Human rights activists around the world were up in arms last week over the extraordinary sentencing of Turkish lawmaker Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party to 2.5 years in prison for his criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government.
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Gergerlioglu was sentenced to prison for "promoting propaganda for a terrorist organization" after sharing news on Twitter of tensions between the government in Ankara and the Kurdish minority as well as the collapse of the peace process between the two sides.
In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, Gergerlioglu said he was sentenced for his "solutions in the field of promoting human rights."
"I gave no statement on support for terror. My statements do not serve the government, so that made them demonize my words. The court gave in to pressure; Its decision was political," he says.
Gergerlioglu says he has one last hope – the possibility of appealing the decision to the country's constitutional court. Unfortunately for Gergerlioglu, the domestic parliamentarian process is already underway.
From the appeals court, the sentence was sent to parliament for reading ahead of a vote to revoke his member status. The parliament is expected to authorize the move thanks to the power of the coalition, led by the Justice and Development Party. While unusual, his sentence was not unprecedented. Another lawmaker, Enis Berberoglu of the Republican People's Party, also had his position revoked. In his case, however, the constitutional court ruled in favor of restoring his status. As there is no parliamentary immunity in Turkey, this led to an incumbent lawmaker being sent to prison.
"Berberoglu's case cannot be repeated in my case," Gergerlioglu notes. "If the constitutional court rescinds the decision, and I go back to being a member of parliament, then that will be controversy No. 2. I hope the parliament's decision will only be made at the end of the process at the constitutional court."
Q: Do you think you did anything wrong?
"I don't think I did anything wrong. I stand behind every word I said. They want to silence me."
Q: What is your main criticism of the Justice and Development Party and President Erdogan?
"Erdogan is a centralized leader who gets farther away from the legal system and democracy with every day that passes. In the first years of Erdogan's administration, I supported them because they took positive steps for democracy. Nevertheless, I now see no step that can be supported."
Q: How bad is the human rights situation in Turkey?
"The image of human rights is deteriorating. The government doesn't do enough on the issues of freedom of religion and thought, freedom of expression, the protection of human life and property, personal security, and the right not to be tortured."
"This is not just my statement, but a global, objective statement based on the promotion of human rights. With the current government and its current policies, there's no doubt the situation will deteriorate even further."
Q: Do you think Israel and Turkey will normalize ties while Erdogan is in power?
"Erdogan is a pragmatic politician. He speaks to the people one way and behaves in a different way behind the scenes. Erdogan has one tool he can use on the people and that is the exploitation of the Turkish people's religious sentiments and, of course, Turkish nationalism. Israel ties will also be afforded their final status according to this issue."
"Israel-Turkey ties should be based on the principles of promoting human rights and democracy. Internal tensions in Turkey and Israel must not influence foreign policy. The full normalization of ties is required with mutual respect and recognition of the other's rights. The democracy and human rights situation in both Turkey and Israel must improve. Neither country must use these issues against the other."
Q: Are you interested in visiting Israel?
"Israel certainly has an important place in the history of the world's religions and the history of all mankind. I am very interested in visiting Israel to witness developments in the field of agriculture. I want to get to know Israel's sociological climate."
As for the Palestinian issue, which Erdogan has harnessed for his political benefit, Gergerlioglu says, "To determine what is right, I want to witness the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians directly. I think observing out in the field is much more precise than getting theoretical information."
He said, "I would like to get to know Turkey's Jewish community, which has a significant connection to the history of the Ottoman Empire, from up close. I'm interested in understanding how the country's Jewish community sees Turkish politics and understanding from them the nature of the relationship with the Turkish people."
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