Autocratic grip

July 23, 2016

By Esra Aygin

As Turkey seems to be rapidly slipping into a single-party autocracy in the wake of a failed coup, the future seems ever more uncertain for a handful of Turkish Cypriots, who are watching the developments in dismay.

Tens of thousands people have been detained and suspended, hundreds of schools are being closed, all 3 million civil servants and all academics are banned from travelling abroad, tens of media outlets have been shut down, and a state of emergency has been declared in Turkey in response to the coup attempt last Friday.

“My biggest fear is that Erdogan may become even more authoritarian,” said International Relations Professor Dr. Ahmet Sozen, who underlined there have been increasing signs of Erdogan’s illiberal and authoritarian tendencies in the last three years.

“He may use the failed coup as a justification to further curb Turkish democracy and fundamental human rights and freedoms. This would take Turkey to much worse, much darker days.”

Observers agree that the northern part of Cyprus, which is economically dependent and politically and administratively under the heavy influence of Turkey, is certain to be affected by the developments in Turkey. Exactly how, is difficult to tell just yet.

The facts that Turkish citizens are not required to possess passports to enter the northern part of Cyprus, that the Turkish Cypriot police and fire department is under the Turkish military’s control, and that the religious activities in the north have largely been unregulated make the place even more vulnerable.

So far Some 60,000 people have been detained or suspended, including 103 generals and admirals – a third of the military’s high command, judges, prosecutors, soldiers, police, civil servants and private school teachers.

Some 1,577 university deans have been asked to resign. Civil servants and academics have been banned from travelling abroad and those abroad have been told to return home.

Erdogan has also said he would consider reinstating the death penalty for the ring leaders of the failed coup, while one of his top aides suggested the government may make it easier for the civilians to obtain firearm ownership licences “to defend themselves against coup attempts”.

Regardless of what direction Turkey decides to go, developments, which are completely outside the control of Turkish Cypriots, will inevitably have a huge impact on the north.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci stated that the important duty awaiting Turkey now is to show the world that it fulfils the requirements of being a state where rule of law prevails. “The best response to an illegal and anti-democratic attempt would be to remain within the limits of law and democracy,” said Akinci.

http://in-cyprus.com/autocratic-grip/

North could be purged

July 24, 2016

By Esra Aygin

As Turkey seems to be rapidly slipping into a single-party autocracy in the wake of a failed coup, the future seems ever more uncertain for a handful of Turkish Cypriots, who are watching the developments in dismay.

Tens of thousands people have been detained and suspended, hundreds of schools are being closed, all 3 million civil servants and all academics are banned from travelling abroad, tens of media outlets have been shut down, and a state of emergency has been declared in Turkey in response to the coup attempt last Friday.

“My biggest fear is that Erdogan may become even more authoritarian,” said International Relations Professor Dr. Ahmet Sozen, who underlined there have been increasing signs of Erdogan’s illiberal and authoritarian tendencies in the last three years.

“He may use the failed coup as a justification to further curb Turkish democracy and fundamental human rights and freedoms. This would take Turkey to much worse, much darker days.”

Observers agree that the northern part of Cyprus, which is economically dependent and politically and administratively under the heavy influence of Turkey, is certain to be affected by the developments in Turkey. Exactly how, is difficult to tell just yet.

The facts that Turkish citizens are not required to possess passports to enter the northern part of Cyprus, that the Turkish Cypriot police and fire department is under the Turkish military’s control, and that the religious activities in the north have largely been unregulated make the place even more vulnerable.

So far Some 60,000 people have been detained or suspended, including 103 generals and admirals – a third of the military’s high command, judges, prosecutors, soldiers, police, civil servants and private school teachers.

Some 1,577 university deans have been asked to resign. Civil servants and academics have been banned from travelling abroad and those abroad have been told to return home.

Erdogan has also said he would consider reinstating the death penalty for the ring leaders of the failed coup, while one of his top aides suggested the government may make it easier for the civilians to obtain firearm ownership licences “to defend themselves against coup attempts”.

Regardless of what direction Turkey decides to go, developments, which are completely outside the control of Turkish Cypriots, will inevitably have a huge impact on the north.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci stated that the important duty awaiting Turkey now is to show the world that it fulfils the requirements of being a state where rule of law prevails. “The best response to an illegal and anti-democratic attempt would be to remain within the limits of law and democracy,” said Akinci.

Although there have been no detentions or operations in the north where the state of emergency does not apply, reportedly investigations will soon be extended to the military and institutions in the north.

