Turkish lawyer sentenced to life in prison for murder of judge in headscarf ruling

Andrew Gilmore at 6:16 PM ET

 
[JURIST] A Turkish court sentenced a lawyer to life in prison Wednesday for the murder of Turkish Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin [JURIST report http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/05/gunman-opens-fire-at-turkish-high.php ] in May 2006. Alparslan Arslan was accused of opening fire in Turkey's highest administrative court, the Council of State [official website http://www.danistay.gov.tr/eng/index.html ], to protest a February 2006 ruling [JURIST report http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/02/turkish-pm-slams-court-ruling-denying.php ] by the court permitting a school to deny promotion to a teacher because she wore a religious headscarf. Arslan was also sentenced to two life sentences for attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and establishing an armed group.

The shootings immediately prompted widespread protests in Turkey [JURIST report] showing public dismay over the violence. Religious dress [JURIST news archive] has been a controversial issue in Turkey, with the Islamic-oriented ruling Justice and Development Party [party website, in Turkish] demanding that the ban on women wearing headscarves in schools and other public accommodations be lifted while the courts and the military, harking back to secularist policies [Turkish News backgrounder] set in the era of state founder Kemal Ataturk [Turkish News profile], fight to restrict Islamic influence on the nation. Last week, the Turkish parliament voted to ease the ban on Islamic headscarves [JURIST report]. Reuters has more http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13483502.htm
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/02/turkish-lawyer-sentenced-to-life-in.php