PM announces new judicial reform strategy

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu declared the next five-year perspective of the judicial reform started in 2010.

“The court and prosecutors' office will prepare and publish an annual report. They will be audited by the public for the first time ever," Davutoğlu said in a program to introduce the new judiciary reform strategy at the Çankaya Palace in Ankara.

He declared the 5 goals that include 22 important elements in the reform package. Davutoğlu said they aimed to strengthen the judicial independence and impartiality, to increase accountability, to accelerate the judicial operations and to eliminate the multi-head aspect of the administration of the judiciary.

“There has been a reduction in confidence in the judiciary in recent years. In order to feel secure, our people must have 100 percent confidence in the judiciary," Turkish PM said.

He accused some structures, as being tools for the parallel state, which wanted to control the country by using the judiciary.

“We must bring back the fine judicial reputation," he stressed.

Davutoğlu also stated that they would expand the legal aid applications, a system to ensure that poor citizens are provided a free lawyer, in this year.

Only in the last year, Turkey paid 250 million lira to the lawyers only for legal aid, the Turkish premier explained.

“In addition to this, we will bring all citizens under a legal protection insurance system such as health insurance, and the government will encourage it by providing a certain proportion of the insurance premium,“ he elaborated.

“ The state will provide all treatment to those who lost their health deterioration due to physical violence," added.

According to the new package, the victims' rights will be strengthened and the workload of the judiciary would be lightened by giving some of the contentious jurisdiction works to the notarial system.