Rift And Rift

There was a vote in Parliament two days ago about whether to refer four ex-ministers to the high court because of corruption. Opposition party deputies and nearly 50 Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies voted for referral. For former EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış, only 255 of 302 AKP deputies voted, which shows the width of the rift. A total of 245 other deputies voted for the referral of Bağış to the Constitutional Court -- so only 10 deputy votes decided the result.
This was indeed an indication that a significant number of AKP deputies were not convinced about the innocence of the ex-ministers with regards to corruption. In my opinion, this was judicial closure for the ex-ministers, which was the only way for a possible acquittal. Sometimes, a judicial process is necessary to have a clear understanding that the alleged perpetrators have no connection with the alleged crime of corruption. If the alleged perpetrators are ex-ministers, there will always be suspicion over the issue without an acquittal from the court. The parliament decision has closed this case now.
Futhermore, while AKP deputies Şamil Tayyar and Mehmet Metiner threatened the AKP deputies who votes for the referral of the ex-ministers, AKP Deputy Chairman Mehmet Ali Şahin said that 50 deputies voted against the watch worth TL 700,000 belonging to ex-minister Zafer Çağlayan and the defamation of the Quran by ex-minister Egemen Bağış. He said: “I believe that my 50 friends preferred to show their reaction in this way.” This can start another witch-hunt inside AKP this time. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is looking a bit exhausted by the clash, which is a flashing sign of the state of inner relations of the AKP.

Another rift in the judiciary is that two policemen were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the killing of Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a teenager who was severely beaten during the Gezi Park protests. Korkmaz suffered from brain hemorrhaging after being beaten by the men, who were not wearing uniforms, when the incident took place. Policemen and civilians helped in the beating of Korkmaz. He stayed in a coma for 38 days in a hospital before passing away. The attack on Korkmaz further stoked tensions that had erupted late in May over a government plan to demolish İstanbul's Gezi Park in Taksim Square and replace it with a replica of Ottoman-era barracks.

I read in Today's Zaman that before falling into a coma, Korkmaz gave details about the attack to the authorities, saying: “Five or six people came up to me. They beat me with clubs, hitting my head, back, shoulder and legs. I fell to the ground. Yesterday, I didn't have difficulty speaking, but today I can't remember. One of my teeth is loose because of the incident. My head hurts and I have difficulty speaking. I don't know who beat me or why. They were wearing civilian clothes. I want to file a complaint.” I later read on Today's Zaman that an estimated 5,500 people have gone on trial in almost 100 separate prosecutions, including some on terrorism charges, for taking part in the protests.

According to the former Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Law 765, article 463, says that if a group of perpetrators commits a killing and if the real perpetrator is unknown, all of the group members must face a sentence with mitigated circumstances, but not less than 20 years of imprisonment. This law was amended by the AKP in 2005. According to the new TCK, if a group commits a crime together, they must all face the appropriate imprisonment sentence for killing. The interpretation of the court is wrong, but this shows another rift inside the judiciary. Up until now, we were seeing a total denial of deliberate killings on the side of the government. The court, which now appears under extreme pressure, has delivered a verdict saying there was a deliberate killing by a policeman in the Gezi protests for the second time, after policeman Ahmet Şahbaz in the case of Ethem Sarısülük's death in Ankara.

Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a 19 year-old teenager said, “I want to file a complaint” as his last words. This is enough to create a rift.

GÜNAL KURŞUN (Cihan/Today's Zaman)