19.12.2025 15:15
The Minister of Justice, Yılmaz Tunç, addressed the claims that a special residence has been built for the PKK terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan in Imralı, stating, "These reports are not true. There is no construction of any buildings in Imralı."
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç attended the 20-Year Panorama Symposium of the Turkish Supervised Release System. After the symposium held at the Ankara Judges' House, Tunç answered questions from the press.
"THERE IS NO CONSTRUCTION IN IMRALI"
When asked about reports claiming that a private residence was being built for PKK terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan in Imralı, Tunç stated, "These reports are not true. There is no construction of a building in Imralı or anything like that. The General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses had already made the necessary statements when these reports were published."
"THE PROCESS OF A TERROR-FREE TURKEY IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR FUTURE"
Regarding whether work has begun on the laws related to the process, Tunç noted:
"The process of a terror-free Turkey is a very important process for our country and the future of our nation. For it to succeed, our relevant institutions, the political establishment, and all our citizens are working with great expectations and coordination."
"WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THOSE DAYS, WE DO NOT WANT TO RETURN TO THEM"
Looking back at the last year, we actually refer to this as the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process, which is a 41-year struggle. Our security forces have made sacrifices in this struggle. We have lost martyrs, experienced great pain, and thousands of our soldiers, police officers, and health workers have been martyred. The pain and difficulties we felt when we attended those martyr funerals, the heavy responsibilities placed on our state's officials and politicians... We have not forgotten those days. We do not want to return to those days.
In the last 23 years of the 41-year struggle, we have eliminated all areas exploited by terrorism one by one. When our President came to power, the first thing he did was lift the state of emergency. In other words, to have a normalization process, and subsequently, significant progress has been made in terms of democratic steps and the expansion of fundamental rights and freedoms, not only for our Turkish citizens but for all our citizens.
"A STUDY WILL BE CONDUCTED ON THE PREPARATION OF A JOINT REPORT"
Especially in the last year, following the speeches made by our President in Ahlat emphasizing 'let's strengthen the internal front', and after Mr. Bahçeli's speech and call in the group, an important phase was reached with the terrorist organization's decision to dissolve and burn its weapons. Of course, the most important step was the establishment of a commission in the Parliament. The commission, established under the chairmanship of our Parliament Speaker, held important meetings and listened to the parties. The process of writing the report has begun. Our political parties are gradually submitting their reports to the Commission. Each party has different views on this matter. In this sense, a study will be conducted on the preparation of a joint report. After our Parliament Speaker completes the work on this issue, whatever the roadmap to be drawn within the framework of that joint report is, if legal regulations are needed, our Parliament will certainly do that. There are some news in the press stating 'these will be done, those will be done, there is such a preparation in the Ministry of Justice, etc.', but such a situation does not exist. The authority to make laws belongs to our members of Parliament. We provide technical support.
"THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION'S DISARMAMENT IS BEING MONITORED BY INSTITUTIONS"
It is important to pay attention to the statements made here. There may be sabotages and provocations from circles that want to sabotage and disrupt the process, who do not want Turkey to be free from terrorism. We need to continue our work in a prudent manner without falling into these traps. The disarmament of the terrorist organization is being monitored by our state's relevant institutions. Of course, this monitoring process is communicated to the commission as information. All of these will certainly be included in the report.
"THIS WILL NOT BE CALLED A 'PEACE LAW', NOR A 'TRANSITION LAW'"
In other words, as a result of monitoring the disarmament process, the issues related to whether the terrorist organization has been effectively dissolved and where the process has reached are matters communicated to the commission by the relevant institutions of the state. In this context, the commission will prepare its report. It is not correct to call these 'Peace Laws'.
The legal regulation needs arising from the dissolution of the terrorist organization, along with the finalization of disarmament, will be carried out within the principles of the rule of law. It is not correct to call these 'Peace Laws' because we are not in a state of war. This country has been fighting terrorism for 41 years and has eliminated all areas exploited by terrorism, and has eradicated discrimination. With the great efforts of our President, significant investments have been made without any discrimination from the east to the west of Turkey, from its universities to its hospitals, from its dams to its factories.
If there is a need for legal regulation regarding the dissolution of the terrorist organization within the framework of the rule of law, the Parliament will do this. But it will not be called a 'Peace Law'. It will not be a 'Transition Law' either. Because where are we transitioning from and to? The regime is not changing here. Therefore, if there are necessary laws regarding the dissolution of the terrorist organization, they will be enacted within the framework of the roadmap to be drawn by the commission established in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
"ROJIN'S PHONE IS IN SPAIN FOR PASSWORD DETECTION"
Speaking about the Rojin Kabaiş investigation, Tunç stated that Kabaiş's phone has been sent to Spain, saying, "The phone examination is currently ongoing. According to the latest information we received, a 10-digit password is being used on that phone. Work is being done to solve this password. After the password is solved, digital examinations will be conducted on the phone. After the digital examination of the phone is completed, we hope to reach important evidence. We once again share the pain of the family and extend our condolences. The pain of losing a child is certainly not easy, and they also want it to be clarified. We hope to reach a conclusion with the resolution of the passwords," he said.
"INVESTIGATIONS REGARDING VIRTUAL BETTING ON THE AGENDA OF THE COUNTRY CONTINUE"
Regarding the ongoing virtual betting and drug operations, Tunç noted:
"There is a strong determination from our President regarding our fight against virtual betting investigations.
Our struggle continues. Especially with the development of technology and the widespread use of the internet, virtual betting has become a situation that threatens the future of our children. It is heading towards a point that disrupts family integrity and collapses families, and we needed to work on this issue. This is a problem for the whole world, not just Turkey. In this sense, we have initiated some efforts to protect our citizens, our youth, and our families.
In particular, there are provisions regarding the effective investigation of crimes committed online, especially fraud committed through information technology, the immediate seizure of accounts, and the resolution of grievances. These provisions have passed through the Justice Commission. There are regulations aimed at preventing phone fraud, and the law proposal grants the Information Technologies Authority (BTK) powers regarding the limitation of phone lines to a certain extent. The BTK is working on foreign lines. Our citizens receive messages from foreign numbers, and when they click on these messages, their accounts are accessed, leading to significant grievances. To prevent this, the lines given to foreigners should consist of certain numbers, and our citizens need to know that it comes from a foreign line. Similar regulations that impose responsibilities on banks and payment institutions require biometric verification when opening an account or subscribing to a phone line. Regulations that impose obligations and responsibilities on these matters have been included in the 11th Judicial Package.
Of course, these are legal regulations. On the one hand, investigations related to virtual betting and gambling are ongoing in our Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices. Throughout the country, our Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices have established offices related to cyber crimes. We find this particularly important in terms of specialization. Our efforts continue to make these investigations more effective. Investigations related to virtual betting on the national agenda are ongoing. We will follow the results of these investigations just like you. An impartial and independent judiciary will determine who has committed a crime here.