01.09.2026 15:10
Speaking at a ceremony held at the Court of Cassation for the opening of the new judicial year, the President of the Turkish Bar Association, Erinç Sağkan, delivered numerous messages ranging from the Terror-Free Turkey process to delayed trials, from the new execution law to Constitutional Court decisions. Sağkan, who described the Terror-Free Turkey process as a "historic opportunity," pointed to the guarantee of the rule of law for the consolidation of social integration.
The President of the Turkish Bar Association, Erinç Sağkan, made comprehensive assessments regarding the agenda at the opening ceremony of the new judicial year. On Sağkan's agenda were the Terrorism-Free Türkiye process, judicial independence, and freedom of expression.
"IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS IS A HISTORICAL OPPORTUNITY"
Sağkan, who began his remarks by referring to the Terrorism-Free Türkiye process, said the following:
"It should be noted that the will to remove terrorism from our country's agenda and to achieve social integration is a historical opportunity in terms of leaving conflicts and disputes behind through legal means. Indeed, the terrorism process that has continued for nearly forty years has been decisive in this regard not only because of its horrific consequences, such as our martyrs and civilian losses, but also because it has led to deep crises in our democracy and legal practice. Public powers have been expanded as much as possible under the justification of combating terrorism; the methods of coping with states of emergency have been institutionalized and, in effect, normalized. In the same period, the meaning of the concept of crime has also changed. A much broader understanding of threat and danger, encompassing political, economic, social, and environmental areas, has become central to criminal law; thus, taking extraordinary measures and using force have been more easily legitimized."
Details are coming...