Erdogan’s Victory Lap Wreaks More Havoc on Human Rights

In the aftermath of surviving a failed military coup, Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan is raising international concern about his disregard for human rights amid suspicions that he was someway involved in the coup itself, allegedly so that he could establish tough new laws for himself by diktat rather than through the slow – and often inconvenient — legislative process. When Erdogan moved from the office of prime minister to that of president, his goal was to create a strong-presidency he said was akin to the American form of government. Since the failed coup, more than 60,000 Turks have been detained or suspended from their jobs. More than 37,000 police personnel and civil employees along with 21,000 teachers have been removed from their positions. That, in addition to the 13,000 who were jailed. More concern was aroused when Erdogan issued detention orders for 42 more journalists on Monday. Erdogan claims he is acting “in support of democracy” while critics argue his actions are increasingly anti-democratic. Two Turkish generals based in Afghanistan were detained in Dubai on charges relative to the coup and flown to Turkey on Tuesday morning. More than 100 employees of Turkish Airlines have lost their jobs for coup-related reasons.