Read Turkish original here. The text has been edited easily for German version.
A year and a half ago, American Andrew Brunson was arrested in Turkey – after he, an evangelical pastor, worked unmolested in country for two decades. The sudden accusation: espionage and support for illegal organizations. Last week, Trump, of course on Twitter, wrote incarceration of Brunson, which currently has 20 years of dungeons, is a "real shame" for Turkey. He called on Erdoğan to "do something". But Erdoğan had already said last year with a view to Fethullah Gülen: "There is also a preacher sitting with you. Give it out, n we'll do something about process, and you'll get your husband. "
The attitude "One preacher for us, one for you" proves that judiciary in Turkey is under government command and has been using hostage diplomacy for a while.
Can DündarIs editor-in-chief of newly founded web portal Özgürüz in Germany. He writes for time a weekly column about crisis in Turkey.
When Greece last December granted asylum to a Turkish officer suspected of being involved in coup attempt, Ankara immediately detained two Greek soldiers. Supposedly, Turkish security authorities claim that y have crossed border in a patrol.
Negotiations between two capitals are underway. They are currently one of most difficult tasks of Western diplomats in Ankara. According to former US ambassador Eric Edelman, Turkey has arrested over 30 people with foreign nationality since coup attempt in July 2016. Eight of m were still in custody on June 1, 2018. Added to this are 3.5 million refugees who used Erdoğan as a negotiating mass with threat of opening borders.
Recently, "hostage-taking" method was supplemented by two more: arrest of dissidents abroad via Interpol.
and kidnappings from countries that cooperate with Ankara. Berlin knows about it. Just last week, Doppelstaatler Ali Ekber Düzova from Hamburg in San Remo was arrested and released only after intervention by Foreign Office.
With hostages of Deniz Yücel and Peter Steudtner in Turkey and arrest of German writer Doğan Akhanlı in Spain, negotiating limits should be tested with Germany.
This article comes from time No. 31/2018. Here you can read entire output.Berlin is currently striving to normalise its political and economic relations with Ankara. It should be remembered that every concession has consequences. This knows who is negotiating with air pirates in hijacking aircraft, taking passengers hostage. The goal is to achieve uncompromising determination without compromising lives of hostages.
In order to liberate hostages from Turkey and prevent new things from being taken, re needs to be a principled policy that fights against Erdoğan's blackmail.
Both countries benefit from fact that relations are normalized. But if relations are not based on human rights, law and democracy, both sides are harmed. And this damage will be due to a bill that might be far higher than Özil photo.
From Turkish by Sabine Adatepe
Date Of Update: 29 July 2018, 12:00
