Current:Home > Contact-usClash between Constitutional and appeals courts raises concerns over rule of law in Turkey-InfoLens
Clash between Constitutional and appeals courts raises concerns over rule of law in Turkey
View Date:2024-12-23 15:57:32
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s top court of appeals has clashed with the country’s Constitutional Court over the release of a newly elected but imprisoned lawmaker, raising concerns over the erosion of the rule of law in the country.
The court of appeals said Wednesday it would not abide by the Constitutional Court’s ruling calling for the release of Can Atalay, who was elected to parliament in May while in prison.
The court of appeals also took the unprecedented step of filing a criminal complaint against Constitutional Court justices who ruled for the politician’s release, accusing them of violating the constitution. It said it would instruct parliament to begin the process of unseating Atalay.
The court of appeals’ decision to defy the Constitutional Court — Turkey’s highest court — sparked widespread criticism and concerns about the state of the judiciary.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue, describing the court of appeals’ decision as a “coup attempt against parliament.”
“The decision does not only target Can Atalay,” said CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel at the end of the meeting. “It is an attempt to resist the constitution, to eliminate the constitutional order and an insurrection.”
Parliament’s consultative body and the Turkish Lawyers’ Association were scheduled to hold meetings on Thursday to discuss the impasse.
There was no immediate comment from the government, but Hayati Yazici, a deputy chairman of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, expressed concerns over the development.
“We are experiencing an event that should never have happened. What a shame,” Yazici wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The powers that make up the state solve problems. They don’t create problems.”
Atalay, a lawyer and human rights activist, was convicted last year, along with seven other defendants, of attempting to overthrow the government for organizing nationwide protests in 2013. Atalay, who rejects the accusation, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He won a parliamentary seat in general elections in May while serving the sentence.
The Constitutional Court, which reviewed his case last month, had ruled for Atalay’s release, saying his freedoms and rights to hold office were being violated.
The brush between the two high courts came as the European Union’s executive branch released its annual report on Turkey’s membership, criticizing what it said were serious deficiencies in the functioning of the country’s democratic institutions, backsliding in the judiciary and deterioration in human and fundamental rights.
veryGood! (918)
Related
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- Large part of U.S. Osprey that crashed in Japan found with 5 more crew members' bodies inside
- Suzanne Somers’ Husband Shares the Touching Reason She’s Laid to Rest in Timberland Boots
- Cosmonauts remotely guide Russian cargo ship to space station docking after guidance glitch
- Tua Tagovailoa tackle: Dolphins QB laughs off taking knee to head vs. Rams on 'MNF'
- Guinea-Bissau’s president issues a decree dissolving the opposition-controlled parliament
- Cause sought of explosion that leveled an Arlington, Virginia, home as police tried to serve warrant
- Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore Deserve an Award for This Iconic Housewives Reenactment
- Young Black and Latino men say they chose Trump because of the economy and jobs. Here’s how and why
- Musician Carl Mueller III fatally stabbed in Philadelphia: 'He was brilliant'
Ranking
- Threat closes Spokane City Hall and cancels council meeting in Washington state
- More bodies found after surprise eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi, raising apparent toll to 23
- In GOP’s proposed Georgia congressional map, a key question is which voters are legally protected
- World carbon dioxide emissions increase again, driven by China, India and aviation
- Pete Rose fans say final goodbye at 14-hour visitation in Cincinnati
- Gloria Allred representing family involved with Josh Giddey case
- Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence sprains right ankle in 34-31 overtime loss to Bengals on MNF
- Repeat that again? Powerball's winning numbers have some players seeing a double opportunity
Recommendation
-
Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
-
Video shows elderly 17-year-old Shih Tzu rescued from air vent in Virginia home: Watch
-
Disinformation researcher says Harvard pushed her out to protect Meta
-
German man accused of forming armed group to oppose COVID measures arrested in Portugal
-
Military veteran gets time served for making ricin out of ‘curiosity’
-
Victim's father gives emotional testimony at trial of serial killer's widow: Trauma and sadness
-
Kenan Thompson Shares Why He Hasn’t Spoken Out About Divorce From Christina Evangeline
-
Wikipedia, wrapped. Here are 2023’s most-viewed articles on the internet’s encyclopedia