Engin Yıldırım: AKP’s response to AYM member’s ‘lights are on’ post ‘threatening national will’

After the 14th Higher Criminal Court’s response to the Constitutional Court’s decision on Enis Berberoğlu’s retrial, there were busy hours in Ankara.

Constitutional Court Member Engin Yıldırım shared “The lights are on” on his Twitter account after the Higher Criminal Court decision, with the photograph of the AYM building.

In response, the Interior Ministry shared photos of the Ministry building with the message “Our lights never go out” on its official Twitter account.

After reactions that this post contains “implication”, Yıldırım made another post saying “I mean in light of the law, not other lights”.

In his latest post, lamenting the controversy over implication, Yıldırım said: “My aim was to emphasize that AYM is a light of law.

There are harsh reactions to the exchange from the AKP and its alliance partner MHP.

Mehmet Muş, vice president of the AKP Group, argued that Engin Yıldırım’s message carried a “threat” and said they condemned the statement.

In his post on his social media account, Muş said: “No institution or person can intimidate the national will.”

Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül shared that “those who yearn for guardianship lose the ability to speak for the law. Nation turns on the lights, Nation turns them off.”

AKP spokesman Ömer Çelik also argued that AYM member Engin Yıldırım was “speaking with the mouth of the board” and said: “We cannot tolerate the coup mentality in our institutions.”

Çelik said: “No one can threaten our democracy.”

The 14th Higher Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled against Enis Berberoğlu that, despite the unanimous decision of the Constitutional Court, “there is no need for a new trial.

The court argued that the Constitutional Court’s decision on Enis Berberoğlu, who was removed from office as a member of parliament, was “within the scope of the fitness check”, and argued that there was no room for a new trial.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, speaking in the General Assembly of Parliament, said: “The Constitutional Court makes a decision. A court says ‘I will not obey.’ Well, who will we go to? Somehow everyone will read what they know. ” He said.

Some commentators close to the government on social media call Yıldırım’s post “an indication of a coup.”

Lawyer Kerem Altıparmak, defending court member Yıldırım, assessed that he “took a risk to defend freedom and the law.”

Member of the Constitutional Court Engin Yıldırım was elected to the Constitutional Court by then-President Abdullah Gül in 2010.

Yildirim, 54, was born in Istanbul and served as dean of the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences at Sakarya University.

Yıldırım also served as Vice President of AYM from 2015 to 2019.