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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-306306-an-open-letter-to-the-american-ambassador-to-turkey.html
EMRE USLU
[email protected]
06 February 2013, Wednesday
Whenever the American ambassador to Turkey, Francis J. Ricciardone,
sees a microphone and a camera he shows his passionate support for the
defendants in the Ergenekon and Balyoz investigations as if he is not
an American ambassador to Turkey but the American lawyer of the
defendants in the cases.
Most recently, right after his embassy was attacked by a leftist
terrorist organization, the Revolutionary People's Liberation
Party/Front (DHKP/C), he met with members of the Turkish press, but
put little emphasis on the terrorist attack on his embassy.
At least this is how Turkish media presented him. For instance, the
Hurriyet and Milliyet dailies, both major newspapers, did not publish
his message concerning the terrorist attack on the embassy on the
front page but they did bring his messages about the Ergenekon
investigation to the first page. This could be a show of typical bias
in Turkish media, but Ambassador Ricciardone is an experienced
diplomat. If he wants his message of condemnation about the terrorism
that he faced to be featured on the front page of newspapers, he could
have done it. Thus, we can assume that the ambassador, yet again,
wanted to give his support to those generals and Ergenekon suspects in
prison.
To a certain extent I can understand Mr. Ricciardone's passionate
support of those generals. In the years 1995-1999, when he was serving
in Turkey, he probably developed friendships with most of them. Yet
what I don't understand is his way of showing his support to those
generals. Mr. Ambassador always criticizes the practices of the
Turkish judiciary and stresses that those Ergenekon suspects do not
know what they are guilty of.
It is with this attitude that I have a problem. Mr. Ambassador, if you
are going to give your support to your old buddies, you are welcome to
do that. But do not hide behind your diplomatic mission and do not
pretend to be defending democracy and transparency and fair trials.
This is your weakest point and it really agitates the people in
Turkey. With this attitude, the very few American sympathizers in this
country also lose their faith in America because they think that
America and Americans are honest. They see what you are doing as not
honest because they know that you were serving in Turkey during the
Feb. 28, 1997 coup attempt and you and your embassy did not even say a
single word against those very same generals who are now in prison
back when they were crushing the conservative people in this country.
One should ask you the following questions: Where were you when your
dear friends, the military generals, were oppressing the conservative,
religious people during the Feb. 28 coup process? Weren't you in
Ankara and serving in this country? Why didn't you come in front of TV
cameras and criticize the anti-democratic, illegal practices of the
generals during the Feb. 28 coup period? Was it not a problem for you
when deputy Merve Kavakcı was thrown out of Parliament just because
she was wearing a headscarf? Was it perfectly OK with you that all the
judges and prosecutors were invited to the Turkish army headquarters
to "brief" them about how to treat conservative people and their
cases? Was it perfectly OK with you when military generals were
cursing the democratically elected prime minister and the judges and
prosecutors did nothing?
Why didn't you, as a person who pretends to be so sensitive about the
judicial process, or anyone from the US Embassy, come out and
criticize these illegal actions? If you were so sensitive about the
democratic standards and fair trails in Turkey, why don't you
criticize other cases that are being criticized in Turkey, too? For
instance, why don't you come out and say a word against the Salih
Mirzabeyoglu trial? Why didn't I hear a word from you against the
bizarre developments taking place in the Hrant Dink trial? Why didn't
I hear a word against the odd developments in the Deniz Feneri trial?
Mr. Ambassador, you are here to represent the American government and
the American people, with whom I share a great deal of sympathy for
their honesty, fairness and understanding of equality. Unfortunately,
your unexplainable sympathy toward the Ergenekon suspects and your
support for them does not compliment the typical American standard of
honesty and fairness. If you want to support your friends, you are
welcome to support them as a friend, but don't hide behind your
diplomatic mission and don't do it as if you are criticizing due
process. If you are so passionate about the democratization of Turkey,
be fair to everyone and do not turn a blind eye to one issue while
being so vocal about another.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-306306-an-open-letter-to-the-american-ambassador-to-turkey.html
EMRE USLU
[email protected]
06 February 2013, Wednesday
Whenever the American ambassador to Turkey, Francis J. Ricciardone,
sees a microphone and a camera he shows his passionate support for the
defendants in the Ergenekon and Balyoz investigations as if he is not
an American ambassador to Turkey but the American lawyer of the
defendants in the cases.
