mark61
18-05-06, 16:47
Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Turkish capital, Ankara, in protest at the killing of a judge by a suspected Islamist gunman.
Protesters waved Turkish flags and chanted slogans that the country must remain a secular state.
A man calling himself "a soldier of Allah" shot dead Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin and wounded four others at a top administrative court on Wednesday.
He was immediately arrested and two other people have since been detained.
Correspondents say the attack may have been linked to the court's record in upholding the ban on Muslim headscarves in universities and government offices - a decision condemned as illegal by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party has Islamist roots.
The attack has helped fuel widespread speculation that the court was targeted for its strict, some say hardline, adherence to secular principles.
The gunman reportedly burst into a committee meeting of the Council of State, shouting "Allahu akbar!" (God is great) as he fired his weapon.
The suspect has been identified as Aslan Alpaslan, 29. He was apparently carrying papers that identified him as a lawyer - although it is not known if these were genuine - and made it past security guards undetected.
The semi-official news agency Anatolia says the four other judges injured in the attack are now in a stable condition.
Attack denounced
Aslan Alpaslan reportedly shouted Allahu akbar as he opened fire
Mr Erdogan was quick to condemn the attack, and said the culprit would be severely punished.
The protesters marched to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern, secular Turkey.
Turkey's top three courts - the Supreme Court, Council of State and Appeals Court - issued a joint statement condemning the attack.
"This massacre attempt is directed against the secular republic. We strongly denounce it," said the statement read by Sumru Cortoglu, chairwoman of the Council of State. "This attack will not intimidate us."
Judge shootings appal Turk press
Turkish papers are shocked and angry at the deadly gun attack on five judges in the Council of State in Ankara, with one commentator saying it was an assault on Turkey's secular republic.
The press sees a clear link between the attack, which left one official dead, and a ruling by one of the injured judges that a ban on schoolteachers wearing the Islamic headscarf at work also applies to their journey into school./P>
Dailies use stark language to warn that Turkey faces a "dark future" if it cannot maintain unity, but one religious paper, Vakit, rejects the accusation that an article it published in February laid the judges open to attack.
BEKIR COSKUN IN HURRIYET
Whether they have a gun or a bomb in their hand, their target is the same: To wipe out the secular republic, to prevent modernity and civilization and push Turkish society into a way of life from the Middle Ages, to make Sharia law dominant.
CUMHURIYET
Yesterday was a big dark day in the history of the secular republic. All signs show that if the enlightened forces in Turkey cannot take any measures by being united, it is inevitable that this black day will turn into a dark future.
ERTUGRUL OZKOK IN HURRIYET
The Turkish judiciary has been the subject of a very heavy and dangerous attack. We have to name this very clearly: This is the 11 September of the Republic of Turkey.
AHMET HAKAN IN HURRIYET
To criticise a decision of the judiciary is normal in a state governed by the rule of law, but this does not mean that every kind of criticism is appropriate. No matter who says what, publishing the photographs of the judges [as the Vakit newspaper did in February] and saying that "Here are the judges who banned the headscarf even on the streets" is setting them up as targets.
MEHMET ALI BIRAND IN POSTA
Those who play the headscarf issue can be happy now! The action of a presumptuous person has caused the bells of danger to ring... The extreme religious groups and the extreme secularists are doing their best to discomfort the country and speed up the process of division over the headscarf issue.
TAHA AKYOL IN MILLIYET
We may be confronted with a major plan. This may have been a stealthy, well-organised attack, possibly directed by outside powers. It may also have been just an attack by someone with an "aggressive character". The law and reason require us to wait for evidence before commenting on the event.
CAN DUNDAR IN MILLIYET
The prime minister, who curled his lip saying "we always listen to them" after the warning speech from the chief of the Council of State, is the one at the forefront of those responsible for this event. So are the government and the religious press, which chose the Council of State as a target. We must counter those who expect the law to be cowed. We have to back the judiciary.
MURAT YETKIN IN RADIKAL
The government is in the sights of both the judiciary and the opposition. The political tension in Ankara is obvious.
FEHMI KORU IN YENI SAFAK
I wonder where Turkey will be dragged to by this attack that will be written in history as a black stain? I hope the government and the AKP [Justice and Development Party] now understand that they are facing a series of faits-accomplis threatening their existence.
EKREM DUMANLI IN ZAMAN
This attack is the latest stage in the process of dividing Turkey. God forbid that it continues. That is why every reasonable person must behave calmly.
A. IHSAN KARAHASANOGLU IN VAKIT
It is clearly a lie that the direct reason for this event is a newspaper article. It is a lie that seeks to threaten the freedom of press!
ABDULRAHMAN DILIPAK IN VAKIT
The judges and the decisions of the judiciary are not beyond criticism. It is not admissible to see these criticisms as "provocations" or "the selection of targets".
