Turkish authorities are preparing to introduce changes to the criminal system against the perception of impunity following back-to-back incidents that sparked nationwide uproar in recent weeks.
A series of legal measures will ensure the enforcement of punishment for first-time criminals or those with records to prevent the idea of impunity with verdicts “that harm the public conscious,” according to Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç.
The “impunity” in question came to the fore recently after a young man who shot dead a police officer in Istanbul was revealed to have walked free in an earlier case despite his lengthy criminal history. Similarly, a social media uproar broke out over the release of a famous couple for whom prosecutors asked for long prison terms on charges of money laundering.
More recently, Türkiye was outraged by the gruesome murder of two young women by a 19-year-old man who reported himself to the police between the murders before committing suicide hours later.
The issue of criminals with a record who get to walk free is a top concern for many, as well as convicts with a prison sentence of two years or less or those who don’t serve time and receive probation. The public outcry has pushed authorities to make deep-rooted changes.
Accordingly, the changes to the execution system would mean convicts with such sentences or records would serve at least a month in prison, and any additional time would be calculated based on the punishment.
New legal measures would also imprison those with unlicensed weapons and those who assault others in traffic, put in place after an incident involving a pregnant woman that made headlines last summer.
Additionally, new measures would include the establishment of a judicial police force to quell the concerns over the quick release of assaulters, which is usually attributed to slow collection of evidence or ineffective investigation.
This judicial force would be instructed directly by prosecutor’s offices instead of police or gendarmerie departments, quickening the process of collecting evidence, eliminating any possibility of overlooked details and strengthening the case against the criminal.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan often warns against this sense of impunity, arguing that “verdicts that do not address concerns in public conscience do not serve social peace.”
“Unfortunately, we occasionally come across bad examples serving a sense of impunity. We are exerting efforts to minimize this,” he said last month.
At a parliamentary meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday, he confirmed necessary changes would be made to the criminal execution provisions, assuring at least 10% of the prison sentence for certain crimes would be served.
“If someone had five criminal records, the law will allow that they are tried while in custody without waiting for other cases to be completed or added to their record,” he said.
The length of detention will be determined in proportion to the crimes committed by the person and the sentences they will receive.
“We will do whatever it takes for our people to feel safe,” he said.
There is already a draft at Parliament on said changes, which will be discussed in the coming weeks.