Three of the generals arrested in Turkey in the wake of the coup attempt were officials who had served in top positions in the north, including Adem Huduti, the former commander of the Turkish Cypriot army.

Turkish Cypriots felt caught up in a fight that does not belong to them on the night of the attempted coup, when prayers known as ‘sela’ were recited at around 2.30 am in a number of mosques simultaneously with the mosques in Turkey.

Sela, which is normally recited during funerals and special religious occasions, is said to be a call to arms for the Islamic community when issued at other times.

A group of about a hundred people, bearing flags, chanting “Allahu Akbar” and beaming prayers from loudspeakers have been gathering outside the Turkish Embassy in Nicosia every night since the first sela on the night of the abortive coup.

They are protesting against the Cemaat – the network of followers of US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by the Turkish government of being behind the attempted coup.

“I don’t understand why this demonstration is taking place,” said researcher Mete Hatay from PRIO Cyprus Centre. “Turkish Cypriots have nothing to do with cults, sects or Cemaat. Cemaat was brought to Cyprus by the official Turkish institutions themselves.

“And as everybody knows, Turkish officials have always been complaining that the secular Turkish Cypriots were never very accepting of the Cemaat.”

Former Turkish MEP Ozan Ceyhun, who is known to be close to the Turkish Presidency, acknowledged that Turkish Cypriots are not a part of the crackdown, but said nevertheless that the investigation would be extended to the northern part of Cyprus.

“It is known that Gulen has ties in north Cyprus among the military, business world and civilian institutions,” Ceyhun told a Turkish Cypriot TV channel.

“But this has nothing to do with our Cypriot brothers. This is Turkey’s issue.”

Reports that the crackdown will soon be extended to Cyprus must have alarmed certain circles as municipal workers in the village of Galatia (Mehmetcik) in the Famagusta district found some 150 books written by Gulen along with broken computer hard drives and USB ports set on fire at a nearby dump site.

The jaw-dropping developments since early hours of last Friday have once again shown how vulnerable the status quo of Turkish Cypriots is and how they are bound to drift in winds that sweep Turkey unless the island is united under a federal umbrella.

http://in-cyprus.com/north-could-be-purged/

Blame game in the north

July 31, 2016

By Esra Aygin

The failed coup in Turkey, which Ankara argues was organised by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, and the ensuing crackdown has brought Islamic encroachment in the north and unregulated religious activities under scrutiny.

Political parties, civil society organisations and media are drawing attention to the increased number of mosques, Koran courses, religious schools and Islamic associations and charities in the north, and questioning their funding and method of supervision.

Turkish Cypriot officials have generally turned a blind eye to religious activities or organisations because they were closely intertwined with the north’s economy and politics.

United Cyprus Party BKP leader Izzet Izcan, in a statement said all kinds of cults have organised in the north and criticised those in power for not taking preventive measures. Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Union KTOS also questioned the source of the funds flowing to religious schools in Cyprus.

“These activities funded by millions coming from unknown sources, have been going on before the eyes of security forces and politicians,” it said.

“Cults, illegal Koran courses and various other religious activities have had a free hand in this country for years now,” wrote journalist Mehmet Moreket.

“Nobody knows what is being done under the pretext of religion.”

“More mosques than schools are being built in this country. Do we need all these mosques?” asked retired Turkish Cypriot colonel Cenk Diler, in an interview to Havadis.

Rumours and speculation have run rife in the Turkish Cypriot community about alleged Gulen-funded hotels, casinos and universities situated in the north. Names are being circulated in daily conversations and social media, compelling a number of businessmen to make statements in an effort to clear their names. Some officials and journalists, in an obvious effort to pay homage to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party AKP, are publishing names and inviting Turkey to detain them.

Journalists and academics critical of the purge in the wake of the failed coup are easily being branded on social media as ‘Gulen supporters’.

“Some people are either trying to hurt their competitors by taking advantage of the chaos in Turkey or are in a petty attempt to look good to the government in Turkey by giving names of ‘suspects’,” said Huseyin Ekmekci, chief editor of Havadis.

The Gulen cult, like other Islamist foundations and associations, has been active in the north throughout the years and was supported by the Turkish embassy and other Turkish institutions or officials until it fell out with Erdogan about two years ago. The cult is said to have many student dormitories in the north.

“There definitely is a presence of Gulen-related institutions or enterprises here,” said Ekmekci. “But this does not mean that everyone involved in them took part in the coup or are terrorists.”

