Tense constitutional amendements process and new arrests at Ergenekon (or no arrests?)

by



found at Joe Greer

New arrests in Turkish coup probe

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
More than a dozen ex-officers are held over an alleged coup plot in Turkey, but the operation is suspended.

Turkish coup plot probe hits snag – CNN.com

Doğan’s release reignites row over GATA protecting suspects
Today’s Zaman
Retired generals Şener Eruygur, Hurşit Tolon and Levent Ersöz, all prime suspects in the investigation into a clandestine gang called Ergenekon

Turkish court orders rearrest of coup plot officers – report | World | Reuters

Court reverses Kuban’s ruling to release 21 Sledgehammer suspects

Alleged coup plotters rearrested in Turkey
euronews
An Istanbul court has ordered the rearrest of 19 senior serving and retired military officers just three days after they were released pending their trial

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – A controversial judge

Oktay Kuban, a judge at the 12th High Criminal Court who last week released 19 suspects in the Sledgehammer investigation including former Gen. Çetin Doğan, raised concerns about the independence and neutrality of the judiciary in Turkey.

The philosophy and direction of constitutional reform by ATİLLA YAYLA

I believe only a very limited number of people will say ?no? to the question of whether ?constitutional reform is needed in Turkey?? My conviction is based on the statements of political party leaders and other influential party figures, declarations by civil society organizations and public surveys mentioned in newspapers.

Constitutional amendments and leftist intellectuals

by GÜLAY GÖKTÜRK from BUGÜN
The leftist camp, it seems, has been caught in a dilemma in the face of the latest constitutional amendments package.

ŞAHİN ALPAY – Amend the Constitution, end juristocracy

The Constitution in force in Turkey was drawn up by the military, which seized power in 1980, and approved by the people in a referendum following a campaign in which it was not allowed to speak out against it.

İHSAN DAĞI – Unholy alliance against constitutional change

The constitutional package forces all political actors to take a position. As such, new groupings and new groupings depending on the position taken vis-a-vis the constitutional proposal have formed.

ÖMER TAŞPINAR – Realism versus idealism in the constitutional debate

Turkey is once again in the midst of a major constitutional debate. As usual, the political and electoral stakes are high. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) and proponents of the newly proposed set of constitutional changes argue that these reforms would promote democracy and bolster Ankara?s bid for membership in the European Union.

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – The CHP?s suicide

The Republican People?s Party (CHP), which has thus far left its mark on many anti-democratic actions in the country, is planning to get the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government?s constitutional reform package cancelled by challenging it at the Constitutional Court.

KERİM BALCI – What if the constitutional amendments are cancelled?

The old guard has been flocking to Sabih Kanadoğlu?s constitutional amendment annulment camp. Kanadoğlu, the honorary president of the Supreme Court of Appeals and the mastermind behind the 367 scandal, has been advising the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition that the constitutional amendment will be annulled by the Constitutional Court in any case and it could happen at any phase of the amendment process.

And The Fascism Award Goes to…

from The White Path

[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News] Well, of course, there is no literal “fascism award” in Turkey. But the one recently given to one of the country’s top judges well deserves to be described as such. I am speaking about the “Mahmut Esat Bozkurt Award” that the Istanbul Bar Association gave last week to Kadri Ã?zbek, the deputy chairman of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). Both the Bar Association and the HSYK are die-hard Kemalist institutions; therefore it was perfectly normal that one flattered the other. But the persona after which this award was named, Mahmut Esat Bozkurt, was a little odd. Non-Turks as slaves The late Mr. Bozkurt was the long-time justice minister of the early Turkish Republic. But he was also a leading ideologue of the Kemalist “single party regime.” Actually he coined the very term “Kemalism” in 1932, and articulated some of its core ideas. In one instance, in a public speech in 1930, he was particularly articulate: “It is my firm opinion…

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