The Egyptian public, unfortunately, was run over by tanks and shot dead, deprived of its right to self-determination on its way to break free from its straitjacket, and now the members of the Muslim Brotherhood who came to power through democratic elections have been sentenced to death by a pro-coup Egyptian court. Well, what do you think the Western world does in the face of all these happenings? It just sits back and watches while these developments are being broadcast live to the whole world.

When I heard that the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, and 13 other members of the group had been sentenced to death by a pro-coup Egyptian court on Sunday, I remembered my 2007 interview with the Muslim Brotherhood's then leader, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, in Cairo. During the interview, Akef told of the atrocities of Hosni Mubarak's regime and pointed out the imprisonment of 15,000 people over 10 years, saying: "We want freedom and respect for the people." He was sure that they would come to power if the regime's oppression was eliminated.

Indeed, what Akef said came true. Unfortunately, however, the state of things that were achieved after a great popular revolution were already far behind the situation in the country in 2007. The world was a mere spectator, watching the overthrow of an elected government that came to power after a dictator was dethroned with a popular uprising. It also sat back and watched while the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood were crushed by tanks, and, now, it is likely to watch their executions. With the lawsuits that were filed after the deposition of Mohammed Morsi in 2013, hundreds of people were sentenced to death. One of these sentences has already been executed. International institutions argue that judiciaries are becoming politicized, but they are doing this partly for the sake of formality.

When the anti-Mubarak rebellions began on Feb. 3, 2011, I wrote in my column in Akşam daily: "While demonstrations were continuing, it was prayer time and thousands of people simultaneously began performing prayer in Tahrir Square. ... This mass is struggling for democracy and doing this without causing a slightest injury to anyone. ... In the present situation, the Muslim Brotherhood is indispensable for Egypt's transition to a democratic system without turning into a blood bath. ... This is what Mubarak really fears. If protests continue, the demand for an election cannot be hampered and the Muslim Brotherhood will win the election. This scenario also intimidates the West, particularly the U.S. This is why the U.S. inevitably pretends to support free elections, but it expects Mubarak to transfer his leadership to Mohamed ElBaradei."

What I wrote in 2011 has come true step by step. The Muslim Brotherhood came to power and it was overthrown and imprisoned by the military, which is supported by the West. Obviously, not all of the steps that it took during its short incumbency were right. It made many mistakes and it was run over by tanks, although it expected to pay for these mistakes in the elections. This is reminiscent of Turkey's May 27, 1960 military coup when the Democrat Party was toppled. Now, members of the Muslim Brotherhood have been sentenced to death by a court, which is also reminiscent of the shameful court of Yassıada that executed the Democrat Party's leading figures. Under these circumstances, the international community has no right to use the word ‘justice.'