- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Erdogan Says Democracy Has 'No Value', Vows to Crack Down on Opposition

© AP Photo / Presidential Press Service/Kayhan OzerTurkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addresses local administrators at his palace in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016
Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addresses local administrators at his palace in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
In the wake of a recent bomb attack in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared that the fight against terrorism is above the “rule of law” and vowed to hit his enemies, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in particular, with "an iron fist."

A man holds the flag of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as Kurds living in Greece protest in central Athens on October 8, 2014 - Sputnik International
Is Syria Unravelling? Kurds Declare Federation in Northern Syria
Amid a sharp escalation in the conflict in southeast Turkey, Erdogan stated in a televised address that “democracy, freedom, and the rule of law” have “absolutely no value any longer,” DPA news agency reported.

Erdogan’s speech appeared charged with hatred as he called for a line to be drawn between his friends and enemies, and promising war against the latter.

"Those who stand on our side in the fight against terrorism are our friend. Those on the opposite side are our enemy," he said, referring to the conflict with the PKK.

Erdogan also threatened to turn his government’s military against the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Russian war planes at Hmeymim base in Syria - Sputnik International
The Turks and Saudis Should Beware the Ides of March
"Wherever you run, our soldiers, police and village guards will find you there and do what is necessary," the embattled president said.

Earlier he called on the parliament to lift immunity for HDP party leaders, allowing his security forces to arrest and detain legislators for proposing the creation of an autonomous Kurdish territory within the country.

“I no longer see as legitimate political actors the members of a party which is operating as a branch of the terrorist organization,” Erdogan declared, while suggesting that the HDP is an offset of the prohibited PKK party.

As of Wednesday, local media reported that at least 73 people, including many lawyers, had been detained for alleged links to PKK.

Armed Kurdish militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) stand behind a barricade during clashes with Turkish forces on September 28, 2015, at Bismil, in Diyarbakir - Sputnik International
'Full of Vengeance': PKK Leader Warns Ankara Offensive Will Lead to Payback
Chris Stephenson, a UK academic working in Istanbul’s Bilgi University, faces deportation for signing a petition aimed at stopping Erdogan’s  anti-Kurd state offensive in the southeast.

Ankara is waging a fierce propaganda campaign to justify its attacks on  Kurds. Erdogan has upped the ante recently, not only in the form of suppressing local media, but also nationalizing the nation’s largest newspaper, to avert the release of stories contrary to his political taste. The increasingly strident Turkish leader accuses external powers for exacerbating what he considers to be a Kurdish problem within Turkey.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала