Time to kick Turkey out of NATO

He stifled not only freedom of the press, but free speech in general. According to the Twitter Transparency Report, Erdogan demanded that Twitter remove any offending posts. Of the 33,593 Twitter accounts reported in 2016, over 23,000 were reported by the Turkish government, more than all other countries put together.

Fearing retribution from the police, even private news outlets no longer dare to report on anything which is not to the liking of the government-including demonstrations or clashes related to the Kurdish problem. Self-censorship by journalists has become a common practice, while quietening colleagues who try to protect the basic ethics of journalism.

Given that public demonstration is another form of free expression, Erdogan ensures that no demonstration can take place without a specific permit. In 2015, a bill was passed allowing the police to use excessive force to quell demonstrations and incarcerate those who participate in unauthorized demonstrations for up to 48 hours, presumably to maintain public order. Protesters wearing full or even partial masks could face up to five years in prison, especially if they are accused of disseminating propaganda for terrorist organizations.

Journalists are attacked for merely advocating for the resumption of peace talks with the PKK, or if they refer to PKK members as militants rather than terrorists. The Erdogan government has put freedom of the press under siege, and is bent on destroying journalism completely.

Erdogan's crackdown on press freedom, however, is not limited to Turkish journalists and reporters; it has expanded beyond Turkey's borders. As a case in point, Turkish consular officials in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, asked Turks in the country to report on any insult directed against Erdogan. Moreover, Turkey has targeted many foreign journalists, among them a French photojournalist who was arrested and expelled, and another reporter for a German television station who was denied entry into the country.

Turkish state officials have accused European and Western media organizations of being hypocritical in their representation of the media in Turkey, as Western states have their own standards of censorship on sensitive matters related to national security.

Although on a couple of occasions the European Union issued scathing reports about Turkey's serious backsliding on press freedom, the EU and the US (along with the Council of Europe and the UN Human Rights Council) have unfortunately taken no punitive measures to stop Erdogan's rampage against free press.

Sadly, the European community and the US are betraying their democratic values. They continue to treat Erdogan with kid gloves because he is presumably an important player against ISIS, and because he is allowing the US and its allies to use Turkey's Incirlik Air Base to launch air attacks against ISIS.

To be sure, Erdogan has been successful in blackmailing the West. He skillfully uses his leverage to control the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe and cement Turkey's geostrategic position as the hub for the transfer of oil and gas to Europe.

Turkey under Erdogan is not only violating freedom of the press, individual liberties, and the public's right for peaceful demonstration; every stratum of Tukey's governing authorities-including the police, the judiciary, the bureaucracy and the political echelon of the AK Party-is corrupt to the core and irredeemable.

NATO cannot allow one of its member states to erode the alliance from within and still expect it to be a viable force that can maintain and protect European security and its moral values.

No country led by a dictator that attacks US allies-such as the Kurds in Syria-should remain a member of NATO, and no country that sold weapons to ISIS should be a member of NATO.