Opposition MP Slams 11th Judicial Package over Justice Crisis

WISE NEWS PRESS / ANKARA, TURKEY — DEC. 3, 2025

Yeni Yol Group Deputy Chairman Selçuk Özdağ has strongly criticized the government's proposed "11th Judicial Package," describing it as a "day-saving measure" rather than a genuine reform capable of solving Turkey's deepening justice crisis.

Speaking at a press conference in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), Özdağ argued that justice cannot be a concept the government remembers only when convenient. He highlighted that the proposed legislation fails to address the root causes of judicial dysfunction, pointing to Ministry of Justice data showing over 12 million pending cases as a concrete sign of the country's "accumulated justice debt."

Crisis of Confidence in the Judiciary

Özdağ referenced the Life Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), which indicates that 46.4% of the population believes laws are not applied fairly or impartially. He noted that this figure represents the highest level of distrust since 2008.

"Almost half of the citizens feel they are not equal before the law; this is a much heavier crisis than a mere technical regulation can fix," Özdağ stated. He emphasized that while the bill's stated justification includes strengthening judicial independence, the actual content offers only partial and fragmented steps designed to relieve immediate pressure rather than ensure long-term justice.

Controversy Over Early Release and Earthquake Cases

A significant portion of the MP's criticism focused on the expansion of the "Covid-19 leave" regulation, which effectively functions as an early release mechanism for inmates. While acknowledging that the move is expected to lead to the release of approximately 115,000 people to relieve prison overcrowding, Özdağ warned that such measures damage the public's sense of justice when implemented without structural reform.

He made a specific appeal regarding the trials related to the February 6, 2023 earthquakes. "It is unacceptable for those responsible in the earthquake process to benefit from amnesty-like regulations just to relieve prisons," Özdağ said, calling for these specific cases to be exempted from the release provisions.

Digital Freedoms and Structural Reform

The MP also raised alarms regarding new powers granted to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) within the package. Provisions allowing for account suspensions, fines for non-compliant companies, and limitations on line numbers pose serious risks to freedom of expression and privacy, according to Özdağ.

Concluding his remarks, Özdağ outlined what a "true reform" would entail: restructuring the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) to remove executive influence, ensuring full compliance with Constitutional Court (AYM) and European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings, and ending the practice of treating pre-trial detention as a summary punishment.

"If justice collapses in a country, neither the economy, nor politics, nor social peace can survive," Özdağ warned.

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