01.09.2025 23:34
In a speech at the Judicial Year Opening Ceremony at the Supreme Court, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz made a notable warning. Yılmaz stated, "The duty of the courts is not to conduct a review of appropriateness, but to conduct a review of compliance with the law. The moment you enter the realm of appropriateness, you enter the domain of politics and administration."
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz stated, "The duty of the courts is not to conduct a review of appropriateness but to conduct a review of legality. The moment you enter the realm of appropriateness, you have entered the realm of politics and administration."
OPENING CEREMONY OF THE JUDICIAL YEAR AT THE SUPREME COURT In the İsmail Rüştü Cirit Conference Hall at the Supreme Court, the 2025-2026 Judicial Year Opening Ceremony was attended by Vice President Yılmaz, Supreme Court President Ömer Kerkez, Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, President of the Turkish Bar Association (TBB) Erinç Sağkan, as well as judiciary members and guests.
VICE PRESIDENT YILMAZ: WE BELIEVE THAT THE RIGHTEOUS MUST BE STRONG Regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Vice President Yılmaz emphasized that no matter how advanced societies may be in science, technology, and material development, progress disconnected from justice, morality, and ethics holds no human value.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz Vice President Yılmaz conveyed that the events in Gaza remind us once again of the importance of justice, morality, law, and compassion, stating, "The silence of some countries and circles that try to teach justice lessons to many, including Turkey, in the face of what is happening in Gaza is a lesson for all of us. We must all take the necessary lessons from this. Unfortunately, we see with sadness that the understanding of 'if I have power, I can do anything' is becoming dominant in the process our world is going through today. An atmosphere is being created that can be described as 'might makes right.' There cannot be a more dangerous atmosphere in terms of justice. We believe that the righteous must be strong. As the Republic of Turkey, we will continue to increase our power and act with our rightful cause."
"JUSTICE IS ALSO A GUARANTEE OF DEVELOPMENT" Quoting Sheikh Edebali's saying, "Let the person live so that the state lives," Yılmaz stated that justice is considered the foundation of property, saying: "Just as justice is the foundation of the state, it is also a guarantee of development and social welfare, as well as fundamental rights and freedoms. As someone who has served as a Minister of Development for many years, I would like to express this: Where justice is strong, societies develop and demonstrate real progress. Therefore, I would like to emphasize once again the strong relationship between development and justice."
"THE VALUE OF A DECISION EMERGES WHEN IT IS ACCEPTED IN THE CONSCIENCE OF THE NATION" Yılmaz pointed out that the order of existence is based on justice; measure and balance gain meaning through justice. The saying in the Divanü Lügati't Türk, 'If force enters through the door, custom exits through the chimney,' shows that social order can only be sustained through trust in justice. It is vital to protect the rights of every citizen and to ensure that the weak are not oppressed by the strong. The value of a judgment or decision emerges not only when it is based on written provisions but also when it is accepted in the conscience of the nation.
"WE HAVE ELIMINATED DUALITY IN THE JUDICIARY" Yılmaz reminded that the timely realization of justice is of vital importance for the nation, continuing his remarks: "Since 2002, we have taken steps to rid the judiciary of tutelary structures, expanded the guarantees of fundamental rights and freedoms, and signed reforms that have rooted the rule of law. We have increased the effectiveness of our justice system with innovations such as constitutional amendments, the renewal of fundamental laws, the implementation of alternative dispute resolution methods, the development of information technologies in the judiciary, and the strengthening of the physical and technical infrastructure of our justice organization.
We have removed obstacles to the freedom to seek rights and increased the avenues for seeking rights. We have expanded the scope of fundamental rights and freedoms in many areas, from the use of headscarves to the use of mother tongue, from freedom of religion and conscience to freedom of expression. We have abolished the military judiciary that created duality, the State Security Courts (DGM), and the Special Authority Courts. With the constitutional amendment, we granted our citizens the right to individual application to the Constitutional Court," he said.
"THE NUMBER OF FEMALE JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS INCREASED BY 433 PERCENT" Yılmaz stated that by increasing the number of judges, prosecutors, and personnel, the human resource capacity in the judiciary has been strengthened, saying, "While the number of judges and prosecutors was 9,349 in 2002, it has now increased by 173 percent to 25,551. I am proud to state that the total number of female judges and prosecutors, which was only 1,847 in 2002, has now increased by 433 percent to 9,841. While increasing the number of personnel in the justice organization, we are also taking steps to enhance their quality. With the Legal Professions Entrance Exam we implemented last year, we aim to improve the professional qualifications of those who will become lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and notaries," he said.
"THE DUTY OF THE COURTS IS TO CONDUCT A REVIEW OF LEGALITY" Pointing out that the duty of the courts is to conduct a review of legality, Yılmaz stated, "The duty of the courts is not to conduct a review of appropriateness but to conduct a review of legality. The moment you enter the realm of appropriateness, you have entered the realm of politics and administration. Because many issues are subject to preference. One party can advocate one thing, while another party can advocate something else. The judiciary should not be a party to these discussions. It should not conduct a review of appropriateness. It should only and solely conduct a review of legality," he stated.
Yılmaz noted that there has also been a significant increase in the number of courts, stating that the number of active judicial and administrative first-instance courts has risen from 3,727 to 8,898 since 2002.
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Stating that they have brought technology to the judiciary, Yılmaz said, "We have achieved a digital transformation that will be an example to the world with applications such as UYAP, SEGBİS, e-notification, and electronic hearings. In the upcoming period, we aim to integrate these systems with artificial intelligence. On the other hand, we also aim to share this positive experience with brotherly and friendly countries, especially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan, and gradually turn it into an export product. Because we really have very successful electronic applications. We aim to advance these systems by taking into account the developments in artificial intelligence and to evaluate them in a way that can be exported to other countries," he stated.
"WE WILL ACCELERATE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN JUSTICE SERVICES" Yılmaz, who stated that the justice system is continuously updated according to demands and changing conditions and that the deficiencies in the judiciary are being addressed, used the following expressions:
"Within the scope of the Judicial Reform Strategy Document, we made arrangements to increase the effectiveness of the criminal justice system with the 10th Judicial Package. In this context, we have implemented measures to make criminal justice more effective, eliminate the perception of impunity, expand the scope of special enforcement procedures, prevent the commission of crimes and ensure deterrence, increase traffic safety, and implement regulations related to notary services. In the upcoming period, we will integrate easy access to justice and restorative and compensatory justice practices into our system with our Judicial Reform Strategy Document. We will accelerate the digital transformation in justice services and forensic sciences.
We will ensure that notification processes are carried out in a simpler manner and in a way that reduces errors. We will enhance the management capacity of the penal execution and supervised release system and increase the production capacity of vocational training programs and workhouses. We will not compromise on the principle of zero tolerance for violence against women and will continue our efforts in this area without interruption. We will facilitate access to justice for the elderly and disabled."
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