'Support me, or I'll huff and puff and take over your company'

For the last couple of days, Turkey has seen the worst of what a democratic parliamentary system turns into when those in power bend laws as they please in the absence of any kind of checks and balances.

A prosecutor in Ankara demanded the seizure of a multi-billion dollar company based on an ongoing investigation. A judge in Ankara granted the request, ordering the appointment of trustee panels to the holding and its 22 companies.

One of those companies is a media group, which owns two television stations and two daily newspapers. Police raided the media group yesterday, taking control of the entire building.  

The newly appointed trustees forced their way into the control room of the television stations, again with the help of the police, trying to interrupt the broadcast. The employees of the televisions resisted, took control and continued broadcasting the raid live until they were cut off completely.

Police intervened against reporters and cameramen, confiscating their tools. The employees were prevented from entering their workplaces, while one reporter was beaten and detained.

And this was done at the expense of violating the constitution, which clearly states that "a printing house and its annexes, duly established as a press enterprise under law, and press equipment shall not be seized, confiscated, or barred from operation on the grounds of having been used in a crime," even though it was written in the aftermath of the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup.

At this point, the identity of the owner of the seized company, as well as the broadcast and publications they have done so far, do not matter at all. The alleged links between Koza ?pek Holding and the Fethullah Gülen Movement, which is under probe for...