Independence Tribunal

An Independence Tribunal (Turkish: İstiklâl Mahkemesi, plural İstiklâl Mahkemeleri) was a court invested with superior authority and the first were established in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence in order to prosecute those who were against the system of the government.

They were located in Ankara, Eskişehir, Konya, Isparta, Sivas, Kastamonu, Pozantı, and Diyarbakır.

In March 1925, the Law on the Maintenance of Order [tr] 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.

[2] The Tribunal in Ankara[3] prosecuted members of the TCF for their alleged links with the Sheikh Said revolt.