The “1st International Space Law and Technologies Symposium,” hosted by Düzce University and organized in collaboration with our University and the IHU Dispute Resolution Application and Research Center, took place on February 27-28 with broad participation. The symposium, attended by academics, lawyers, and technology experts, focused on current developments in the field of space law and technologies.
The event was attended by Düzce Governor Selçuk Aslan, our President Prof. Atilla Arkan, Düzce University President Prof. Nedim Sözbir, Düzce Deputy Mayor Burak Coşkun, other protocol members, as well as representatives from public institutions and the private sector, academics, researchers, students, and members of the press. The first panel session was moderated by Prof. Yeliz Bozkurt Gümrükçüoğlu, Head of the Department of Private Law at IHU School of Law and Director of the UÇAM Center.
On the first day of the symposium, opening speeches and panel sessions were held. In the opening speeches, attention was drawn to issues such as the international dimension of space law, the effects of technological developments on legal regulations and future regulatory needs. The importance of addressing legal regulations on a scientific basis in today's rapidly advancing space studies was emphasized. Thus, it was stated that the legal framework should be updated in parallel with the developments in the field of space.
On the second day of the symposium, various papers were presented in the field of technology and law. In this context, issues such as the development of space law and technologies, inter-state cooperation, commercial space activities and space mining were discussed in detail. The adaptation of international legal norms to space and human rights in space were also discussed. The participants evaluated the legal dimensions of space activities from a broad perspective and presented important ideas on how future legal regulations will be shaped. At the end of the symposium, it was emphasized that academic cooperation in the field of space law should be increased.
In face-to-face sessions, Prof. Yeliz Bozkurt Gümrükçüoğlu, Assist. Prof. Gülnihal Ahter Yakacak, Assist. Prof. Ömer Faruk Kafalı, and in online sessions, Assist. Prof. Erdem İzzet Külçür, Assist. Prof. Kayser Nasrat, and Res. Assist. Abdülmecit Güldağı contributed to the symposium with their presentations.
Prof. Yeliz Bozkurt Gümrükçüoğlu, who is a member of the organizing and scientific committee of the symposium, evaluated the legal problems arising from the increasing space activities of private companies and the need to establish international labor law rules for the protection of workers' rights and stated that arbitration can be an effective solution in this context. Assist. Prof. Gülnihal Ahter Yakacak, in her paper titled “Protection of Personal Data in Space Activities”, examined the problems arising from the development of satellite systems in terms of the protection of personal data. Assist. Prof. Ömer Faruk Kafalı, in his paper on “Evidence in Commercial Space Arbitration Cases and Difficulties in the Evaluation of Evidence”, discussed the difficulties created by the unique conditions of space in obtaining evidence in legal disputes that have increased with the commercialization of space and the applicability of arbitration in resolving these disputes. Assist. Prof. Erdem İzzet Külçür, in his study titled “The Problem of the Use of Jurisdiction in Turkish Criminal Law on Crimes Committed in Space”, emphasized the insufficiency of the existing jurisdiction regarding the crimes committed in space in terms of Turkish criminal law and presented the legal gaps and solution suggestions. Assist. Prof. Kayser Nasrat, in his paper titled “The Impact of Cyber Attacks on Air Security: Case Study”, analyzed the effects of cyber-attacks on critical systems in the aviation sector and passenger safety with concrete examples. Res. Assist. Abdülmecit Güldağı also presented a paper titled “Legal Status and Working Conditions of Workers Working in Space: Assessment of the Need for International Regulation from the Perspective of Labor Law”, stated that in order to eliminate legal uncertainties regarding the working conditions of employees employed by private companies in space activities, international labor law regulations that take into account the risks specific to space are needed.
At the end of the symposium, certificates of appreciation were presented to the participants. The event ended with the wish to organize regular meetings in the field of space law and technologies in the coming years.
