Abstract:

One of the topics much discussed in the field of social sciences is without a doubt the concept of freedom of thought. The main reason for this is that the levels of development of societies are seen and assessed directly related to the question whether the freedom of thought is guaranteed or not. In this context, it can be easily said that the institutionalization of democracy is related to freedom of thought. If we are going to evaluate the topic from the point of view of Turkey, it is possible to say that the concept is an important and even key concept in all respects. After Turkey gained the status of a candidate country at the Helsinki Summit in 1999, Copenhagen took its place on the agenda to eliminate the barriers to freedom of thought and to expand the sphere of freedom of thought to ensure the political criteria. After the Declaration of the Certificate of Participation and the National Programme prepared for it, in 2001 some articles of the Constitution, which regulates the freedom of thought to ensure the membership criteria, have been amended and a series of compliance laws have been adopted. In this study, in the context of the legal arrangements made in 2001, the place and importance of freedom of mind in the Turkish legal system will be discussed.

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