Human Rights

The Role of a Civil Constitution in a Democratic State: Examples from Germany and Türkiye

On September 26th, the meeting, titled "The Role of a Civil Constitution in a Democratic State: Examples from Germany and Türkiye", was held by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Istanbul Office in a cooperation with Istanbul University Faculty of Law.

The meeting, aimed at examining the role of a civil constitution in a democratic state from the perspectives of Germany and Türkiye, began with an opening speech by Dr. Volkan Aslan, highlighting the similarities between the Turkish and German constitutions. Following that, former Interior Minister of Germany, Gerhart Baum, explained the role of a civil constitution in Germany, referring to his latest book "Menschenrechte: Ein Appell" (Human Rights: An Appeal).

Subsequently, Prof. Dr. Oktay Uygun, a lecturer at Yeditepe University Faculty of Law, emphasized the importance of a civil constitution in Turkey and the necessity of bridging the polarized segments of society and ensuring the sense of security among different societal groups before embarking on a new constitutional process.

The panel discussion continued with a question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Eren, the Head of the Constitutional Law Department at Istanbul University Faculty of Law.

At the end of the meeting, participants came together for an exchange of ideas during the coffee break.