President Erdoğan Announces Judicial Reform Strategy

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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has shared the "Judicial Reform Strategy" with the public.

Erdoğan has stated that the Judicial Reform Strategy consists of two basic perspectives, nine aims, 63 objectives and 256 activities.

Accordingly, while the two basic perspectives have been announced as "basic perspective on rights and freedoms" and "basic perspective on the functioning of the justice system", the nine aims have been listed as follows:

Protection and improvement of rights, freedoms; improving independence, impartiality and transparency of judiciary; increasing quality and quantity of human resources; enhancement of performance and productivity; ensuring efficient use of right to self-defence; ensuring access to justice and enhancing satisfaction from service; enhancing efficiency of criminal justice system; simplification and enhancement of the efficiency of civil and administrative trials; and spreading of alternative dispute resolution methods.

Some highlights from Erdoğan's speech are as follows:

'It shows our commitment to full EU accession'

"Despite everything, we believe that it is equally important for us and the European Union (EU) that the negotiation process, which has been continuing since 2005, is finalized as soon as possible.

"Though the promises made to us are not kept, we express our commitment to the process of full accession to the EU with this reform document.

'This document will increase trust in the system'

"The judicial reform document will both increase the trust of our citizens in the system and help to create a more predictable investment climate.

"With this document, we are putting forward new approaches in terms of reinforcing freedom of expression and carrying it a step further.

"We are taking new steps to ensure that the measure of arrest is used in a more moderate manner.

'A more effective use of right to fair trial'

"We aim to ensure that the right to a fair trial will be used in a more effective manner in the forthcoming period.

"We will introduce a new legislation that will enable that an access block is not imposed on a website as a whole, but only on the related part of it.

"We will also ensure that the verdicts given in cases related to freedom expression can also be examined by the Supreme Court of Appeals.

Periods of arrest

"Even though the maximum period of arrest has been specified in our related legislation, this period covers all phases.

"Within this context, we are planning to enable that the periods of arrest in the phases of investigation and prosecution are separately specified.

Restructuring of disciplinary procedures

"We are restructuring the disciplinary procedures against judges and prosecutors, we are extending the legal remedies against the disciplinary decisions of the council.

"We are establishing a Center for Performance Measurement and Monitoring in the Judiciary. The long investigations and lawsuits will be followed via a system that will be set up in this system."

Concluding his remarks, Erdoğan has stated that they will also establish courts that will specifically handle the cases pertaining to issues such as environment, construction and energy. (EKN/SD)

Click here for the English version of the Judicial Reform Strategy