Yekta Güngör Özden (born 1932) is a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

judge, and former president of the

Constitutional Court of Turkey The Constitutional Court of Turkey ( Turkish: ''Anayasa Mahkemesi'', sometimes abbreviated as ''AYM'') is the highest legal body for constitutional review in Turkey. It "examines the constitutionality, in respect of both form and substance, of law ...

. He was born in

Niksar Niksar, historically known as Neocaesarea (Νεοκαισάρεια), is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Niksar District.Tokat Tokat is a city of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is the seat of Tokat Province and Tokat District.

province of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, in 1932. He was the president of the

, from 8 May 1991 until 8 May 1995, and from 23 May 1995 until 1 January 1998, when he retired. He also was the head of "'' Atatürkçü Düşünce Derneği''" (ADD), a leading Turkish non-governmental organization, that has organized

Republic Protests The Republic Protests () were a series of peaceful mass rallies that took place in Turkey in 2007 in support of a strict principle of state secularism. The first rally took place in Ankara on 14 April 2007, just two days before the start of the ...

, a peaceful mass rally of more than 300,000 people, in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, on 14–15 April 2007. Recently, he was implicated in the

Ergenekon Ergenekon is a Turkish term that may refer to: *The Epic of Ergenekon, the founding myth of Turkic and Mongolic peoples * Necabettin Ergenekon (1926-2020), Turkish officer *Ergenekon, Turkish name of Agios Chariton, a village in Cyprus *Ergenekon ...

scandal, for allegedly being a

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

. The journalist who made the accusation,

Zihni Çakır Zihni Çakır (born 1969, Nizip) is a Turkish journalist and author known for publishing several books on the Ergenekon organization. Background Çakır was born in 1969 in Nizip, Gaziantep Province, and graduated from Ankara University Facult ...

, has been detained on charges of acquiring state secrets and fraudulent bankruptcy.

Notes

References

Biography of Yekta Güngör Özden
Biyografi.net Turkish judges 1932 births Turkish civil servants Living people People from Niksar Presidents of the Constitutional Court of Turkey Sözcü people {{Turkey-law-bio-stub