‘The launch of such an investigation is a further sign of the collapse of the rule of law in Turkey,’ said Massimo Frigo, Senior Legal Adviser for the ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme. ‘The disciplinary proceedings against these judges appear to be a direct interference in their decision-making power and will have a chilling effect on the independence of all members of the judiciary. The role of the CJP should be to protect the independence of the judiciary, not to be an instrument of control and pressure against individual judges.’
The launch of the investigation into the judges occurred immediately after the aforementioned acquittals, spurred on by vehement public protest against the verdict by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Thirty Turkish bar associations have issued a joint statement calling for the resignation of the members of the CJP, considering this investigation to be a violation of the principle of judicial independence under the Turkish Constitution.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
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The Gezi Park protests began in May 2013 as an effort by a group of environmentalists to save a park in central Istanbul from being rezoned. These soon grew into nationwide demonstrations which were quelled by the police with the use of tear gas and water cannons.
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