An Independence Tribunal (, plural ''İstiklâl Mahkemeleri'') was a court invested with superior authority and the first were established in 1920 during the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

in order to prosecute those who were against the system of the government. Eight such courts were established. They were located 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 ( ...

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

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Kastamonu Kastamonu, formerly Kastamone/Castamone () and Kastamon/Castamon (), is a city in northern Turkey. It is the seat of Kastamonu Province and Kastamonu District.

Pozantı Pozantı (, formerly ) is a municipality and district of Adana Province, Turkey. Its area is 899 km2, and its population is 19,852 (2022). The town is in the highlands of Çukurova, and is a major gateway to the Mediterranean coasts. Pozant ...

, and

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

. All but the Ankara court were terminated in 1921. After the law authorizing the Independence Courts was passed, the former commander of

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

, General

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the second List of Presidents of Turkey, president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its Prime Minister of Turkey, pr ...

, proposed founding 14 Independence Courts. Only 7 courts were established, as it was felt that there would not be enough cases to justify fourteen courts. One month after the establishment of the courts, another court in Diyarbakır was established, bringing the total number to eight. After the end of the war, many felt that the Courts were no longer needed. Although the government hoped to extend the life of the Courts, opposition pressure led to the closure of seven of the Independence Courts in 1921.

The Independence Tribunals of 1925

In March 1925, the allowed that Independence Tribunals were reinstated in Ankara and Diyarbakır. The re-establishment was opposed by members of the Progressive Republican Party (TCF), who voiced concerns that they could issue death sentences without the permission of the Grand National Assembly. The Tribunal in Ankara prosecuted members of the TCF for their alleged links with the Sheikh Said revolt. The Party was closed down on the 5 June 1925, but the politicians were later acquitted and released. In Diyarbakır the Tribunal was reinstated to counter the Sheikh Said rebellion. More than 7000 people were arrested by orders of the Independence tribunals and 660 people were executed In order to suppress the revolt. The Independence Tribunal in Diyarbakir prosecuted and sentenced the most. 5010 people were prosecuted of which 2779 were found not guilty and 420 sentenced to death.

References

{{Turkey-hist-stub Courts in Turkey 1920 in the Ottoman Empire Politics of the Turkish War of Independence Legal history of Turkey