Haal de 2 fundikranten eruit.
Protesters waved Turkish flags and chanted slogans that the country must remain a secular state.
A man calling himself "a soldier of Allah" shot dead Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin and wounded four others at a top administrative court on Wednesday.
He was immediately arrested and two other people have since been detained.
Correspondents say the attack may have been linked to the court's record in upholding the ban on Muslim headscarves in universities and government offices - a decision condemned as illegal by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party has Islamist roots.
The attack has helped fuel widespread speculation that the court was targeted for its strict, some say hardline, adherence to secular principles.
The gunman reportedly burst into a committee meeting of the Council of State, shouting "Allahu akbar!" (God is great) as he fired his weapon.
The suspect has been identified as Aslan Alpaslan, 29. He was apparently carrying papers that identified him as a lawyer - although it is not known if these were genuine - and made it past security guards undetected.
The semi-official news agency Anatolia says the four other judges injured in the attack are now in a stable condition.
Attack denounced
Aslan Alpaslan reportedly shouted Allahu akbar as he opened fire
Mr Erdogan was quick to condemn the attack, and said the culprit would be severely punished.
The protesters marched to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern, secular Turkey.
Turkey's top three courts - the Supreme Court, Council of State and Appeals Court - issued a joint statement condemning the attack.
"This massacre attempt is directed against the secular republic. We strongly denounce it," said the statement read by Sumru Cortoglu, chairwoman of the Council of State. "This attack will not intimidate us."
Judge shootings appal Turk press
Turkish papers are shocked and angry at the deadly gun attack on five judges in the Council of State in Ankara, with one commentator saying it was an assault on Turkey's secular republic.
The press sees a clear link between the attack, which left one official dead, and a ruling by one of the injured judges that a ban on schoolteachers wearing the Islamic headscarf at work also applies to their journey into school./P>
Dailies use stark language to warn that Turkey faces a "dark future" if it cannot maintain unity, but one religious paper, Vakit, rejects the accusation that an article it published in February laid the judges open to attack.
BEKIR COSKUN IN HURRIYET
Whether they have a gun or a bomb in their hand, their target is the same: To wipe out the secular republic, to prevent modernity and civilization and push Turkish society into a way of life from the Middle Ages, to make Sharia law dominant.
CUMHURIYET
Yesterday was a big dark day in the history of the secular republic. All signs show that if the enlightened forces in Turkey cannot take any measures by being united, it is inevitable that this black day will turn into a dark future.
ERTUGRUL OZKOK IN HURRIYET
The Turkish judiciary has been the subject of a very heavy and dangerous attack. We have to name this very clearly: This is the 11 September of the Republic of Turkey.
AHMET HAKAN IN HURRIYET
To criticise a decision of the judiciary is normal in a state governed by the rule of law, but this does not mean that every kind of criticism is appropriate. No matter who says what, publishing the photographs of the judges [as the Vakit newspaper did in February] and saying that "Here are the judges who banned the headscarf even on the streets" is setting them up as targets.
MEHMET ALI BIRAND IN POSTA
Those who play the headscarf issue can be happy now! The action of a presumptuous person has caused the bells of danger to ring... The extreme religious groups and the extreme secularists are doing their best to discomfort the country and speed up the process of division over the headscarf issue.
TAHA AKYOL IN MILLIYET
We may be confronted with a major plan. This may have been a stealthy, well-organised attack, possibly directed by outside powers. It may also have been just an attack by someone with an "aggressive character". The law and reason require us to wait for evidence before commenting on the event.
CAN DUNDAR IN MILLIYET
The prime minister, who curled his lip saying "we always listen to them" after the warning speech from the chief of the Council of State, is the one at the forefront of those responsible for this event. So are the government and the religious press, which chose the Council of State as a target. We must counter those who expect the law to be cowed. We have to back the judiciary.
MURAT YETKIN IN RADIKAL
The government is in the sights of both the judiciary and the opposition. The political tension in Ankara is obvious.
FEHMI KORU IN YENI SAFAK
I wonder where Turkey will be dragged to by this attack that will be written in history as a black stain? I hope the government and the AKP [Justice and Development Party] now understand that they are facing a series of faits-accomplis threatening their existence.
EKREM DUMANLI IN ZAMAN
This attack is the latest stage in the process of dividing Turkey. God forbid that it continues. That is why every reasonable person must behave calmly.
A. IHSAN KARAHASANOGLU IN VAKIT
It is clearly a lie that the direct reason for this event is a newspaper article. It is a lie that seeks to threaten the freedom of press!
ABDULRAHMAN DILIPAK IN VAKIT
The judges and the decisions of the judiciary are not beyond criticism. It is not admissible to see these criticisms as "provocations" or "the selection of targets".
Haal de 2 fundikranten eruit.