The 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Civil Code was celebrated with a symposium in Ankara: 'Secularism is the stem cell of the republic'

Yesterday, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Civil Code, a symposium titled "Republic, Citizenship and Secularism" was held in the Ankara Bar Association Meeting Hall, in partnership with the Secularism Assembly and the Turkish Human Rights Institution (TİHAK).

Symposium; Turkish Human Rights Institution (TİHAK) Foundation President Oğuz Gemalmaz, Secularism Assembly Spokesperson Umut Kuruç and Ankara Bar Association President Atty. It started with the opening speech of Elçin Özge Şimşek Çağlayan.

In the opening speeches; It was emphasized that the Civil Code was a progressive step in the rise of the Turkish people to the level of civilization, in the acquisition of women's social, economic and political rights, and in the implementation of the social order of secularism, and that the Civil Code constituted an important basis, especially in the current struggle of women.

In his opening speech, Secularism Assembly Spokesperson Umut Kuruç said; "Our Civil Code is the secular legal basis of the republic. Ummah is the legal establishment and guarantee of a social structure consisting of citizens instead of subjects.

The foundation of citizenship ensures the existence of social rights and the awareness and will to further these rights. However, today it is targeted by those who carry out the counter-revolutionary attack, which includes the liquidation of the republic with all its institutions. "It is necessary to see this and to reveal a revolutionary will that will change the material conditions accordingly," he said.

Ankara Bar Association President Çağlayan emphasized that the Civil Code is one of the most important achievements of the republic's legal revolution, secularism and equality understanding; "What kind of a common life do we want to build? A future where women are equal, where labor is valued, where no one is excluded because of their beliefs and lifestyle, and where the law provides security for everyone, requires the efforts of all of us," she said.

Speaking at the opening presentation of the symposium, economist Prof. Dr. Bilsay Kuruç also said, "The basis of law is equality. Freedom is its conjoined brother, the two of them are our parameters. Law is based on equality. Man learned this with the revolution. Our revolution is not only a struggle to get rid of Sèvres, but also to take our place in the Mediterranean civilization."

Secularism is the stem cell of the republic. If the Civil Code had another name, it would be the law on secularism. Because every form of the text is equality. "The stem cell of our civilization is the civilization that lies in secularism," he said.

Following the opening part, the first session titled "The Law of the Republic: From Subjects to Citizens with the Civil Code" took place, facilitated by Hande Heper.

In the session, public skeptic Tevfik Can Peker, "Civil Code and the Secularization Process of the Republic", 29 October Women's Association President Atty. Şenal Sarıhan “Women and the Transformation of Public Life”, Atty. Nazan Moroğlu spoke under the titles of "Our Revolutionary Law, the Civil Code, is 100 Years Old" and Mahmut Aslan under the titles of "Republic, Enlightenment and Citizenship".

Speakers emphasized that the Civil Code secularizes the institutions of the republic and ensures equality of citizenship. It was stated that the "nationalization" move attempted in the Ottoman Empire was achieved by secularizing the law in the Civil Code of the republic.

Speaker Şenal Sarıhan commemorated İlhan Erdost, who was beaten and murdered by the soldiers on duty in Mamak Prison, where he was held captive on charges of printing and possessing prohibited publications, 46 years ago today, following the September 12 fascist coup.

Hunting. In the second session titled "From the Gains of the Republic to the Struggle of the Future", facilitated by Doğan Erkan, Atty. Selin Nakıpoğlu "Women's Struggle for Equality and the Civil Code", Education-Labour General Personnel-Law and TİS Secretary Yeliz Toy, "Working Class and Labor Struggle", Leyla Köksal "Secularism and Legal Order: Against Corrosion" and Prof. Dr. Gamze Yücesan Özdemir "Is There a Future Without a Republic?" He spoke in the headlines.

Speakers; He stated that preserving and strengthening the qualities of the republic and combining it with the labor struggle is possible through the development of secular law. In this context, speakers emphasized that the Civil Code is at the center of this struggle.