News

"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent the Law Number 6572 "On the Amendment of Some Changes on the Law on Judges and Prosecutors, Legislations and Statutory Decrees" - known in the public as the "Judicial Package" - to the Prime Ministry in order to be published."

Comment

Some of the innovations of this Judicial Package are: Removing the judicial year opening ceremonies. "Reasonable doubt" will be sufficient for police searches. Improving the financial and social rights for judges and prosecutors. Opening new departments for the Supreme Court and Council of State; and appointing new members.

While the AKP used to introduce new packages in order to sweep out the remnants of British politics, it now aims at ingraining American politics through its "inner security package" and "judicial package". The internal security package was enacted after the Kobane protests on 6-8 October which ended with the death of 40 people, in order to prevent a repetition of difficulties for the resolution process and to avoid any protests. Judicial changes have been made especially regarding penalties for those taking part at demonstrations or using Molotov cocktails. However the most important changes are the subordination of the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command to the Interior Ministry and the limitation of their authorities, and the restructuring within the police.

The changes the AKP had made within the police in its struggle against the Gülen Cemaat were not enough. That's why it sent all 1st degree police chiefs into retirement and introduced new hierarchichal structures within the police and introduced this new law in order to disband the Gülen Cemaat with new staff.

It also increased the penalties for protesters in order to prevent a second failure as it experienced during the 6-8 October events regarding the resolution process.

Additionally through subordinating the Gendarmerie (JİTEM) who supports the PKK in the East and Southeast to the Interior Ministry, it cut off the support to the PKK on the one side, and forestalled attempted coups in Turkey on the other side. Because in particular the influence of the ground forces and of the Gendarmerie have been big during the periods of coups. Now this influence has been broken a little bit more.

Also the AKP government who successfully came through the HSYK (the supreme board of judges and prosecutors) elections, weakened the Gülen Cemaat and strenghtened its own powers through opening new divisions in the State Council and Supreme Court and through appointing new judges to these institutions. The operations on 14.12.2014 against the media of the Gülen Cemaat were a part of this clearance. All these are steps taken to complete the transition to new Turkey or the presidential system.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Musa Bayoğlu