High Court of Appeals of Turkey

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Seal of the High Court of Appeals

The High Court of Appeals of Turkey (Turkish: Yargıtay) is the last instance for reviewing decisions and judgements given by courts of justice and which are not referred by law to other judicial authority.

1 History
2 Administration
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

The institution of the court of appeals was Divan in the Ottoman Empire until the 19th century. The first modern court of appeals (Divan-ı Ahkam-ı Adliye) which was the first form of today's Yargıtay was established during the reign of Abdülaziz on March 6, 1868. Its first president was Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, the governor of Aleppo, who put great effort for its foundation. The high court was composed of members from Muslim and non-Muslim communities in a ratio of two thirds and one third respectively. The name "Divan-ı Ahkam-ı Adliye" was changed June 18, 1879 to "Mahkeme-i Temyiz" by an act on foundation of courts.

During the Turkish War of Independence, "Mahkeme-i Temyiz" transferred its case files to a Temporary Committee of Appeals (Muvakkat Temyiz Heyeti), which was formed on June 7, 1920 in Sivas by the government of Turkish National Assembly that replaced the government in İstanbul upon the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The Temporary Committee of Appeals moved from Sivas to Eskişehir on November 14, 1923 due to better transportation potential thanks to its location on the intersection railroads. At the same time, the committee's name was changed to Court of Appeals (Temyiz Mahkemesi).

In 1935, the Court of Appeals moved to its new building in Ankara, which was built by the renowned Austrian architect Clemens Holzmeister. On January 10, 1945, the name of the Court of Appeals was changed to High Court of Appeals (Yargıtay). The latest act related to the High Court of Appeals is from February 4, 1983.

[edit] Administration

The High Court of Appeals is administered currently by the following justices (as of October 2006):

Osman Arslan, First President
Nuri Ok, Chief Prosecutor
Osman Şirin, Deputy First President
Zeki Akar, Deputy First President
Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya, Deputy Chief Prosecuter
Uğur İbrahimhakkıoğlu, Secretary General

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