March 28, 2017
“The IAJ is concerned that the already oppressed judiciary will be turned into a totally depended instrument of power. The Venice Commission confirms the IAJ’s fears,” the appeal said, adding that the association had been following “the deterioration of the situation of the judiciary in Turkey since 2014.”
“After the attempted coup, it dismissed judges who had been put on a list long before the coup without giving reasons for the individual case and without proper procedure. In such a way since July 15, 2016, 24.4 percent of all judges (2,538 out of 10,382) and 24.3 percent of all prosecutors (1,121 out of 4,622) were dismissed, the majority of whom are in detention. The example of this destiny threatens those judges and prosecutors who remained in office or were recently appointed without sufficient experience. It is more than doubtful that a judiciary in this situation can be [described] as independent,” the association said.
Referring to the Venice Commission report, the IAJ said the commission concluded that the amendments “would place the independence of the judiciary at serious jeopardy” because of the “determining influence of the president on the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which is the main self-governing body, overseeing the appointment, promotion, transfer, disciplining and dismissal of judges and prosecutors.”
