Constitutional Court member to Interior Minister: No one can give orders to judges

Photos: AA/File

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After Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu targeted the Constitutional Court over its decisions on a law about prohibiting protests on intercity roads, court member Prof. Engin Yıldırım posted Twitter messages apparently in response to the minister.

In his first tweet, he shared Article 138 of the Constitution about judicial independence:

ARTICLE 138- Judges shall be independent in the discharge of their duties; they shall give judgment in accordance with the Constitution, laws, and their personal conviction conforming to the law.

No organ, authority, office or individual may give orders or instructions to courts or judges relating to the exercise of judicial power, send them circulars, or make recommendations or suggestions.

Legislative and executive organs and the administration shall comply with court decisions; these organs and the administration shall neither alter them in any respect, nor delay their execution.

In another tweet, he shared his photos with bikes, saying, "My adventure with bikes." He didn't mention Soylu's name in his tweets.

Criticizing the top court ruling, Minister Soylu had said, "Go to work by bike, then. Go ahead, cycle back and forth to work, we are free, right? Why do you have police protection? Why do you have a police escort? I am in, are you in, Mr. President of the Constitutional Court?"

The Constitutional Court last week repealed an article on Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations, which prohibited demonstrations and protest marches on intercity roads.

Bisiklet maceram. 2020- 1992 pic.twitter.com/kFYNbf5MER

— Engin Yıldırım (@EnginYl) September 15, 2020

(EKN/VK)