17.03.2025 21:50
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who came together with members of the press for iftar in Ankara, delivered striking messages. Minister Tunç stated, "Regardless of their ethnic origin, we will hopefully build a Turkey free of terrorism together, in brotherhood and without any discrimination."
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç met with members of the press for iftar in Ankara. Minister Tunç stated, "Regardless of ethnic origin, we will hopefully build a Turkey free of terrorism together, in brotherhood and without any discrimination."
MINISTER TUNÇ MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE PRESS AT IFTAR
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç came together with members of the press at the iftar program held at the Dikmen Judicial Lodge. Expressing his pleasure in meeting with the press at the iftar program, Minister Tunç emphasized that the month of Ramadan is a time of unity, solidarity, and brotherhood.
"WE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE WILL BUILD A TURKEY FREE OF TERRORISM"
Tunç expressed that feelings of brotherhood peak during this month, saying, "First of all, I congratulate you on your blessed Ramadan. Of course, when we talk about unity and togetherness, the days we are going through are significant. We are on the verge of getting rid of the scourge of terrorism that has been an obstacle for our country for 40 years. Hopefully, we will succeed. The call that emerged after a few meetings between the İmralı and DEM delegations is a call for the dissolution of the terrorist organization and the laying down of arms. This is a very important call. Regardless of ethnic origin, we will hopefully build a Turkey free of terrorism together, without any discrimination. We have no doubt about this. I was in Van the other day. People are very excited. Hopefully, this excitement will not be in vain, the terrorist organization will dissolve itself, and the arms will be laid down. In this regard, we are especially following the efforts being made. Everyone has responsibilities," he said.
"WE HAVE SIGNED VERY IMPORTANT REFORMS"
Speaking about Turkey being a rule of law state, Minister Tunç stated, "The establishment of justice is a prerequisite for achieving social peace and tranquility; where there is justice, there is peace and tranquility. If there is justice somewhere, everything is put in its place. In this sense, our country has made significant progress in strengthening the rule of law, establishing justice, and creating a reliable justice system over the past 23 years. Constitutional amendments have been made, and we have made significant strides towards bringing our country to a high standard democracy, which is considered a silent revolution. Of course, we have signed very important reforms, especially in eliminating the tutelary understanding in our constitution, and in taking further steps towards Turkey's democratic rule of law," he added.
"WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN TERMS OF PRESS FREEDOM"
Stating that they have signed reforms such as changes in the governance system and ensuring judicial unity, Tunç said, "We have implemented very important reforms such as the abolition of state security courts, the abolition of military jurisdiction, and making the structure of the Judges and Prosecutors Council and the Constitutional Court more democratic and in line with the principles of the rule of law. Of course, in terms of freedom of thought and expression, and press freedom, our country has made significant progress," he said.
"DISINFORMATION IS A SITUATION THAT THREATENS PRESS FREEDOM"
Tunç continued his speech as follows: "We have implemented very important reforms. Of course, we said that establishing justice is important; being fair is important for the rule of law, but it is also important to appear fair. Therefore, the correct transmission of the practices of impartial and independent judiciary, which is an indispensable condition for justice, to society is very important. The press is indeed an indispensable condition for a democratic rule of law. Many innovations have been implemented, such as bringing digital media under the scope of the Press Law. We are now facing a situation where we are intensely confronted with disinformation due to the influence of social media. Disinformation is actually a situation that threatens press freedom as well. Therefore, in the fight against disinformation, some innovations and regulations have been made in our legislation. Due to the fact that disinformation on social media can also manifest itself in the written press, some problems can arise. Therefore, one of the most important ways to protect press freedom and to safeguard freedom of thought and expression is to regulate the internet and social media accordingly."
"THERE IS NO JOURNALIST ARRESTED IN TURKEY FOR ANY ACTIVITY"
Responding to criticisms regarding press freedom, Tunç said, "When we say that the press is free in our country, we face some criticisms. There are statements about journalists being arrested, etc. Let’s be clear: there is no journalist arrested in Turkey for any activity. They may be journalists by profession, but there may be an investigation by the judiciary for a different crime. None of us would want a journalist to be subjected to a criminal investigation. However, to show Turkey as lagging behind in press freedom indices, even behind Israel, is an injustice to the Turkish press. Therefore, Israel is a country that has killed more than 200 journalists in the past year. How can Turkey be shown above in press freedom? Is that possible?" he stated.
"WE HAVE MEASURES TO TAKE AGAINST LONG TRIALS"
Speaking about measures to be taken to enhance the criminal justice system, Tunç said, "We have prepared the judicial package on this issue. We will present it to the discretion of our members of parliament in the coming days. There are measures we will take to increase the effectiveness of legal proceedings and to free our citizens from long-lasting trials. Our legal package is ready. Both will pass through the Parliament with the discretion of the members of parliament before the Parliament enters the summer session," he said.
"OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE TRUST IN THE JUDICIARY TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL"
Tunç concluded his speech by saying, "We have a Judicial Reform Strategy Document ahead of us. We have very important goals, especially regarding the acceleration of the judiciary. It will pass with the discretion of our members of parliament before the Parliament enters the summer session. Our entire goal is to raise our citizens' trust in the judiciary to the highest level. One of the most important goals of our country is also a democratic constitution. We will enter the new century of Turkey with a completely new constitution written by civilians."
"WE NEED TO START THE CENTURY OF TURKEY WITH A NEW CONSTITUTION"
We have implemented very important reforms to eliminate the tutelary spirit in our constitution. However, the numerous changes and the addition of new institutions have disrupted the coherence in the constitution. At this point, we need to start the century of Turkey with a new constitution, completely rewritten, by civilians and representatives of the nation. Hopefully, a consensus will be reached in the Parliament on this issue. Our Speaker of the Parliament has initiated a study on this matter. This study is about the efforts for a terrorism-free Turkey. Hopefully, as our country enters the new century of Turkey, it will break free from all shackles and continue on its path with firm steps towards becoming a democratic rule of law state." After the program, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç chatted with press representatives over tea.Elbette, mevcut HTML içeriğini bozmadan metni İngilizce'ye çevirebilirim. Ancak, çevirmemi istediğiniz metni belirtmediniz. Lütfen çevirmemi istediğiniz metni paylaşın, böylece size yardımcı olabilirim.