The prospect of the replacement of Ergenekon judges and prosecutors concerned many who saw such a move as direct intervention in the case, which is seen by many as a milestone in the history of the Turkish Republic as Turkey is for the first time directly confronting coup plotters. Now that the HSYK's final appointment list has been released and this risk has been eliminated, the belief of many in the independence of the Turkish judiciary seems to have been strengthened.Yeni Şafak's Abdullah Muradoğlu says the HSYK's final appointment list disappointed those who expected the judiciary to be dealt a severe blow when Ergenekon judges and prosecutors were replaced. “Prosecutors and judges conducting the Ergenekon case retained their positions. This should have been the case. This was a condition for the conclusion of the case in a more fair and effective way. The appointment of new judges and prosecutors to the Ergenekon case would mean an extension of the duration of the case,” explains Muradoğlu. He says the Ergenekon case is already one which came to Turkey's agenda very late and that interrupting the progress of this case would have hindered the development of the state of law and democracy.
“The ongoing crisis at the HSYK has finally been overcome. It was a very long marathon. Not just members of the judiciary who were waiting for their appointments but all of Turkey followed the HSYK meetings carefully, because the changes had the potential to influence the course of critical cases such as Ergenekon,” says Zaman's Mustafa Ünal, who thinks the public support for the Ergenekon trial brought about a compromise. Although Ünal lauds keeping Ergenekon prosecutors and judges in their positions, he still has some questions in his mind, mainly because of the assignment of an extra prosecutor to the Ergenekon case. “This has naturally led to some skepticism over whether the new prosecutor will influence the other prosecutors conducting the case and whether he might try to manipulate the case,” says Ünal, but he thinks that as long as the public support for the Ergenekon case continues, it is not possible for anyone to change the course of the investigation. “It was a very tough process, and the solution of the deadlock over HSYK appointments in a way which will not damage the prestige of the judiciary has been for the benefit of Turkey,” comments Ünal.
Another Yeni Şafak columnist, Resul Tosun, says Ergenekon prosecutors and judges maintaining their positions despite efforts to downplay and influence the Ergenekon case is a very promising development that shows the dominance of common sense. He also finds it strange that Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin and his undersecretary were the ones who exerted the most effort during this process to maintain the independence of prosecutors and judges and thinks the HSYK should have been more fervent regarding this issue. Tosun says that if Ergenekon prosecutors and judges retained their positions due to Ergin and his undersecretary's resistance to the HSYK, it is necessary to congratulate Ergin for his support of democracy.
