The establishment purpose of the Commission of Inquest, its works and its place in the history of Turkish democracy

Democracy revolution of Turkey was completed when Democratic Party came to power with the election held in 1950 after 27 years of single-party period. However, the Democratic Party began to become increasingly authoritarian, contrary to democracy, in the subsequent years of its rulership. The more authoritarian the government became, the stronger the opposition became against it. Under these circumstances, the tension in political life increasingly continued until the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. This authoritarianism and political tension ultimately led to the establishment of the Commission of Inquest to investigate the activities of the main opposition party and the opposition press. The Commission of Inquest was the final move of the repressive policy imposed by the Democratic Party upon the opposition using the power. Establishment of the Commission and its activities caused various debates both in politics and the legal community. Then, with the adoption of the law giving additional powers to the Commission, the debates became even more severe. Our study examines the process until the establishment of the commission, the effects of the establishment of the commission, the activities of the commission, its legitimacy and constitutionality, the role of the commission in Yassıada Trials after the 27 May 1960 Coup using archive documents, official publications, the press of the period and research works. Keywords: Commission of Inquest, Democratic Party, Yassıada.