An open letter to the American ambassador to Turkey / EMRE USLU

e.uslu@todayszaman.com
Whenever the American ambassador to Turkey, Francis J. Ricciardone, sees a microphone and a camera he shows his passionate support for the defendants in the Ergenekon and Balyoz investigations as if he is not an American ambassador to Turkey but the American lawyer of the defendants in the cases.
Most recently, right after his embassy was attacked by a leftist terrorist organization, the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), he met with members of the Turkish press, but put little emphasis on the terrorist attack on his embassy. At least this is how Turkish media presented him. For instance, the Hürriyet and Milliyet dailies, both major newspapers, did not publish his message concerning the terrorist attack on the embassy on the front page but they did bring his messages about the Ergenekon investigation to the first page. This could be a show of typical bias in Turkish media, but Ambassador Ricciardone is an experienced diplomat. If he wants his message of condemnation about the terrorism that he faced to be featured on the front page of newspapers, he could have done it. Thus, we can assume that the ambassador, yet again, wanted to give his support to those generals and Ergenekon suspects in prison. To a certain extent I can understand Mr. Ricciardone's passionate support of those generals. In the years 1995-1999, when he was serving in Turkey, he probably developed friendships with most of them. Yet what I don't understand is his way of showing his support to those generals. Mr. Ambassador always criticizes the practices of the Turkish judiciary and stresses that those Ergenekon suspects do not know what they are guilty of. It is with this attitude that I have a problem. Mr. Ambassador, if you are going to give your support to your old buddies, you are welcome to do that. But do not hide behind your diplomatic mission and do not pretend to be defending democracy and transparency and fair trials. This is your weakest point and it really agitates the people in Turkey. With this attitude, the very few American sympathizers in this country also lose their faith in America because they think that America and Americans are honest. They see what you are doing as not honest because they know that you were serving in Turkey during the Feb. 28, 1997 coup attempt and you and your embassy did not even say a single word against those very same generals who are now in prison back when they were crushing the conservative people in this country. One should ask you the following questions: Where were you when your dear friends, the military generals, were oppressing the conservative, religious people during the Feb. 28 coup process? Weren't you in Ankara and serving in this country? Why didn't you come in front of TV cameras and criticize the anti-democratic, illegal practices of the generals during the Feb. 28 coup period? Was it not a problem for you when deputy Merve Kavakçı was thrown out of Parliament just because she was wearing a headscarf? Was it perfectly OK with you that all the judges and prosecutors were invited to the Turkish army headquarters to “brief” them about how to treat conservative people and their cases? Was it perfectly OK with you when military generals were cursing the democratically elected prime minister and the judges and prosecutors did nothing? Why didn't you, as a person who pretends to be so sensitive about the judicial process, or anyone from the US Embassy, come out and criticize these illegal actions? If you were so sensitive about the democratic standards and fair trails in Turkey, why don't you criticize other cases that are being criticized in Turkey, too? For instance, why don't you come out and say a word against the Salih Mirzabeyoğlu trial? Why didn't I hear a word from you against the bizarre developments taking place in the Hrant Dink trial? Why didn't I hear a word against the odd developments in the Deniz Feneri trial? Mr. Ambassador, you are here to represent the American government and the American people, with whom I share a great deal of sympathy for their honesty, fairness and understanding of equality. Unfortunately, your unexplainable sympathy toward the Ergenekon suspects and your support for them does not compliment the typical American standard of honesty and fairness. If you want to support your friends, you are welcome to support them as a friend, but don't hide behind your diplomatic mission and don't do it as if you are criticizing due process. If you are so passionate about the democratization of Turkey, be fair to everyone and do not turn a blind eye to one issue while being so vocal about another.