My new piece:

Corona Epidemic in Turkey under One-man Rule: How Efficient is Authoritarianism?

On the 26th day after the first case reported, had approximately 1144 times more coronavirus cases than and 638 times more cases than .

https://investigativejournal.org/corona-epidemic-in-turkey-under-one-man-rule-how-efficient-is-authoritarianism/ @TIJournalism

#Turkey is facing a steep curve of new corona cases now.

Currently, Turkey has the ninth highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases – 30,217 – even though the first case in Turkey was reported as recently as March 11.

Comparably, it took , with about the same population, two months to reach 30K cases from Jan 27 to Mar 23.

had only 26 cases on the 26th day after the first case was reported.

, 51.5 m people, reported its first case on Jan 20, and they had only 29 cases on the 26th day.

. @RTErdogan’s response to the virus was late and weak.

He insisted that “ #Turkey should keep wheels turning in the economy and that people continue going to work.”

#Erdogan’s regime started to crack down on the people who dared the question his policies regarding the coronavirus, opening a new front of dissidents in Turkey.

For example, a truck driver was arrested on March 29 after posting a video of his outcry on TikTok...

“Either I stay at home at your word and die from hunger, or I die from the virus. In the end, it’s not the virus, but your system that will kill me,” said the truck driver leading to his arrest.

Erdogan knew the economic package he announced was not enough to help the sufferings of the working class and small businesses, so he came up with “the national solidarity campaign” to mobilize people behind him.

An opposition parliament member @selinsayekboke said:

“the money (the Turkish people’s) has gone to crony construction firms, and the public gets an IBAN number,”

referring to the bank account number opened for Erdogan’s solidarity campaign.

A Twitter user posted,

“Sell your palace and live in honor, referring to @RTErdogan’s lavish 1150-room Presidential Palace, which cost $615 million to build.”

the Turkish Parliament’s Justice Commission passed a draft law proposal on April 3 to grant an early release for criminal prisoners (excluding the political prisoners like the journalists) up to 100,000.

Opposition lawmakers criticized the commission’s draft, contending that criminals responsible for Turkey’s deadliest crimes would be released, and innocent journalists and political dissidents would stay in prison.

Turkish people will pay the price with their lives while Erdogan and his inner circle are living a lavish life isolated from the public in their palaces.

@RTErdogan’s solidarity campaign is just a publicity stunt, hardly even a short-term remedy for the needy.

Finally, based on the #Turkish experience, authoritarian regimes are not as efficient as some say in responding to pandemics.