PRESIDENT GÜL APPROVES JUDICIAL REFORMS

With the new regulations, the current Specially Authorized Courts will be replaced with the Regional High Criminal Courts.

The newly established High Criminal Courts will be in charge of offenses considered under the counter-terrorism law and will be authorized, after the permission the Ministry of Justice, by the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).

Specially Authorized Courts will continue to oversee existing cases until a final verdict is reached.

However, these courts will make their final verdicts according to the new legal procedures.

Hence, the judges dealing with these cases will not be assigned to the new regional high criminal courts.

With the reforms, a new practice enters in the Turkish legal system, called "Judge of Freedoms"

According to this regulation, a suspect can appeal against the arrest decision a judge over false imprisonment. Another judge, the "judge of freedoms", will be assigned by the HSYK will decide instead and can open the way for the release.

Those violating privacy of communication and right of privacy will be sentenced to jail terms of between one to three years.

To open "Stay of execution" cases will be made difficult.

In order for judges to reach a verdict over stay of execution, the condition to "obtain the defense of administrative court will become mandatory.