Turkey Bar Association (TBB) President Erinç Sağkan told parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission that no political or legal issue in Turkey can be resolved without respect for the constitution.
Speaking alongside provincial bar heads, Sağkan criticized arbitrary detentions, limits on free expression, the appointment of government trustees to municipalities, and Ankara’s refusal to implement rulings from the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Aug. 27. “Without respect for the constitution, it is impossible to solve any issue,” he said.
He outlined four urgent problems undermining the rule of law: arbitrary arrests, violations of free expression, the non-enforcement of court rulings, and the trustee system. Sağkan also warned against “disguised amnesty” laws, stressing that such measures must be debated in parliament with a qualified majority.
While the session continued, MHP Deputy Chair Feti Yıldız wrote on social media that some institutions “did not fully understand” the commission’s purpose, stressing that its mission was the PKK’s unconditional disarmament and the consolidation of national unity.
