In recent days, Turkey has jailed 100 people, including the Mayor of Istanbul, other elected officials, business leaders, and staff members. Just weeks ago, the chairman of the country’s largest business association was arrested for criticizing the government’s economic policies. These events are the latest chapter in Turkey’s steady slide toward authoritarianism—a process that began with the cover-up of the 2014 corruption scandal involving Erdogan’s family and cabinet. Since then, little has gone right for the country. The turning point came in 2016, when Erdogan exploited a failed coup attempt—widely believed to have been orchestrated or manipulated by his regime—to justify an unprecedented purge of the Gulen movement. What followed was the heaviest wave of persecution in modern Turkish history. Now, other opposition groups face the same iron-fisted tactics. Turkey has changed, and it continues to change—for the worse—under Erdogan’s tightening grip. The world watches with concern, but meaningful action against the regime remains elusive.
One of the most disturbing signs of how far Turkey has fallen is the continued use of the term “FETO”—a label invented by the Erdogan regime to frame the Gulen movement as a terrorist organization. Tragically, this label is still used across the political spectrum, including by opposition leaders, to justify state repression. Thousands of innocent people remain behind bars—women, children, journalists, judges, police officers, and military personnel. Hundreds of organizations have been seized or shut down, and lives have been destroyed under the weight of state persecution. The deeper tragedy is that Turkish society has failed to defend justice when it mattered most. The public should have stood up when the first innocent teacher or mother was arrested, when the first newspaper was shut down, and when the first journalist was imprisoned. That moment passed between 2014 and 2016, and the consequences have been devastating. But has Turkish society learned the lesson—that human rights and democracy must be defended for everyone, not just for those within one’s own political or social circle? The signs are not encouraging. Even today, opposition leaders invoke Erdogan’s language and his manufactured narratives to explain the latest crackdown. Turkey remains in the grip of a leader who has shaped not only the political system but also the very language of repression.
Another devastating consequence of Erdogan’s grip on power is the complete erosion of confidence in Turkey’s justice system. It’s no longer possible to trust the outcome of any trial, as almost all judicial and police appointments are political. The judiciary is no longer independent—it answers directly to Erdogan. He makes the case, tries the case, and delivers the sentencing. Judges and prosecutors are either Erdogan loyalists, willing to carry out his will without question, or they are too afraid to challenge him. This has created a climate where no one can be sure whether an accused person is truly guilty or innocent. Justice has become a tool of political control rather than a safeguard for truth and fairness. Yet the deeper tragedy is that Erdogan didn’t create this new Türkiye alone—people chose to buy into it because it benefited them. Economic incentives, political patronage, and promises of stability made it easier for many to look the other way as the foundations of democracy were dismantled. Now, with justice and accountability hollowed out, the consequences of that collective bargain are becoming painfully clear.
