More sessions for judicial reform bill

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Justice Minister Ergin has said the judicial reform package aims to remedy Turkey’s violations at the European Court of Human Rights. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

The long awaited judicial reform package aiming to eliminate rulings against Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was submitted on March 14 to a sub-commission of Parliament’s Justice Commission for further debate, despite opposition objections.

Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin rebuffed suggestions that the fourth judicial package was a result of “bargaining” in the ongoing talks to solve the Kurdish issues, stressing that preliminary studies for the package began in November 2011 when the talks had not yet been launched.

“Turkey is the country with the highest number of violations at the ECHR. We examined those violations and drafted this proposal to remedy violations originating from our legislation,” Ergin said during debates at Parliament’s Justice Commission.

However, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Ali Rıza Öztürk said the package did not include a single article to amend the situation of jailed lawmakers, or lengthy detention periods. “If a Parliament is not able to free its own members, a discourse of ‘broadening the scope of human rights’ remains inconsistent,” Öztürk said.