The change of legal system and human rights violations in Turkey after the Coup attempt on July 15, 2016

Abstract

This article examines the legal system in Turkey, from the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 to the present day. The amendments to the Turkish Constitution, from a democratic point of view, are presented, and the aim of Turkey to join the European Union – how close it was and how human rights violations, turning to authoritarian presidential regime, led to the withdrawal of Turkey from the list of candidates to the European Union – is assessed. This article focuses on different transitions of the Turkish legal system over the past century and how the system was used in the political ambitions of the most recent leader of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The failed coup of July 15, 2016, is analyzed, and the subsequent repressions, arrests, and human rights violations are presented in this article. Possible remedies – such as raising awareness, human rights campaigns, and social and psychological help to rehabilitate the victims of repressions in post-coup Turkey – are also introduced. Several cases, including those of a pregnant woman, a law student, and a child, are presented in this paper. The Gulen movement, which is accused of and denies plotting the coup, is also introduced and analyzed. Turkey’s place in the global Rule of Law Index is looked at, and the factors leading to the decline of its rating are presented and analyzed.