A new authoritarianism in Turkey?

As I wrote several months back, Turkey’s political debate flows into several narratives. One, perpetrated by supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), portrays their fight against the country’s old-guard secular institutions as Turkey’s first real attempt at sustainable democracy. AKP’s staunchest opponents say they are trying to make Turkey into an Islamic state. The real question, though, is whether the AKP is subverting democracy in the name of democracy — by attacking the old authoritarian elements and replacing them with AKP-inspired ones.

The AKP’s moral high ground continues to erode with stories like these:

Three journalists from a Web site critical of the government were jailed and charged on Friday as part of an investigation into accusations that the military plotted to overthrow Turkey’s pro-Islamic government in 2003. The moves came as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized the new American ambassador here for his comments on the case.

Charges of membership in an illegal network, disclosing state documents and inciting public animosity were filed against Soner Yalcin, an investigative journalist who is the owner of the Web site, OdaTV; Baris Terkoglu, the news editor; and Baris Pehlivan, a writer. After their initial detention on Monday the ambassador, Francis J. Ricciardone Jr., said that it was hard to square the action against them with the Turkish government’s professed support of press freedom.

Those who are looking to Turkey as a model for Egypt should take note.