Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delved into an ongoing judicial crisis today, Friday, criticizing the Constitutional Court for making "numerous mistakes" and supporting an unprecedented complaint against it from a court of cassation, coinciding with opposition marches in Ankara. The comments have sparked a debate about the rule of law that began on Wednesday when the Turkish Court of Cassation filed a criminal complaint against the judges of the Constitutional Court, which ruled last month that imprisoned parliamentarian Can Atalay should be released.
In a move described by critics as highlighting the decline of Turkey's judicial system, the Court of Cassation stated that the Constitutional Court's ruling was unconstitutional. Legal experts find it difficult to predict the next steps to resolve the unprecedented standoff between the two courts.
In a statement from Erdoğan's office today, Erdoğan told reporters during his return trip from Uzbekistan, "Unfortunately, the Constitutional Court has committed many consecutive mistakes at this stage, which truly saddens us." He added, "The Constitutional Court cannot and should not underestimate the step taken by the Court of Cassation in this regard."
The Bar Association and Turkey's main opposition party condemned the Court of Cassation's move as a "coup attempt," with hundreds of their members, many of whom are lawyers wearing the famous black robe, demonstrating and chanting "justice" in the streets of the Turkish capital today. Erdoğan requested members of his ruling Justice and Development Party to support the complaint from the Court of Cassation, a call seemingly directed at some party members who criticized the Court of Cassation's move.
