Council of Judges and Prosecutors

Turkish authorities have made the first arrest in connection with the deadly car crash involving renowned writer Eylem Tok's son, who fled the country shortly after the incident.

Following the Council of State's decision to reinstate some judges and prosecutors who were dismissed due to their alleged links with the FETÖ terror group, a top council has initiated a new review process for these judicial members, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has said.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has confirmed that three inspectors have been deployed to investigate allegations of bribery and irregularities within an Istanbul courthouse.

Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül said on April 6 that probes have been launched into 750 people in 66 provinces, for not abiding by the measures the government has taken to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Investigations have been opened for 750 people in 66 provinces by chief public prosecutors' offices," Gül said.

Employees in Turkey's prisons will go into isolation for a "determined time span" and will not immediately go to their homes after their shifts, the justice minister has said.

"As of [March 30], prison staff will not be sent to their homes for a determined timespan and will stay at isolated locations," Abdulhamit Gül said on March 30.

Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül has announced that all judicial proceedings have been suspended until April 30, as part of measures taken to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

A lawyer for the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) leader and two lawyers who are members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been listed as candidates for the revamped Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). 

I listened very carefully to the speech of Zerrin Güngör, president of the Council of State (Danıştay). As in every long speech, there were both correct and questionable aspects. 

One of the prosecutors in a controversial case into trucks belonging to the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) case, who was later arrested for alleged links to the network of Fethullah Gülen, was aware of a deadly bombing in the southern province of Hatay, but did not take action to put pressure on the intelligence, according to a report. 

Why the word "supreme" was removed from the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) in the constitutional amendments, I could not receive an answer from anybody.

Could it be a reflection of the ruling party's mentality of regarding only the "elected" as superior? If so, then we have to start worrying.