Two Turkish journalists for the newspaper Cumhuriyet, Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, Dündar, were released two days ago after 92 days in jail on purported charges of terrorism and espionage.
They were allowed to go hours after Istanbul 14th Court of Serious Crimes ruled that their pre-trial arrest violated their rights. They remain subject an overseas travel ban.
The head of Turkey’s Constitutional Court defended the recent that freed them, saying its rulings are binding for everyone following criticism from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
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Erdoğan harshly criticized the Constitutional Court ruling that paved the way for the journalist’s release claiming that he “does not accept or respect” the decision while vowing not to “obey” it.
“I’m not in a position to agree with this decision. I’m saying this very clearly: I don’t concur with the decision and I have no respect for it,” he added.
“Court rulings can and should be criticized. For that reason, we respect any kind of criticism over our rulings. However, I condemn the accusations … that we have been taking decisions with instructions,” said Zühtü Arslan, replied head of the Constitutional Court.
“Court rulings bind everyone and every institution,” Arslan added, noting that neither commendations nor condemnations influence the institution. “A democratic constitutional state is a state in which legal rules bind the rulers as well as the ruled,” he added.