Five days after military officers attempted to overthrow the regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a coup d’etat, more than 6,000 officials have now been rounded up and face charges in Turkey. Erdogan himself has said that he may reinstate the death penalty to exact full revenge and the ultimate punishment against those responsible for the dramatic events of Friday night that saw tens of thousands of civilians take to the streets on the president’s urging as tanks bombarded buildings and fighter jets hit at parliament.
While Erdogan has said the coup was the work of United States-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his supporters, Turkish officials are purging the government of Gulen supporters. But European Union (EU) and US officials fear Erdogan is using the coup as an excuse to settle old, new and perceived scores against any who have opposed his move to a more centralised and presidential-style government. These concerns from Brussels and Washington should be well heeded, as an authoritative Turkish administration built around Erdogan will only deepen tensions within Turkey — the very reason that led coup plotters to act against Erdogan.
Bringing back the death penalty, which was abolished by Ankara in 2004, will only result in Turkey’s bid to join the EU being rendered null and void — the rules of membership ban death penalty states. The reintroduction of the death penalty will also likely unravel the deal between Brussels and Ankara to stem the flood of Syrian refugees. Right now, Erdogan needs to act with caution. Hasty judgement and hateful justice must not endure.
