Well, Mr. Turkey, how serious are you? Your intelligent, upwardly mobile citizens would like to see it happen. You tell us you have gone to great lengths to update your human rights practices (anyone remember Midnight Express??), you tell us you want it, but wait...
You don't allow your citizens freedom of speech?
A Kurd can't call themselves a Kurd, and still function in normal society.
An accomplished, global author can't speak out about the situation in Turkey without facing a prison sentence. Because Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk spoke about the Armenian genocide and the ongoing struggle between Turkish forces and Kurdish "guerillas" in an interview with a Swiss newspaper, he has been charged with the "public denigrating of Turkish identity". Apparently, these topics, along with others, are taboo in Turkish society.
Under Turkish law, people can be jailed for differing with the government's line on the deaths, as well as on the presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus, which Turkey invaded in 1974, and other "fundamental national interests."
Sounds like a freedom loving E.U. country, doesn't it?
Turkey's penal code was revised this year in hopes of bringing laws on freedom of expression closer to international standards, as demanded by the European Union, which Turkey wants to join. Organizations representing writers and journalists say more changes are needed.
No kidding. Turkey doesn't seem to have the best interests of their citizens at heart. For the zillionth time, I will say how surprised I am that a country that is trying to modernize and be part of a global community can blatantly deny reality, or face the facts (and mistakes) of its tragic past. Or maybe I'm not surprised. But if Turkey wants to look to the future and have a chance at E.U. membership, they are going to have to start letting reality sink in. They will have to give up their pride, make some admissions, and move forward. Perhaps Turkey needs some psychotherapy, to bring these repressed memories to light. Sure, it won't be easy. But it would be a real step of good faith on their part.
Will it guarantee their admission into the E.U.? Of course not. But it would be a start.
For more information, check out this post from Bookslut.
5 comments:
Interesting.
Nice blog.
--Lee
I'm a Turk, and I agree with a lot of what you said. But the attitude, the smugness, the bullying the new kid at the school kind of lecturing and looking down upon Turkey, or I should just say "the European attitude" makes me want to cringe and defend my country whatever her faults may be when people like you say it. You and your politicians may have good intentions about it all, but let's just say the only response I personally can think of as appropriate is "Shove the EU membership whichever part you think deserves it."
Well, my beef is not with the Turkish people, obviously, it is with the government policies, the immature attitude in dealing with things that have happened/are happening. It IS immature, and it IS bullying. So much could improve if the Turkish government would just bend a little on some issues. And I don't think it is healthy for the Turkish people. Kurds are second class citizens? You can't talk about negative things in semi-recent Turkish history without going to jail? It seems that to be in the E.U., a country has to be concerned with the welfare and human rights of its citizens. I don't see Turkey as fulfilling that role right now.
Now, I am an American, so my opinion here is ultimately moot. I know the U.S. would like to see Turkey join the E.U., but then again, the U.S. simply uses Turkey for its access to the Middle East (much like the Brits, it seems). There is a lot of criticism of America right now, and I think that criticism is well deserved. I cannot defend my leaders when it comes to some of the things that have been happening lately. I can defend America and Americans as a decent place to live with decent people, but honestly, I feel the same way about the Bush administration as I do about the Turkish government right now. Immature, bullying, and idiotic. Refusing to admit mistakes, to acknowledge reality. And I think it is a real shame for both countries, or ANY country that has a government like that.
Freedom of speech varies from place to place. Try wearing a swaztika or giving a heil Hitler in Germany and see how quickly you get tossed in the pokey. And I'm old enough to remember lynchings, segregation and no voter rights for blacks in the Volunteer State, so don't get too high up on your moral horse.
Phanja is the first to admit that Turkey needs to make changes. Ask your Greek friends about the military coup, attempted Greek annexation of Cyprus and the forced dislocation of Turkish Cypriats before the Turkish invasion.
Oh yeah and you also said that Israel didn't forcably dislocate Arabs from what is now Israel. WTF? The Israelis have been pretty successful in writing the history books to make them sound like the good guys, but they were the first terrorists in Palestine.
I'm trying to figure out where I ever talked about Israel. It is a subject I know little about so I generally don't go there.
I am also trying to figure out where it said I didn't acknowledge anything else you talked about. My post was simply about the irony of Turkey wanting to join the E.U. but not allowing free speech. By assuming that I have no problems with Germany, the U.S., Greece, or any other country, you are begging the question of my opinion on those matters. I wasn't talking about any of these other cases. And I sure as hell wasn't on any moral high horse.
I don't mind logical arguments, but don't assume what I think based on one post.
I was going to school in the Volunteer State when they were still working out problems with desegregation, so I know all too well what has gone on. I have freely admitted that I am not in agreement with things the U.S. has done/is doing. I've made those points perfectly clear throughout my blog and in comments elsewhere.
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