Liberal Youth Congress in Istanbul

On October 18th, the Liberal Youth Congress, organized by the Turkish liberal youth movement 3H, took place in Istanbul. Around 400 participants from all over Turkey registered for the event, an astonishing number given the lack of a broad institutional liberal movement in Turkey. The keynote speech, given by Prof Dr Mustafa Erdoğan, Professor of Law at Istanbul Commerce University, was about the importance of the Rule of Law and of Justice as the building blocks of the liberal idea. 
 

During the event, participants discussed a wide variety of topics concerning both liberal political theory as well as the political situation in Turkey from a liberal perspective. Among the topics discussed were the libertarian plea of freedom, the concept of “negative liberty”, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, the free market and competition, the future of the open society in Turkey, the recent general elections, the state of liberalism in Turkey, and the political climate of Turkey.

In connection with the Congress, a ‘Secularization Panel’ was held with renowned experts and almost 100 participants from all over Turkey. Panellists discussed, among other topics, the relationship between liberalization and secularization, the influence of the government on secularization, and the ability of the government to restrain government action.

For more information on the 3H movement, check here. 

Visit the FNF Istanbul Office on their websiteand Facebook page.