He was born in Niksar, a town in Tokat province of Turkey, in 1932. He was the president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey,[1] from 8 May 1991 until 8 May 1995, and from 23 May 1995 until 1 January 1998, when he retired.[2] He also was the head of "Atatürkçü Düşünce Derneği" (ADD),[1] a leading Turkish non-governmental organization, that has organized Republic Protests, a peaceful mass rally of more than 300,000 people, in Ankara, on 14–15 April 2007.
Recently, he was implicated in the Ergenekon scandal, for allegedly being a CIAagent[clarification needed].[3] The journalist who made the accusation, Zihni Çakır, has been detained on charges of acquiring state secrets and fraudulent bankruptcy.
