Separation

Turkish Supreme Court chief warns on Islam, judicial autonomy

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government must respect constitutional law requiring the separation of mosque and state, Supreme Court Chief Hasan Gerceker said today.

The government is required to implement Turkey's secular rules in state affairs, education and society in general, Gerceker said in a speech in Ankara to mark the start of the judicial year. His statement follows similar warnings by army chief General Ilker Basbug on Aug. 29.

Turkish secularists, led by the military, have clashed with Erdogan over the role of Islam in public life. The Constitutional Court in July found Erdogan's party guilty of mixing religion and politics, and cut its state funding.

Laws passed by parliament are threatening the judiciary's independence, which the constitution guarantees, Gerceker said.

(Published by Bloomberg - September 8, 2008)