Democracy on Trial
Excerpts from Andrew Finkel’s column today:
The legal writs and indictments are flying through the air like paper darts in a particularly unruly kindergarten class….So thick is the atmosphere of bitterness and accusation that it has become difficult to decide whether we are witnessing the wheels of justice grinding slowly or the second act of some grotesque tale of revenge….
On trial, one highly respected lawyer put to me, is the quality of Turkish democracy — can the will of the people through their elected representative rule in accordance with respect for inalienable human rights, or is Turkey to be run by those whose only mandate is a belief that only they know best?…. However this is not the only issue. Also at stake is the principle that “the best defense of one’s own rights is the defense of others.”
Click here for the full column
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