Most recently, right after his embassy was attacked by a leftist
terrorist organization, the Revolutionary People's Liberation
Party/Front (DHKP/C), he met with members of the Turkish press, but
put little emphasis on the terrorist attack on his embassy.
At least this is how Turkish media presented him. For instance, the
Hurriyet and Milliyet dailies, both major newspapers, did not publish
his message concerning the terrorist attack on the embassy on the
front page but they did bring his messages about the Ergenekon
investigation to the first page. This could be a show of typical bias
in Turkish media, but Ambassador Ricciardone is an experienced
diplomat. If he wants his message of condemnation about the terrorism
that he faced to be featured on the front page of newspapers, he could
have done it. Thus, we can assume that the ambassador, yet again,
wanted to give his support to those generals and Ergenekon suspects in
prison.
To a certain extent I can understand Mr. Ricciardone's passionate
support of those generals. In the years 1995-1999, when he was serving
in Turkey, he probably developed friendships with most of them. Yet
what I don't understand is his way of showing his support to those
generals. Mr. Ambassador always criticizes the practices of the
Turkish judiciary and stresses that those Ergenekon suspects do not
know what they are guilty of.
It is with this attitude that I have a problem. Mr. Ambassador, if you
are going to give your support to your old buddies, you are welcome to
do that. But do not hide behind your diplomatic mission and do not
pretend to be defending democracy and transparency and fair trials.
This is your weakest point and it really agitates the people in
Turkey. With this attitude, the very few American sympathizers in this
country also lose their faith in America because they think that
America and Americans are honest. They see what you are doing as not
honest because they know that you were serving in Turkey during the
Feb. 28, 1997 coup attempt and you and your embassy did not even say a
single word against those very same generals who are now in prison
back when they were crushing the conservative people in this country.
One should ask you the following questions: Where were you when your
dear friends, the military generals, were oppressing the conservative,
religious people during the Feb. 28 coup process? Weren't you in
Ankara and serving in this country? Why didn't you come in front of TV
cameras and criticize the anti-democratic, illegal practices of the
generals during the Feb. 28 coup period? Was it not a problem for you
when deputy Merve Kavakcı was thrown out of Parliament just because
she was wearing a headscarf? Was it perfectly OK with you that all the
judges and prosecutors were invited to the Turkish army headquarters
to "brief" them about how to treat conservative people and their
cases? Was it perfectly OK with you when military generals were
cursing the democratically elected prime minister and the judges and
prosecutors did nothing?
Why didn't you, as a person who pretends to be so sensitive about the
judicial process, or anyone from the US Embassy, come out and
criticize these illegal actions? If you were so sensitive about the
democratic standards and fair trails in Turkey, why don't you
criticize other cases that are being criticized in Turkey, too? For
instance, why don't you come out and say a word against the Salih
Mirzabeyoglu trial? Why didn't I hear a word from you against the
bizarre developments taking place in the Hrant Dink trial? Why didn't
I hear a word against the odd developments in the Deniz Feneri trial?
Mr. Ambassador, you are here to represent the American government and
the American people, with whom I share a great deal of sympathy for
their honesty, fairness and understanding of equality. Unfortunately,
your unexplainable sympathy toward the Ergenekon suspects and your
support for them does not compliment the typical American standard of
honesty and fairness. If you want to support your friends, you are
welcome to support them as a friend, but don't hide behind your
diplomatic mission and don't do it as if you are criticizing due
process. If you are so passionate about the democratization of Turkey,
be fair to everyone and do not turn a blind eye to one issue while
being so vocal about another.