Rapporteur: no juridical independence in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey Ria Oomen-Ruijten has said it is impossible to talk about judicial independence in Turkey following the Turkish government’s recently establishment of firm control over the judiciary, Today’s Zaman reports.

Speaking in Brussels at a news conference after the preparation of the annual EP progress report on Turkey, which reviews the latest developments in the country’s political landscape, Ruijten argued that the Turkish justice minister is now able to give orders to prosecutors and judges, referring to recent legislation that granted the government broad powers over the judiciary following the restructuring of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), the top legal body responsible for the regulation of judicial affairs, including the appointment of judges and prosecutors.

"We are calling on Turkey to end this. Because there must be judicial independence according to the Copenhagen criteria. Separation of powers, for us, is the most critical binding element in all European countries," said Oomen-Ruijten while pointing to growing concerns over the state of the judiciary in Turkey, which raised eyebrows in Brussels after it did not back down from passing a controversial HSYK law despite all warnings.

At a time when the whole region is going through turbulent times, including now Ukraine and Russia, Turkey is still an indispensable strategic partner for Europe, Oomen-Ruijten underlined, saying that the EU needs Ankara more than ever to forge a common policy against Russia and to build peace in the region.

For this, she stressed, Ankara has to keep up with reforms to stay on the EU course.

Emine Bozkurt, another member of the EP from the Netherlands, said the report employs balanced language to keep Turkey's EU goal alive, while also reminding Ankara of the homework it has to do concerning the rule of law, civic rights and democracy.

Brussels has been appalled by the recent developments concerning the judiciary, the rule of law, judicial independence and media freedom in Turkey after the government introduced a number of controversial pieces of legislation curbing individual freedoms and the right of access to information, among others.