Turkey’s Constitutional Court President warns his colleagues of afterlife and ‘divine scale’

While addressing his colleagues during a swearing-in ceremony, Constitutional Court President Kadir Özkaya warned of the “divine scale” ("mizan") in the afterlife, and said, “We will be asked to account (for our actions). Let us avoid mistakes.”

Thursday September 12 2024 05:06 pm

Duvar English

Turkey’s Constitutional Court (AYM) held a swearing-in ceremony for its newly appointed justice Metin Kıratlı on Sept. 11.

During the ceremony, the AYM President Kadir Özkaya addressed his colleagues, which also saw the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

He called his colleagues to be “independent and impartial. Do not take sides with those who pretend to be right when they are wrong, and do not take sides with those who use the law for their own interests. Always obey the law.”

Özkaya said they were “distributing justice and questioning everything and everyone. But let us not forget that one day they will question us too.”

“One day we will be asked to account (for our actions) in the divine scale ('mizan') (in the afterlife). Let us avoid mistakes and remember that one day it will be our turn,” he noted.

Özkaya became an AYM rapporteur in 2005 and was appointed as a member of the Constitutional Court by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in December 2014. He has been serving as deputy president until this year.

He was elected as the new AYM President in March, replacing Zühtü Arslan.

He was among the members of the AYM who found "violation" regarding the continued imprisonment of Can Atalay, who was not released despite being elected as lawmaker in 2023.

Due to the expiry of his term of office, Özkaya will serve as president for two years even though the presidents serve four years in the office.