Turkish president cementing his power with iron fist: Author
Twenty-nine former Turkish police officers have gone on trial in the port city of Istanbul over their role in the failed military coup on July 15. Of the officers on trial, 24 are under arrest, one on the run and the rest on bail. The officers are charged with refusing to obey orders to protect President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s residence on the night of the coup. They are also accused of seeking to overthrow the government as well as allegedly being members of a group led by US-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of being behind the coup attempt.
Stephen Lendman, author and radio host from Chicago, told Press TV’s Top 5 that the failed coup in Turkey has provided President Erdogan with the opportunity to suppress opposition.
“The coup was giving Erdogan a chance to challenge his opposition and eliminate as many as possible [dissidents] so that he can rule with an iron fist [and] unchallenged,” Lendman said on Tuesday.
He added that “over a hundred thousand Turkish people have been sacked from government posts or arrested. It’s real reign of terror going on.”
According to the radio host, “He (Erdogan) had the Turkish parliament pass legislation eliminating immunity for parliamentarians; so, he could get rid of Kurdish opposition and anybody else challenging his rule.”
Pointing to the real culprits of the failed coup in Turkey, Lendman noted that the process of implementing the coup was “very suspicious” and “something is going on other than was being reported, but Erdogan is using this absolutely for certain.”
The coup elements could have shot down President Erdogan and got rid of him, but nothing happened at that night, the author added.
Since the coup attempt, Ankara has been carrying out a crackdown on those believed to have played a role in the move. The crackdown has seen over 40,000 people jailed pending trial and more than 100,000 sacked or suspended in the civil service, army, judiciary and other institutions.
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