Politicized judiciary derails Erdogan’s European dreams

Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar

It is no secret that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is increasingly interested in joining the European Union, with the aim of exploiting this for political and economic gains that will ensure survival and public support for him and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) for many years.

With European vigilance and scrutiny of all the details of a new country joining the Union, and with Erdogan sponsoring international terrorism and making his country a transit and residence for terrorist organizations, his ambitions to join the EU have failed.

Three judges in 48 hours

Turkish support for terrorist organizations was not the only reason that Erdogan’s European dreams faded, but another major reason was the AKP regime’s exploitation of the alleged coup in July 2016 in favor of eradicating freedoms and essentially suppressing the judiciary.

The politicized verdicts against judges opposed to the Turkish president have not stopped. A court on Wednesday, November 13 sentenced a former judge to 11 years and 9 months in prison, accusing him of belonging to an armed terrorist organization led by US-based opposition leader Fethullah Gulen.

According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, the 9th Circuit of the Court of Cassation in Ankara sentenced Osman Yurdakul, who was a former member of the same court, although the judge denied all the charges.

Ankara is witnessing a wave of judgments against judicial elements, where the Court of Cassation sentenced Judge Sherif Bey, a former member of the Council of State, to 10 days imprisonment after being accused of joining Gulen’s group. The same charge was made against Judge Ahmet Berberoglu, a member of the Supreme Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors, who was sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in prison.

Judiciary in range of the alleged caliph’s fire

Despite Erdogan’s announcement at the beginning of 2019 seeking to approve the judicial reform document in order to be used in his official attempts to enter the EU after a long wait, the reality indicates the opposite. Ankara saw 4,260 judges dismissed, 634 convicted on charges of involvement in terrorist organizations, 1,546 lawyers tried, and 311 of them sentenced to a total of 1,967 years in prison, according to the Reuters.

Despite Erdogan’s announcement in January 2019, the same month saw the dismissal of 17 judges and prosecutors after being formally accused of joining Gulen’s organization.

Europe is closing its doors

The European Union has not stood by in the face of all that Erdogan is doing. The European Commission announced in an official statement in May 2019 that Ankara’s chances of accession to the EU have diminished, as the country has seen increasing restrictions on the freedom of expression and the freedom of judges in the exercise of their work.

The Commission believes that the Turkish judicial system has witnessed more serious retreats after the political authority has clearly interfered in its functions and proceeded to dismiss many from their positions on false charges.

The former president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey, Hasim Kilic, told the opposition newspaper Zaman that the judges loyal to the Erdogan regime have lost their conscience and followed the whims of power, which has clearly been demonstrated in the impact of politics on their judgments.

Kilic added that the judges are afraid of accusations of treason and belonging to some organizations, which led some of them, especially those loyal to the AKP, to ignore international and humanitarian rules and to judge in line with the whims of power. He pointed out that the legislative and executive authorities are practicing clear violations against the judicial system, although it is a haven for the oppressed. He argued that what is happening will not achieve legal security, which in turn affects the economy and investment.