OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY

Dear Mr. Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey,

My name is Ciprian POP, I am a 34-year - old Romanian national and I happen to be the Secretary General of a small progressive association, called “Worker's Romania “ (Asociatia “Romania muncitoare” in Romanian language), so we may say that I am one of the representatives of what you fear the most, the civil society.

I am also a free lance journalist who is following as any human being, with great concern, the tactics that you are using against your people these days.

I know, my opinion might be like a drop within a huge ocean and, maybe, you don't even give a damn about what I think or say. Mr. President, a Chief of State is called to protect the constitutional order and the institutional legitimacy and social cohesion of the people that he leads, not to operate thousands of arrests without even starting a proper investigation or asking the civilians to act violently against the representatives of the military.

You have also waged torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments against both military, police and civilian personnel, against the citizens of your country and any professional journalist who dares to have a normal opinion, sometimes not according to the way you perceive the things, immediately becomes an enemy of the state. 24 TV and radio stations have been recently closed in your country, a gesture that can only be regarded as being against the normal concepts of free press.

Moreover, the Superior Council of Prosecutors and Judges in Ankara has decided the suspension of a number of 2,745 judges and prosecutors from their functions, acting within a very short period of time, which makes us believe that you are acting according to a predetermined schedule, and the lists of the people that don't agree with your radical and dictatorial agenda had been made long time before the so called “coup”.

At the same time, we have also received with a lot of sadness the news regarding Turkey's Higher Educational Board ordering the resignation of a number of 1,577 deans from all universities - both public and private - across the country. All this acts are the result of a mind full of vengeance, that will most likely get your country with several centuries in the past, into a history that should never be repeated. You will make it into the history books, but the value of a leader is only given by the good deeds and by the way he remains in history.

Given the recent situation that everybody follows with great concern, you may well be remembered as a tyrant.

Both in my name and on behalf of the association that I am leading here in Bucharest, I am kindly asking you to reconsider your decisions, free all political prisoners, don't push your people towards vengeance and the use of torture and stop acting against your teachers and professors.

I do hope that you will read my message and think about how to restore a normal Turkey, following the example of your great forefather, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, father of all Turks.

May Allah forgive you, Mr. President, for the horrific things that you have done so far.

I avail myself of this opportunity to assure you, Mr. President, of my highest compliments, also with the sincere hope that you will change for the better.

Kind regards,

Ciprian POP

Secretary General of the “Worker's Romania” Association

Bucharest, Romania

23^rd July 2016