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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gülçin Balamir Coşkun

Gülçin Balamir Coşkun is Research Associate at the Department of Comparative Study of Democracy and Political Systems of Eastern Europe and Academic Coordinator of the Center for Comparative Research on Democracy (CCRD) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

POSTS BY Gülçin Balamir Coşkun

24 April 2025

Gülçin Balamir Coşkun, Ertug Tombus

Criminalising the Legal Profession

Lawyers and bar associations in Turkey have long faced political and legal pressure. The court case against the Istanbul Bar Association that led to the dismissal of its executive board and the criminal prosecution of board members is another troubling instance of such pressure. The case exemplifies how authoritarian regimes increasingly criminalise lawyers and professional organisations that speak out against rights violations. Continue reading >>

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14 November 2023

Gülçin Balamir Coşkun, Ertug Tombus

The Rule of Arbitrariness as the New Constitutional Order in Turkey

Nearly two weeks after the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the Republic, Turkey's constitutional order faced one of the most significant judicial crises in its history when the Court of Cassation, the highest court of ordinary jurisdiction, and the Turkish Constitutional Court (TCC) clashed over the fate of imprisoned opposition politician Can Atalay. How should we interpret this constitutional crisis? Is it the death of constitutionalism in Turkey? Is it an attempt to test the boundaries of legitimacy before establishing the rules of a new constitutional order? Continue reading >>

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