Striking behind-the-scenes details on the judicial crisis within the AKP and the release of Ogün Samast

Gazete Pencere columnist Nuray Babacan wrote that the release of Hrant Dink's murderer, Ogün Samast, has "caused confusion" within the AKP.

"Following the Court of Cassation's uprising targeting the Constitutional Court, the conditional release of Hrant Dink's murderer, Ogün Samast, has led to the connecting of the dots," said Babacan, who added the following:

"There are those who attribute President Tayyip Erdoğan's more level-headed assessments, in contrast to his partner Devlet Bahçeli, to this. As information and analysis have increased, so has the number of those who believe that the uprising in the judiciary is not entirely innocent. So much so that there are those who trace this operation back to the 'Security Investigation and Archive Research Bill' that became law in 2021. The law, prepared by former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, had drawn significant backlash not only from the opposition but also from within the AKP.

With this regulation, the scope of security investigations for those who would serve in the public sector was being expanded to such an extent that it included provisions for the inclusion of the individual's spouse, first-degree blood relatives, and relatives by marriage—that is, the spouse's family—in the security investigation.

“With this section referred to as 'relatives by marriage,' the individual's entire social circle would be examined and could be used as grounds for denial of public employment.”

AKP members objected, saying, 'With this provision, none of us could hold public office.' The section on relatives by marriage was removed from the text.

According to AKP members, this proposal was an operation by those who wanted to put them in a difficult position within the judiciary and the state.

Now, they characterize the crisis that occurred last week as a continuation of this. Furthermore, there are even those who compare the situation to a FETO-style uprising and claim that the goal is to put the AKP in a difficult position.

The conditional release of Ogün Samast the other day is also being evaluated with the same perspective. This is why members of parliament were warned not to make statements regarding the judicial crisis."

News Source: 12punto