Long live Turkish justice

If the Frankfurt court had not pointed out that “The real criminals are in Turkey,” then we would not have had to wait this long for the happy ending; this case would have never been opened in the beginning anyway. 

Along the way, the prosecutors were changed and the former prosecutors were tried to be jailed so that the new prosecutors did not attempt to play with fire. 

Anyway, let us take a look at Turkish justice’s latest decision: 

One of the defendants, the former head of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), Zahit Akman, was acquitted of the crimes of bringing money that belonged to the Deniz Feneri association into Turkey, of having personal expenditures covered by Deniz Feneri, of using the money that belonged to Deniz Feneri to pay for the satellite rents of Kanal 7, for forging documents so that the official account records about the unauthorized spending of the money of Deniz Feneri looked correct and of embezzlement and forging documents, on grounds that the period of limitation had expired. 

The court told the defendants they had the right to ask for compensation from the Republic of Turkey, so that their rights were not violated. This is how justice works!

I read in the papers that the acquitted defendants did not shout “Long live Turkish justice” when the case was finalized and I condemn them for this. Old Turkish movies used to end with this slogan, do you remember? 

As a result, the German office of the prosecutor was proven right once more. It did not open the second case about the Deniz Feneri corruption; it waited. While it was waiting, it said, “The Turkish authorities will be reluctant to punish the criminals in Turkey and repatriate them to Germany for trial.”
This is exactly what happened, as a matter of fact. 

Cab drivers deceived 

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with taxi drivers in Ankara the other day and told them the “great news.” He said those who renewed their vehicles until the end of 2016 would be exempt from the Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV).  

I would like to tell the taxi drivers that no aspect of this pledge is true. The reason is that if the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) wanted to facilitate your business and support you, they would have three years ago when they had the opportunity. 

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul deputy Umur Oran submitted a motion on Feb. 15, 2012, to parliament. This bill has been waiting at the Budget Commission for three years because the majority in the commission, the AKP members, did not approve it. 

They would not step down from their giant Mercedes cars but, you never know, if Davutoğlu takes a cab one day, remind him of this. 

Torture has become a minor offence 

The case about the woman beaten at İzmir’s Karabağlar police station has been finalized. The two policemen have been sentenced to one year and three months each for inflicting “actual bodily harm.” The third police officer who watched the woman get beaten and helped the battering policemen avoid the camera’s view was not punished. 

This verdict of the court shows why torture cannot be prevented in Turkey. Prime Minister Davutoğlu said, “We ended torture,” but he is no different than any previous government. 

The woman was detained and taken to the police station. She should have been under the protection of the state from that moment on. But it didn’t happen. There, two policemen battered the woman and their colleague just watched this and did not stop them. 

This is called “torture” everywhere else in the world. “Actual bodily harm” happens when I hit my friend’s head with an object. But if a detained person is beaten by police in the police station, it is nothing else but torture. 

The only female judge on the panel of judges objected to the verdict and wanted them punished for torture. But this is a man’s world. 

Men who beat a handcuffed woman in the police station were first protected by their supervisors, then by the justice. 

Administrative supervisors and courts that need to not be tolerant against these crimes are sliding them over, sometimes by overlooking sometimes by alleviating the charges. 

For these reasons, torture cannot be prevented in this country.