Notable Indictments in Turkish Judicial Proceedings (2008-2017)
Description
This dataset contains structured information compiled from official court documents regarding major high-profile criminal cases in Turkey, including the Ergenekon, Balyoz (Sledgehammer), Military Espionage, and Futbolda Şike (Match-Fixing) trials. The data have been manually compiled by the authors from publicly available indictments and court records. Each entry corresponds to a specific indictment within a broader case and includes detailed judicial and procedural information. Variables included in the dataset: Case Name (Dava Adı): Name of the overarching trial. Indictment Name (İddianame Adı): Title and reference of the indictment. Prosecutor(s) (Soruşturma Savcısı): Prosecutors responsible for the indictment. Date of Acceptance (İddianamenin Kabulü): Date when the indictment was formally accepted by the court. End Date of Trial (Davanın Bitişi): Date when the trial concluded (if applicable). Number of Military-Origin Defendants (Yargılanan Asker/Asker Kökenli Sanık Sayısı): Count of defendants with military backgrounds. Total Number of Defendants (Yargılanan Toplam Sanık Sayısı): Total number of individuals tried. Status of Prosecutors (as of 10 August 2025): Legal or personal status of the prosecutors (e.g., imprisoned, fugitive). Data Collection Method: The dataset was compiled through systematic review and extraction of information from official court indictments and judicial documents. Where multiple indictments were merged into a single case, each indictment is recorded as a separate observation. Temporal Coverage: 2007–2019 (depending on case) Notes: Some trials consist of multiple indictments later merged into a single proceeding. Missing values (e.g., trial end dates) reflect ongoing or unresolved cases at the time of data compilation. Prosecutor status reflects conditions as of 10 August 2025.
Files
Steps to reproduce
Identify Relevant Cases Select the major criminal cases included in the dataset: Ergenekon, Balyoz (Sledgehammer), Military Espionage, and Futbolda Şike (Match-Fixing) trials. Access Court Documents Retrieve official indictments and related judicial documents from publicly available sources, including: Published indictment texts Court archives Official legal databases and repositories Define Unit of Analysis Treat each indictment (iddianame) as a separate observation, even when multiple indictments are later merged into a single trial. Extract Variables For each indictment, manually extract the following variables: Case name Indictment name and reference Prosecutor(s) Date of indictment acceptance Trial end date (if available) Number of military-origin defendants Total number of defendants Compile Prosecutor Status Data Determine the legal status of each prosecutor (e.g., imprisoned, fugitive) as of 10 August 2025, using publicly available records such as: News reports Official statements სასამართლ/legal proceedings (if documented) Data Cleaning and Standardization Standardize date formats (DD.MM.YYYY) Ensure consistent spelling of names Resolve duplicate prosecutor entries across indictments Handle missing values (leave blank where data is unavailable) Validation Cross-check extracted data against multiple sources where possible to ensure accuracy and consistency. Due to the manual nature of data collection and potential changes in publicly available records, minor discrepancies may occur if the dataset is reconstructed at a later date.