Dispute Between Two Supreme Courts in Turkey; Erdogan Says Parliament May Need to Pass Legislation

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, said on Sunday that Parliament may pass a legal amendment to resolve a judicial crisis involving an unprecedented dispute between the country's two supreme courts. According to Reuters, the unprecedented disagreement between the courts has sparked discussions about the rule of law in Turkey this week. The dispute is between the Court of Appeals and a ruling from the Constitutional Court regarding a jailed parliamentary representative. Last month, the Constitutional Court ruled for the release of Can Atalay, the imprisoned parliamentary representative. The Court of Appeals stated that it would not comply with the Constitutional Court's ruling. The Court of Appeals also filed a criminal complaint against the judges of the Constitutional Court. Atalay, 47, was sentenced to 18 years in prison last year for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government by organizing nationwide protests in 2013, along with Osman Kavala, a businessman and philanthropist, and six others. All defendants have denied the charges related to the protests, stating that the 2013 protests were spontaneous. Those protests marked the largest popular challenge to Erdogan in over two decades of his rule. In response to the Constitutional Court's ruling, the Court of Appeals deemed the Constitutional Court's decision unconstitutional. In a statement on Friday evening, the Court of Appeals accused the Constitutional Court of throwing the legal system into chaos with its rulings on individual requests. In protest of the Court of Appeals' stance, lawmakers from the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party, have been staging a sit-in in Parliament since Thursday. Erdogan stated that he would not participate in this dispute and would play the role of an arbitrator. He mentioned that this disagreement indicates the need for a new constitution that reflects a long-standing demand from Parliament, which should address this issue next year. Turkish police prevented anti-Israel protesters from entering a U.S. military base.