As Turkey imposes a state of emergency and suspends the European Convention of Human Rights, tens of thousands of security personnel, judges, government officials, school teachers, academics and journalists have been rounded up, while hundreds of schools and media outlets have been shut for alleged connections with Gulen. There have so far been no detentions in the north.

Huseyin Ozgurgun, the head of the Turkish Cypriot coalition, was in Ankara this week.
“We are evaluating all information,” Ozgurgun told journalists during a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. “We will do whatever is necessary as soon as we identify anything suspicious. There are no concrete findings so far.”
Developments in Turkey have, for the past two weeks, dominated media reports and daily discourse in the north, removing the ongoing peace process in Cyprus from the agenda.

UN envoy Espen Barth Eide, referring to the recent developments in Turkey, stressed that the window of opportunity may not be open forever.
“The continuity of the current way of life on both sides of Cyprus is more likely to be ensured by a settlement than by the opposite.”

http://in-cyprus.com/11370-2/

Coup fallout divides Turkish Cypriots

August 13, 2016

By Esra Aygin

A controversy over last week’s Support for Democracy demonstration against the July 15 failed coup in Turkey has erupted in the Turkish Cypriot community, with accusations being directed at those who chose not to participate.

The issue seems to have created tension between the Turkish Cypriot coalition, which was among the organisers of the demonstration, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, who did not attend.

The demonstration at Nicosia’s main Sarayonu Square last Friday was organised by the Platform to Support Democracy. The group is made up of the coalition National Unity Party (UBP) and Democratic Party (DP), some universities, as well many associations of Turkish origin. Former Turkish Cypriot chief negotiator Kudret Ozersay’s People’s Party (HP) also declared support for the demonstration.

However, many political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions and activists chose not take part in the demonstration, which they said had turned into an outburst of nationalism and show of loyalty to Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A crowd of several thousand bearing Turkish and Turkish Cypriot flags chanted Erdogan’s name, shouted Allahu ekber (Allah is great) and demanded capital punishment for the perpetrators of the failed coup.

There were also multiple reports in the media that pressure was put on employees in certain public institutions, local administrations and private universities to participate in the demonstration. Organisations and individuals not participating in the demonstration were labelled as ‘anti-Turkey,’ ‘anti-democracy’ and ‘pro-coup.’

Non-attendees hit back, however.

“Overlooking [AKP’s] bid to use the coup attempt to strengthen and protect its own authoritarian regime is unacceptable,” Dayanisma (Solidarity) said in a statement.

“Democracy movements are meaningful only when they are organised independently of the state, not by the state. This is exactly why this ‘democracy demonstration’ has nothing to do with democracy… This demonstration will serve the purpose of legitimising the authoritarian interventions of AKP, which is carrying out a widespread purge,” it said.

Criticism and accusations were very much focused on Turkish Cypriot leader Akinci, who did not attend the demonstration. A number of journalists and politicians questioned why he was not there, while the crowd chanted, “Where is Akinci?” during the demonstration.

Akinci’s supporters say these accusations are groundless, underlining that he was the first Turkish Cypriot official to condemn the coup attempt on the night of July 15, shortly after it began. Akinci appeared on multiple television channels throughout the night, calling on Turkish people to embrace the democratically-elected government.

Huseyin Ozgurgun, the head of the Turkish Cypriot administration and his deputy Serdar Denktas, who led the Support for Democracy demonstration, did not make any statements until late afternoon the next day.

“It took the coalition partners 20 hours to wake up and make a statement,” wrote journalist Ali Kismir on www.gazete360.com.

“You gentlemen, who were smiling before the ignorant that shouted ‘Where is Akinci?’… Where were you when there was a coup attempt? Why did you make your first statement 20 hours later? Why did you keep silent until then?”

“Those who would have been the first to salute the military if the coup had been successful are now trying to give a democracy lesson,” wrote chief editor Huseyin Ekmekci of Havadis.

“Akinci was the first to react against the coup that night. He didn’t say ‘I better wait and see who wins tonight… Yes there may be many people in this county, who need a democracy lesson. But Akinci would not even be the last on that list.”

Akinci made a statement the day after the demonstration noting that he openly opposed the coup attempt from the moment it began.

“A lot of false accusations and defamation takes place during times like this,” he said. “Some people, because of their personal and political ambitions, see such times as an opportunity to defame others… The antidote of this is to adhere strictly to democracy and rules of law.”

http://in-cyprus.com/coup-fallout-divides-turkish-cypriots/