President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has appointed Yılmaz Akçil, previously of the Council of State, to the Constitutional Court. Akçil notably signed the decision that converted the Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque, as well as approving the legality of Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.
After the tenure of Constitutional Court member Muammer Topal concluded on January 30, Erdoğan selected Akçil as his successor. Akçil was chosen from a list of three names put forward by the Council of State General Assembly. The announcement was made public in the official government gazette.
Leading the 10th Chamber of the Council of State, Akçil validated the transform of Hagia Sophia back into a religious institution, and also endorsed the decision by President Erdoğan for Turkey to leave the İstanbul Convention. The Convention is an international treaty established to combat violence against women.
During the presidency of Abdullah Gül, members Zühtü Arslan, Hasan Tahsin Gökcan, Muammer Topal, Muhammed Emin Kuz, and Engin Yıldırım were appointed to the AYM. However, the appointments of Vice President Kadir Özkaya, and members Yıldız Seferinoğlu, Basri Bağcı, İrfan Fidan, Recai Akyel, Yusuf Şevki Hakyemez, and Selahaddin Menteş were made during the tenure of Erdoğan.
Yılmaz Akçil, born in Sandıklı, Afyon, on August 16, 1968, completed his law degree at Ankara University, and then achieved a master’s degree at Cumhuriyet University. His legal career included roles in tax courts in Sivas and Mersin, the Administrative Court in Erzurum, and leading roles in the Administrative and Regional Administrative Court in Erzurum. Akçil was also previously the President of the Justice Academy of Turkey.
