Sergei BELOV

The Russian Constitution was adopted in 1993 as part of the democratic reforms implemented after the abolition of the Soviet system. The new constitution aimed at transplanting standards and principles of Western constitutionalism into the Russian system of government…

Zülfiye YILMAZ & Barış BAHÇECI

According to the mainstream narrative in the scholarly debate in Turkey, the Turkish Constitution of 1921 envisaged a secular, modern and consequently more democratic social order through the abolition of the monarchy and the caliphate. The strong legitimacy of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA)…

Oğuzhan Bekir KESKIN

The Turkish War of Liberation (1919-1922) is unique in several senses. Probably the most important aspect of it is that it was fought under a constitutional government that was formed for that very purpose. The formation of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) in 1920 and the Constitution’s enactment in 1921 are the landmarks of this struggle…

Mert DUYGUN & Işıl KURNAZ

Within the harsh conditions of the “National Liberation” period, 1919 – 1923, the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), calling itself “the only and true representative of the nation”, enacted the Constitution of 1921. The system of government prescribed in this Constitution was considered to be a conventional assembly government system…

Demirhan Burak ÇELİK

The 1921 Constitution, adopted by the first Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) on 20 January 1921, symbolizes the first big constitutional breakthrough in Ottoman-Turkish constitutionalism. From its chosen name to its very last provision, this constitution reflects a different approach in Turkey’s constitutional history…

Nilay ARAT & Aslı TOPUKCU

One of the most significant characteristics of the 1921 Constitution period is the presumption among many that the 1876 Constitution (Kanun-i Esasi) remained in force. This blog post aims to set forth the reasons and various effects of the so-called “double-constitution period”, and criticize this presumption…

César LANDA

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of infections and deaths across the globe. In response to this crisis, there has been rapid development and production of vaccines in some countries of the global north and governments have approved emergency use of the vaccines. However…

Şule ÖZSOY BOYUNSUZ

Following the occupation of capital İstanbul by Allied forces in November 1918 and the occupation of Anatolia by Greek troops in 1919, after the Ottomans were defeated in the First World War together with the other central powers, the national resistance movement started in the land soon to be declared as Turkey…

Serkan YOLCU & Barış BAHÇECİ

On 20 January 2021, Turkey celebrated the hundredth anniversary of its 1921 Constitution (Teşkilat-ı Esasiye Kanunu). Among its several peculiarities, it was the first republican constitution of modern Turkey, enacted by the first Grand National Assembly of Turkey/GNAT…

Manuellita HERMES

In 2020, many cases pertaining to environmental law were brought before the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court. Two landmark cases, in particular, remain pending. Initial procedural activities in these two constitutional cases suggest the emergence of a new paradigm for ecological justice in the country…

Harry HOBBS

Disputes over citizenship, alienage and deportation focus attention on questions of membership and belonging, of ‘exclusion and inclusion’. These issues are challenging for all political communities. Still, they pose particular difficulties for settler states like Australia…

Sujit CHOUDHRY and Asanga WELIKALA

Early on the morning of 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s military (the Tatmadaw) detained President Win Myint, the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and other high-ranking government officials. The Tatmadaw declared that Tatmadaw-nominated First Vice-President Myint Swe was Acting President…

Valentina Rita SCOTTI

Notwithstanding the State’s evident commitment at the moment of its ratification in 2012, the substance of the Istanbul Convention (IC) has been progressively challenged in Turkey. The IC, which aims to prevent and combat domestic violence and violence against women, includes fundamental definitions of controversial concepts…

Oliver NIKOLIĆ

It is with greatest sorrow we announce the demise of Pavle Nikolić on October 31, 2020. Pavle Nikolić was an expert in Constitutional Law, Emeritus Professor of the Belgrade Law Faculty, and member of Crown Council (Serbia).

Katarzyna SĘKOWSKA-KOZŁOWSKA

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (hereafter: Istanbul Convention or Convention) was ratified by Poland in 2015, just a few months before the present ruling party – Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice) took power. The ratification of the Convention was “a farewell gift”…

Julia KAPELAŃSKA-PRĘGOWSKA

Poland ratified the Istanbul Convention (IC) on 27 April 2015, and submitted its first report to the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) on 26 March 2020. However, just 5 years after ratification…

Stéphanie DE MOERLOOSE

The question of the free, prior and informed consent (hereinafter also “FPIC”) of indigenous peoples is at least as old as colonization itself. Indeed, colonization was undertaken through wars and occupation, but also through the law…

Tímea DRINÓCZI and Lídia BALOGH

In this blog post, whilst we focus on Hungary, we plan to expand our horizons beyond the non-ratification of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention by Hungary. What you need to know at this point is…

We are a month into 2021, a year that to many of us may seem to be a continuation of 2020 in terms of the impact of COVID-19 on our lives. Here at the Blog, we have continued to monitor the effects of the pandemic on constitutional developments across the globe…

Agnieszka BIEŃ-KACAŁA

‘Gender’ seems to be a word that, in the imagination of populists, allows them to push their agenda. Moreover, this word stokes the fury of populists and ignites a defense of nationalistic…