Turkey’s top judge urges society to ‘not regard judiciary as partial’
ANKARA
The Turkish judiciary and judges should not be considered as supporters or adversaries of the government, Turkey’s Council of State chair Zerrin Güngör said on May 10.
“It is of course possible to criticize the rulings from a scientific aspect in accordance with the law. But when one criticizes the rulings, one should not regard the judges and the judiciary as proponents of the administration,” Güngör said in her speech at the 151th anniversary ceremony of Council of State in the capital Ankara.
Güngör also emphasized that the judiciary should also not be regarded as a “power impeding the actions of the government.”
“We believe that examining the rulings from an impartial and scientific criteria, rather than either sides’ interest, will contribute to the development of law,” she added.
The damaged reputation of Turkey’s jurisdiction will have “destructive effects” on the country’s economy as well as political stability, according to the top judge.
She went on to say that it is expected that all members of the judiciary are aware of this.
Güngör also recalled modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s remarks on the importance of “serving justice rapidly, pointedly and trustfully” and emphasized that she expects all members of the judiciary to show their best efforts in doing their jobs perfectly.
“Terrorist organizations are trying to polarize Turkey over religious, ethnic and ideological differences,” she stressed.
“Independence and impartiality along with the fundamental values of jurisdiction were trampled by members of FETÖ, who infiltrated the jurisdiction and captured strategic positions,” she underlined, referring to the group which is believed of have orchestrated the coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people killed.
The significance of impartial judges, who are loyal to their country, was revealed after the 2016 coup attempt, according to Güngör, who stressed that these attempts should not be tolerated in any case.
