BILGESAM tries to find new ways for Turkey on its way to EU

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Wise Men Center for Strategic Studies (BİLGESAM) in Turkey, a think tank formed by retired soldiers, ambassadors and academics, called for the preparation of a new civilian constitution and enactment of judicial reforms to overcome future challenges in a report made public.



The think tank's report on Turkey's current situation and future challenges was penned by retired Ambassador İlter Türkmen, a former foreign minister, with contributions by BİLGESAM Chairman Atilla Sandıklı, former Supreme Court of Appeals President Sami Selçuk and retired Ambassador Özdem Sanberk. The report underlined that Turkey urgently needed to reform its judicial system to eliminate its current flaws, to take sound steps on the path toward full membership in the European Union, to adopt a new civilian constitution to replace the current one, which was prepared under military rule, and to provide its citizens with broader rights, Today's Zaman reports.



"Turkey has long been the target of harsh criticism from the EU due to violations of freedom of expression and religion, which has made judicial reform a must for the country. ... Reforms implemented so far as part of the EU accession process have not managed to eliminate all the flaws of our democracy. The latest annual report on Turkey's progress toward full EU membership showed that little progress had been made over the past year, raising serious concerns about freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary and the military's interference in politics, among other issues," read the BİLGESAM report.



The report said that because recent amendments made to the current Constitution, which was drafted under military rule in the wake of the Sept. 12, 1980 coup, have not adequately met the needs of the Turkish nation, it is necessary to replace it with a new one.



The report also stressed that a recent amendment to the notorious Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) was superficial and had cleared the way for new problems. The article, under which a number of intellectuals and activists have been tried for "insulting Turkishness," was amended last May.



"Keeping all these flaws in mind, judicial reforms should ensure, first of all, that the principles of justice are internalized in a way that would not lead to misinterpretation. The judiciary should not be open to subjectivity, and its members should refrain from making rulings based on their own ideologies," the report went on to say.