Are Turkey's top judges 'assassins'?

Orhan Kemal Cengiz

Aug 28, 2014

Member of parliament (MP) from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ali Ihsan Kokturk's nose bleeds as MPs from the ruling AK Party (AKP) and CHP scuffle during a debate on a draft law which will give the government tighter control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, at a parliamentary session in Ankara early February 15, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX18UO8 — Members of parliament in Ankara scuffle during a debate on a draft law that would give the government tighter control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, Feb. 15, 2014. — REUTERS

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In a farewell speech at his party’s Aug. 27 convention, Turkey’s President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the High Court of Appeals. The speech provided insight into Erdogan's state of mind and what is in store for the country in the coming days.

Erdogan, infuriated by a decision of the High Court of Appeals, branded the judges “assassins,” referring to the Ismaili order that branched off from Shiism in the 11th century and became notorious for its political assassinations.