SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President DOnald Trump called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to discuss the outcome of the vote, which gives the Turkish president the power to rule by decree and authorizes the abolition of the prime minister's office. (Photo: World Humanitarian Summit/flickr/cc)
'Astounding': Trump Salutes Fellow Authoritarian Erdogan on Power Grab
When human rights advocates raised concerns over election fraud, Erdoğan warned them to 'know your place'
Apr 18, 2017
President Donald Trump on Monday congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the controversial referendum over the weekend that granted him sweeping new powers amid accusations of human rights violations.
Trump called Erdogan on Monday to discuss the outcome of the vote, which gives the Turkish president the power to rule by decree and authorizes the abolition of the prime minister's office, and which opponents have slammed as a possible death knell for Turkey's democratic institutions.
That makes Trump the first, and thus far only, Western leader to congratulate Erdogan on the power grab.
"If there's a compelling defense for this, it's hiding well," wrote Steve Benen at MSNBC.
The laudatory conversation seemed to reflect Trump's authoritarian similarities with the Turkish president. In addition to discussing Erdogan's win, the two leaders spoke about the recent U.S. strike against a Syrian air base, which Trump thanked Erdogan for supporting, and the continuing fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). A White House readout of the phone call did not mention whether Trump raised concerns over accusations of voter intimidation, unfair campaigning, and ballot irregularities.
Observers criticized the call. "Even after everything, this is astounding. Formally and publicly congratulating an act of authoritarianization. Astounding," tweeted New York Times reporter Max Fisher.
The call also contradicted statements by Trump's own press secretary and State Department.
At a briefing Monday, press secretary Sean Spicer was asked what Trump would like to see the Turkish president do, to which he responded, "I think we'd rather not get ahead of that report and start to make decisions without knowing. There were observers there, as there routinely are, and I'd rather wait and see."
But with the phone call, it seems Trump didn't wait and see.
And the U.S. State Department released a statement Monday urging the Turkish government to "protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all its citizens--regardless of their vote on April 16--as guaranteed by the Turkish Constitution and in accordance with Turkey's international commitments, such as under the Helsinki Charter," which requires signatory countries to uphold human rights.
Meanwhile, international monitors with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) raised concerns over a decision by the electoral board to accept ballots that did not have official stamps, as required by Turkish law, which critics said could amount to election fraud. Opposition parties in the country on Tuesday filed a request to annul the result, which they said came after intimidation, unfair campaigning, and voting irregularities.
State Department spokesperson Mark Toner and human rights watchdogs echoed those concerns, prompting Erdogan to warn the OSCE to "know your place."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
President Donald Trump on Monday congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the controversial referendum over the weekend that granted him sweeping new powers amid accusations of human rights violations.
Trump called Erdogan on Monday to discuss the outcome of the vote, which gives the Turkish president the power to rule by decree and authorizes the abolition of the prime minister's office, and which opponents have slammed as a possible death knell for Turkey's democratic institutions.
That makes Trump the first, and thus far only, Western leader to congratulate Erdogan on the power grab.
"If there's a compelling defense for this, it's hiding well," wrote Steve Benen at MSNBC.
The laudatory conversation seemed to reflect Trump's authoritarian similarities with the Turkish president. In addition to discussing Erdogan's win, the two leaders spoke about the recent U.S. strike against a Syrian air base, which Trump thanked Erdogan for supporting, and the continuing fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). A White House readout of the phone call did not mention whether Trump raised concerns over accusations of voter intimidation, unfair campaigning, and ballot irregularities.
Observers criticized the call. "Even after everything, this is astounding. Formally and publicly congratulating an act of authoritarianization. Astounding," tweeted New York Times reporter Max Fisher.
The call also contradicted statements by Trump's own press secretary and State Department.
At a briefing Monday, press secretary Sean Spicer was asked what Trump would like to see the Turkish president do, to which he responded, "I think we'd rather not get ahead of that report and start to make decisions without knowing. There were observers there, as there routinely are, and I'd rather wait and see."
But with the phone call, it seems Trump didn't wait and see.
And the U.S. State Department released a statement Monday urging the Turkish government to "protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all its citizens--regardless of their vote on April 16--as guaranteed by the Turkish Constitution and in accordance with Turkey's international commitments, such as under the Helsinki Charter," which requires signatory countries to uphold human rights.
Meanwhile, international monitors with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) raised concerns over a decision by the electoral board to accept ballots that did not have official stamps, as required by Turkish law, which critics said could amount to election fraud. Opposition parties in the country on Tuesday filed a request to annul the result, which they said came after intimidation, unfair campaigning, and voting irregularities.
State Department spokesperson Mark Toner and human rights watchdogs echoed those concerns, prompting Erdogan to warn the OSCE to "know your place."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
President Donald Trump on Monday congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the controversial referendum over the weekend that granted him sweeping new powers amid accusations of human rights violations.
Trump called Erdogan on Monday to discuss the outcome of the vote, which gives the Turkish president the power to rule by decree and authorizes the abolition of the prime minister's office, and which opponents have slammed as a possible death knell for Turkey's democratic institutions.
That makes Trump the first, and thus far only, Western leader to congratulate Erdogan on the power grab.
"If there's a compelling defense for this, it's hiding well," wrote Steve Benen at MSNBC.
The laudatory conversation seemed to reflect Trump's authoritarian similarities with the Turkish president. In addition to discussing Erdogan's win, the two leaders spoke about the recent U.S. strike against a Syrian air base, which Trump thanked Erdogan for supporting, and the continuing fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). A White House readout of the phone call did not mention whether Trump raised concerns over accusations of voter intimidation, unfair campaigning, and ballot irregularities.
Observers criticized the call. "Even after everything, this is astounding. Formally and publicly congratulating an act of authoritarianization. Astounding," tweeted New York Times reporter Max Fisher.
The call also contradicted statements by Trump's own press secretary and State Department.
At a briefing Monday, press secretary Sean Spicer was asked what Trump would like to see the Turkish president do, to which he responded, "I think we'd rather not get ahead of that report and start to make decisions without knowing. There were observers there, as there routinely are, and I'd rather wait and see."
But with the phone call, it seems Trump didn't wait and see.
And the U.S. State Department released a statement Monday urging the Turkish government to "protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all its citizens--regardless of their vote on April 16--as guaranteed by the Turkish Constitution and in accordance with Turkey's international commitments, such as under the Helsinki Charter," which requires signatory countries to uphold human rights.
Meanwhile, international monitors with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) raised concerns over a decision by the electoral board to accept ballots that did not have official stamps, as required by Turkish law, which critics said could amount to election fraud. Opposition parties in the country on Tuesday filed a request to annul the result, which they said came after intimidation, unfair campaigning, and voting irregularities.
State Department spokesperson Mark Toner and human rights watchdogs echoed those concerns, prompting Erdogan to warn the OSCE to "know your place."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.