Thermal cameras to be deployed at courthouses to screen for fevers: Justice minister

ANKARA

Courthouses in Turkey will start using thermal cameras at their entrances to screen for fevers to prevent anyone potentially infected with the coronavirus from entering the premises, Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül said on May 29 as the country’s judiciary is set to resume its work as part of its normalization phase.

“The opening of the indictments and the filing of a public trial will be opened on Monday and will return to normal. Thus, the regulation of the indictment and the acceptance of the indictment will start as of June 1,” the minister said, speaking after a meeting for the coordination of COVID-19 measures.

Also on June 1, judicial activities will start in regional courthouses, regional administration, administrative and tax courts, he said.

As of June 16, all the hearings postponed will also resume and appeals will begin. The ministry will begin the interviews of those who succeed in the written examination of the judges and prosecutor’s offices as of June 15, Gül stated. The number of people to enter the courthouses and the audience to be taken to the courtroom will be determined taking into account the social distancing rules.

He said visits in prisons that were postponed due to the outbreak will begin on June 1 and that convicts and detainees will be able to receive visits.

The Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) also announced its action plan to return to normal in the judiciary. The measure of delaying the public prosecution will be terminated by June 1. The annual leave requests of judges and prosecutors will not be met to reduce the workload until the judicial holiday on July 20.