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New move declassifies some documents, but falls short of full transparency
Documents regarding some of Turkey's darkest secrets, including some of the incidents that occurred in the first years of the republic, will remain classified, even after the other documents are made public. It is also not yet clear whether the records of 258 Parliament sessions held behind closed doors will be disclosed. Parliament decided to scan the 11.5 million declassified documents and share them online. Most of these are historic documents, including rulings of the 1876 Ottoman Parliament Meclis'i Ayan and the 1877 Meclis-i Mebusan.
However, Parliament has no intention of publicizing the archives from the first years of the republic. Decisions made by the National Unity Committee, which took over Parliament following the May 27, 1960 coup d’état, are among the papers that will be disclosed, as well as records from the sessions of the Republican Senate, which was established by the 1960 Constitution. The declassified documents include papers from the Parliament set up by the military after the Sept. 12, 1980 coup and the decisions of the National Security Council (MGK) from that era. A majority of these documents, however, could be viewed by researchers and academics with special permission before Parliament’s recent decision. Observers in Ankara have accused Parliament of not being courageous enough to declassify documents related to more sensitive subjects.
Independence Courts untouched
Records left from the Independence Courts, eight special tribunals set up after the War of Independence to maintain order, have been left in the dark. The Independence Courts were set up on April, 29, 1920, before the republic was established, and they served until 1927. There are 962 documents in the Independence Court archives, but they remain classified. With their controversial and questionable rulings, the applications to these courts lie at the heart of some of the most important problems in Turkey today.
Researchers say about 1,500 people were executed based on rulings by these courts. Thirty-seven individuals were executed by these courts in 1925 following the killing of Lt. Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay by religious fundamentalists in Menemen. After 1925, these courts primarily prosecuted those against the new regime. It was also these courts that ruled for the execution of 13 deputies in the trial of individuals suspected of plotting to assassinate Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. More than 100 execution decisions were made during the Sheikh Said Rebellion in 1925 and Dersim revolt in 1936. The courts were closed in 1927, but another Independence Court tribunal was formed after the Dersim incident.
Many believe that Parliament’s reasoning behind not disclosing these documents to the public is its fear of starting a discussion about the earlier years of the republic as the role of Atatürk and İsmet İnönü, the founding fathers of the republic, is significant in most of these events. Researchers will need Parliament’s permission to gain access to these courts’ rulings, but this has never been approved.
Parliament has also been reluctant to make public records from the 258 closed sessions held in Parliament to this day. In fact, the confidentiality of 210 of these sessions has been lifted, but still remains on the other 48. Most of these 48 closed sessions also date back to the first years of the republic.
Not long ago, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentary group deputy chairman Suat Kılıç demanded that the closed sessions on the Blue Stream pipeline project be made public, but this was refused. Parliament also held intense closed sessions in the years 1920, 1921 and 1922, during the War of Independence.
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