 Council of State head Mustafa Birden has demanded an apology from Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin. DHA photo |
Turkey’s justice minister fired the latest salvo in its verbal war with the judiciary Tuesday regarding the speed of trials in the country, saying the judicial body should apologize for the slowness in which it hears cases.
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said the judiciary owed an apology “to citizens who have been waiting for years for justice and a result to their cases.”
The remarks came after comments from Council of State head Mustafa Birden, who said: "The honorable justice minister who said precedents were changing in the Council of State implicated the judiciary. He should apologize immediately.”
No one should be bothered by the ministry’s evaluations, Ergin said, adding that any mistakes in the ministry’s initial statements could be revealed and that the Council of State should also conduct its own re-evaluations.
“It is not a solution to blame the ministry instead of answering to the people,” Ergin said.
The argument erupted after an amendment to Article 102 of the Criminal Procedure Code, or CMK, came into effect. The amendment limits the amount of time a defendant can remain in detention without being convicted of a crime and has resulted in the release of a number unconvicted suspects – some of whom are thought to have committed serious and violent crimes.
The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has blamed the judiciary for being too slow in hearing cases, while the judiciary has blamed the government for not providing enough resources.
“We have a responsibility to answering the public’s questions and simply detailed the process [by which we have attempted to improve the situation],” said Ergin in reference to the comments that offended Birden.
Among questions answered by the ministry were the reasons behind why the Intermediate Courts of Appeal were not opened for service and why sufficient numbers of judges and prosecutors were not being hired, Ergin said.
The ministry has been taking steps and drafting proposals to resolve both problems since 2006, but has been stopped by the Council of State from executing them, Ergin said.
“After we detailed this process, journalists asked me why attempts for improvement were hindered after 2006. I told them to look at the interview records that were printed in the newspapers,” said Ergin.
“Reform of the judiciary, supported by President Abdullah Gül, has started,” said Ergin, adding that changes were being made in accordance with the standards of the European Union.
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said the judiciary owed an apology “to citizens who have been waiting for years for justice and a result to their cases.”
The remarks came after comments from Council of State head Mustafa Birden, who said: "The honorable justice minister who said precedents were changing in the Council of State implicated the judiciary. He should apologize immediately.”
No one should be bothered by the ministry’s evaluations, Ergin said, adding that any mistakes in the ministry’s initial statements could be revealed and that the Council of State should also conduct its own re-evaluations.
“It is not a solution to blame the ministry instead of answering to the people,” Ergin said.
The argument erupted after an amendment to Article 102 of the Criminal Procedure Code, or CMK, came into effect. The amendment limits the amount of time a defendant can remain in detention without being convicted of a crime and has resulted in the release of a number unconvicted suspects – some of whom are thought to have committed serious and violent crimes.
The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has blamed the judiciary for being too slow in hearing cases, while the judiciary has blamed the government for not providing enough resources.
“We have a responsibility to answering the public’s questions and simply detailed the process [by which we have attempted to improve the situation],” said Ergin in reference to the comments that offended Birden.
Among questions answered by the ministry were the reasons behind why the Intermediate Courts of Appeal were not opened for service and why sufficient numbers of judges and prosecutors were not being hired, Ergin said.
The ministry has been taking steps and drafting proposals to resolve both problems since 2006, but has been stopped by the Council of State from executing them, Ergin said.
“After we detailed this process, journalists asked me why attempts for improvement were hindered after 2006. I told them to look at the interview records that were printed in the newspapers,” said Ergin.
“Reform of the judiciary, supported by President Abdullah Gül, has started,” said Ergin, adding that changes were being made in accordance with the standards of the European Union.
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