Primer Determined to Fight Against Humorists!

Albeit claims of unprecedented tolerance towards critics Erdogan has recently sued two cartoonists and one comics magazine for cartoons mocking him, as well as treating the media as a scapegoat for their criticisms.

Erdogan has won the case against daily Cumhuriyet cartoonist Musa Kart , who depicted him as a ‘cat’. Kart is fined USD 3.600 dollars for personal damages. For another cartoon in the left wing daily Evrensel, he has got another USD 7.200 dollars under a local Istanbul court decision.

Weekly humor magazine “Penguen” has become another target for Erdogan’s intolerance. The prime minister demanding USD 35 thousand for a series of cartoons depicting Erdogan as an elephant, giraffe, monkey, camel, frog, snake, ox and duck under the title “Tayyips’ Kingdom”, an expression of solidarity with Musa Kart.

Overseas critics

Foreign commentators converge on the opinion that Erdogan’s intolerance towards humorists, once again tars Turkey’s just ameliorating image regarding its human rights and the fundamental civil rights records.

In a recent New York Times article Erdogan’s government is criticized of displaying bothersome signs of weariness on the thorny way to the European Union membership.

The cases Erdogan filed against the cartoonists and police brutality towards demonstrators on 8 March World Women’s Day taints Turkey’s improved human rights record after the ‘horrible’ 80’s and 90’s.

French daily Le Monde, too, questions Turkey’s capacities in providing firm guarantees for freedom of speech after Erdogan’s attitude towards cartoonists and his increasingly harsher stance on firing back against critical media.

The French daily remarked that the Prime Minister blamed the Turkish media for reporting widely about and ‘exaggerating’ the misdeeds of the police on the Women’s Day. Le Monde said that Erdogan’s anger signaled that he and his Party’s bid for European Union membership of Turkey is ‘political opportunism’.

Still angry

Commenting on criticisms for cases he has filed against humorists “he will revise his stance after consulting his lawyers” Erdogan told Fatih Altaylı of daily Hurriyet.

Yet, he does not regret he has sued cartoonist Musa Kart, for he has mocked the “religious seminaries” issue.

Kart in his cartoon had depicted Erdogan as a cat entangled in a web of yarn referring to the Imam Hatip schools (religious seminaries).

Erdogan himself is also a graduate of “religious seminary”. A long standing matter of controversy, “religious seminaries” is criticized by secularists as the “backyards of Islamic fundamentalism”. These schools were introduced in the Turkish national education system during the Cold War as bulwarks of conservatism.

“Prime Ministry under threat”

Erdogan justifies his stance with “protecting (the dignity of) the post of Prime Ministry”: “If you do not protect the leaders, you will destruct the society,” he says.

Prime Minister Erdogan also rebuffs the charges of violations of fundamental rights and freedoms: “Can you tell me how many people were imprisoned in these 28 months that we are in office? Give me an example.”

Despite Erdogan’s firm insistence that freedom of speech is ensured, there exists a long list of people imprisoned for “crimes of thought” during last 28 months of his government. Among them are: Editor-in-Chief of “Uzun Yürüyüş” (Long March) magazine Mehmet Ali Varış, the Editor-in-Chief of monthly “Özgür Kadının Sesi” (Voice of the Free Woman) Kadriye Kanat, the former Editor-in-Chief of “Alınterimiz” (Our Toil) newspaper Yaşar Çamyar, a former columnist of “Milli Gazete” (National Newspaper) Hakan Albayrak, a reporter of Dicle Haber Ajansı (DİHA - Dicle News Agency) Vedat Kurşun, columnists and board members of Yeni Asya (New Asia) newspaper Sami Cebeci and Cevher İlhan were imprisoned.

The Austrian journalist Sandra Bakutz remained in prison for one year. A reporter for Austrian radio station Orange 94.0 and the German weekly "Junge Welt", Bakutz was arrested on her arrival at Istanbul's Atatürk airport on 10 February, with charges of “being a member of an illegal organization”.

In addition, the Editor-in-Chief of “Peasant-Worker” Newspaper Memik Horuz is still imprisoned awaiting his release. (EÖ/SAÖ/EK/YE)