'Black Friday' of Turkish democracy
Three events from Feb. 16. — a deal to release a Turkish-German journalist, the verdict against three prominent journalists and censorship in the trial of a prominent Turkish-Kurdish politician — demonstrate how Turkey's democracy is being undermined.
Turkey is living in mind-boggling times. Everything can change and then reverse back in the blink of an eye.
Feb. 16, 2018, was one of those days. Let’s begin with Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel, who has been under arrest for unfounded terror charges. Yucel was unexpectedly released from where he spent more than a year. And although his case is pending trial, the travel ban on him was lifted and Yucel was able to head for Berlin on a private jet sent by German authorities.
The case of Yucel, who was once labeled a “terrorist agent” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been one of the thorniest issues between Turkey and Germany.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other German officials have put great effort to secure his release. But defying their demands, Erdogan reiterated his accusations and emphasized that the judiciary, unlike in Germany, is independent in Turkey.
