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  • Ankara: Turkey'S First Ombudsman Sworn In

    TURKEY'S FIRST OMBUDSMAN SWORN IN

    Today's Zaman
    Dec 5 2012
    Turkey

    Turkey's first ombudsman, Mehmet Nihat Omeroglu, was sworn in
    at Parliament on Wednesday amid protests from the main opposition
    Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy
    Party (BDP).

    Atilla Kart from the CHP petitioned the parliament speaker for the
    ceremony to be postponed but in response the speaker's office said
    Omeroglu would be sworn in as planned.

    While Omeroglu took his place to swear in, CHP deputies in the
    General Assembly held signboards on which "Akbudsman" -- with the
    "Ak" representing the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) -- was
    written, implying that Omeroglu would not be able serve impartially
    and would act as an ombudsman for the AK Party.

    When asked by journalists whether he had anticipated any protests from
    CHP deputies, Omeroglu, who left the General Assembly following the
    oath-taking ceremony, said: "Lawmakers are free to do what they want.

    Not only can they say anything, they can also protest anything. This
    is natural in democracies."

    The CHP is against Omeroglu being elected as chief ombudsman due to
    a controversial ruling regarding Hrant Dink which Omeroglu had voted
    for while he was a member of the Supreme Court of Appeals. Omeroglu
    was one of the judges at the Supreme Court of Appeals who approved of a
    local court's ruling against Dink on charges of "insulting Turkishness"
    according to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which was
    later amended.

    Dink was shot dead by an ultranationalist youth in front of the offices
    of the Armenian Agos weekly. The perpetrator of the attack, Ogun
    Samast, said he was disturbed about Dink's "insulting Turkishness." In
    remarks that appeared earlier in the media, Omeroglu said he was
    not even aware that Dink had been convicted over Article 301. Dink's
    brother, Hosrof Dink, voiced his concern about Omeroglu's remarks,
    saying that instead of being held accountable for his stance in the
    Dink trial, he was awarded the position of chief ombudsman.

    The Ombudsman's Office will be responsible for examining and
    investigating all manner of administrative acts, actions, attitudes
    and behavior in terms of respect for human rights and freedoms,
    conformity with the law and fairness and appropriateness within the
    framework of the character of the Republic of Turkey as enshrined
    in its Constitution. It will perform its functions as part of the
    Parliament Speaker's Office. The Ombudsman's Office will be called
    the Public Monitoring Institution (KDK) and will have an independent
    and autonomous budget.


    From: Baghdasarian
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