Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç spoke about the 9th judicial package:

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who made a statement at the Eskişehir Governorship, said, “As an initial package of our judicial reform strategy document, we hope to see important regulations aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in the coming days.”

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who came to Eskişehir to participate in a series of programs, made statements at the Eskişehir Governorship. Particularly speaking about the 9th judicial package, Minister Tunç stated that important regulations to increase the effectiveness of the criminal justice system would be realized in a few days. He also responded to questions from the press regarding the public’s reaction to the question, “Where are the regulations aimed at eliminating the perception of impunity?”

“We need to pay special attention to our children”
Minister Yılmaz Tunç said, “In the article arranged for the protection of the family and children’s rights, we have implemented both constitutional and legal regulations regarding the measures to be taken for children, protecting them from all kinds of abuse, whether neglect, physical, or emotional abuse. Of course, there are significant efforts by our Ministry of Family and Social Services in this regard. In terms of judicial processes, significant progress has been made regarding preventive measures to stop children from being pushed into crime, and ensuring a trial process that considers their best interests after they are pushed into crime. There are still many things to be done. We need to pay special attention to our children. We must care for our children, who are the assurance of our future, as a primary duty of the state, without leaving it solely to the initiative of their families.”

“Insult crimes have become widespread on social media, written or visual media”
Then, Minister Tunç responded to questions from the press regarding the proposal that includes regulations on notarial and some judicial processes that was accepted in the General Assembly of the Parliament yesterday. He stated, “Our Parliament has been working day and night for the last month to implement both the 9th judicial package and the regulations regarding notarial and some laws that were enacted yesterday. I would like to thank the members of the Justice Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and all the deputies for their efforts. Of course, there are important regulations. Each item contains details. Particularly, insult crimes on social media and in written or visual media have become very widespread, and the increase in these crimes is due to their transfer to the judiciary and the framework of reconciliation. Our parliament has implemented a significant regulation to prevent insult crimes. Especially, we believe that there will be a considerable decrease in these matters with the removal of insult crimes from the framework of reconciliation and subjecting them to prepayments. We believe there will be a deterrent effect here. Based on discussions with scientists, legal academics, and information we received from practitioners, we have implemented such a regulation. This is also an important regulation.”

“We have ended the images of children being taken from their mothers or fathers like commodities”
Minister Yılmaz Tunç continued his remarks as follows: “We have also implemented significant regulations regarding child protection laws in the 9th judicial package. There are regulations regarding the personnel who will be responsible for implementing measures related to children. Here, it is not only the personnel in the judicial support and victim services departments of the Ministry of Justice but also the expert personnel such as sociologists, psychologists, and pedagogues in the Ministry of Family and Social Services, as well as guidance teachers working in our Ministry of National Education. We have ended the images of children being taken from their mothers or fathers like commodities in matters like the establishment of personal relationships concerning custody and the delivery of children.”

“We have received more than 50,000 opinions from our citizens”
Minister Tunç also noted that there have been rightful questions from the press regarding the public’s inquiries about the regulations aimed at eliminating the perception of impunity related to both the 9th judicial package and the recent changes in notarial and some laws. He mentioned, “We have a comprehensive study on this. Our judicial reform strategy document is nearly complete. We have received more than 50,000 opinions from our citizens. Based on the opinions we gathered from our bar associations, scientists, universities, practitioners, and all our high judicial institutions including first-instance courts, courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court, we have prepared for one year. Within this preparation framework, we will have a judicial reform strategy document that addresses significant issues regarding establishing a predictable and timely justice system based on the rule of law. It will cover the next 4 years, from 2024 to 2028, and there will be a timeline determined as short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Within this timeline, we hope to implement very important regulations regarding legislative changes and practices.”

“We will see important regulations aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in a few days”
Regarding the need for a reassessment of the Turkish Penal Code and the Administrative Offenses Act concerning deterrence and crimes that disrupt the peace and tranquility of society, Minister Tunç continued his speech as follows: “We will implement our studies on this by obtaining views from practitioners, relevant departments of our courts of appeal and the Supreme Court, and we have also received contributions from both our academics and scientific commissions. We aim to present the drafted work prepared under the appreciation of our deputies, and we can now refer to it as the 10th package. As the initial package of our judicial reform strategy document, we hope to see important regulations aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in the coming days.”