Turkey's Popular Jailhouse Authors

ANKARA — Only in Turkey can accused “terrorists” overwhelm the shelves of Turkish bookstores from behind bars. These trendy new jailhouse authors that include Turkish military officers, academicians and journalists have published more than 60 books. Many of them have been detained since June 2007 under a colossal trial called the “Ergenekon,” that accused 275 but convicted none of plotting to overthrow Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.

At the TUYAP book fair in Istanbul recently, it was mind boggling to see the number of bestselling authors who wrote their oeuvres from behind bars.  

The mere fact that imprisoned people can get their books published, however, should not give the impression that there is tolerance for the freedom of expression in this country. Irony has become an integral part of Turkish politics and social fabric. A recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) makes it abundantly clear that it is not only those behind bars — 49 have been jailed in direct relation to their journalism — who are at risk. The atmosphere of fear and self-censorship in the country stands as a significant challenge to the maturity of Turkish democracy.

Huseyin Ersoz, a lawyer who represents multiple Ergenekon suspects, told Al-Monitor that state-led intimidation has created a chilling effect on freedom of speech. “The dawn raids, followed by arrests and the ongoing trials, have created such atmosphere that [journalists] feel under pressure and think twice before writing anything critical about the government,” he said. “This sense of intimidation shows that we’re actually going through a more dangerous process than all the past military coup periods, including the one in 1980. People were arrested then for the things they had written. Now, they prefer not to write.”