Erdogan Increases Power Over Turkish Courts
By Ian Tarr
March 25, 2014 1:00 pm
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not endeared himself to his more liberal, reform-minded constituents. This is probably an understatement: last summer, thousands of protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against Erdogan’s increasingly Islamic and authoritarian rule. The Prime Minister’s detractors do not have to look far to justify their dissatisfaction. Under Erdogan’s leadership, Turkey holds the dubious honor of being the world’s leading “jailer of journalists[.]” Alongside his Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan has promoted religious education and restricted alcohol consumption. Just last month, bribery investigations implicated the Prime Minister’s political allies, cronies, and even his son. It was this latest development that spurned Erdogan to take action – and strip away Turkey’s judicial independence. By undertaking such a naked power-grab, Erdogan dramatically lurched away from liberal democratic principles.
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