Turkish Tyranny: Brussels Embraces Erdogan Despite 'Regime of Fear'

In an interview with Sputnik, Kumru Toktamis, Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Science and Cultural Studies at the US-based Pratt Institute, expressed alarm over the EU's decision to turn a blind eye to the Turkish government's arbitrary use of every law at its disposal to facilitate what she described as tyranny.

The interview came amid escalating tensions in the country after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the fight against terrorism is above the rule of law and that those who do not support the regime's operations against the Kurds would be considered enemies of the state.

Toktamis, for her part, pointed the finger at Erdogan's "regime of fear" for backsliding on the republic's democratic principles.

"Democracy, first and foremost, is about how you treat the opposition and in this sense, Erdogan's government does not want to leave any room for any form of opposition or any form of debate, any criticism of the government's decision-making," she said.

Touching upon the Turkish government's ongoing crackdown on the Kurds, she said that "the Kurds are one more time realizing that they are not equal as citizens, and this is going to be very destructive for the Turkish democracy."

Additionally, she blamed the EU for paying little attention to the latest events in Turkey. 

"Turkish society has been hijacked by the government in the name of the escalation of violence and the European Union is turning a blind eye to all this," she said.

Last Sunday, a powerful explosion ripped through the Turkish capital Ankara, killing at least 37 people and injuring 120 more.

Turkish authorities have announced that the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons were behind the attack, adding that the group has links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought for the creation of a Kurdish state since the 1970's and is vehemently opposed by Ankara. However, the PKK has said that they had nothing to do with the bombing.

President Erdogan has repeatedly been accused of authoritarianism. In early March, the government took control of the country's most widely-circulated newspaper, which had been critical of the President's policy. Recently, the regime launched an investigation into academics who had signed a petition calling on the government to halt military operations against the PKK.

Meanwhile, Brussels struck a deal with Ankara on Friday aimed at stemming the massive flow of people into Europe, according to Reuters, which added that Turkey stands to gain billions of dollars as a result of the agreement and that Turkish citizens will be allowed to travel to the EU without a visa.