented in a planned manner.

"In the legislation on amnesty, which was disguised as a law on criminal enforcement, a regulation violating equality was adopted by excluding non-violent actions. The law was amended to divide bar associations and to create a pro-government bar. A legislation foreseeing the appointment of trustees to associations and NGOs was drafted.

"Based on an unconstitutional Statutory Decree issued during the State of Emergency, the government took over the municipalities, which it could not take with elections, by appointing trustees.

"Democracy has been deeply wounded at the local level.

'At least 300 women were killed'

"In trials over the October 10 Massacre, Soma Mining Disaster, Çorlu Train Massacre and several others, the truth and the real responsible parties were not sought in 2020, either. Examples such as the Mount Ida, Lake Salda and Fathomless Lake were abandoned to destruction. Environmental struggles to protect natural living spaces, ecosystems and our future were attempted to be suppressed unlawfully and sometimes by violence.

"During the rule of the AKP, which opened the İstanbul Convention to debat, thereby undermining it, violence against women and feminicides have constantly increased. In 2020, at least 300 women were killed." (SO/AÖ/SD)