Turkish government 'must withdraw reactionary reforms of judicial system'

Commenting on the proposed reform of the Turkish judicial system, which would undermine the independence of the judiciary, Green MEP and chair of the EP's Turkey delegation Hélène Flautre, and Dany Cohn-Bendit, co-president of the Greens/EFA group, said: "The unfolding events in Turkey are a cause for concern. Faced with allegations of the corruption, the Turkish government has responded by massively reorganising the police forces and, now, attempting to reform the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors. 

"The reform project that is being discussed in the Turkish Parliament raises very serious concerns: if adopted, this bill would gravely undermine the independence of the judiciary. This would cancel the positive reforms undertaken by the government over the past 10 years, which we have consistently supported."

"This is a test for the Turkish democracy. While there is a need to reform the judicial system in Turkey to prevent its politicisation, these reforms must not be a reactionary response to a corruption scandal but based on democratic principles and broad consensus. We call on the Turkish government to abstain from intervening in the ongoing corruption scandal. Instead, the Turkish government should only undertake reforms designed to ensure the independence of the judiciary, in close co-operation with the Council of Europe and the EU."

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