Critics in Türkiye disappointed with judicial reform package.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) has sent the tenth package of judicial reforms and changes to the penal code to the parliament for approval. Since late last year, all legal experts, defense lawyers and social activists have been waiting to learn about the content of this package.
However, the release of news of a new round of negotiations between the Intelligence Service (MIT) and the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, and the dissolution of this group has caused expectations to rise even higher. Because everyone expected that in exchange for the dissolution of the PKK, the ground would be prepared for the release of tens of thousands of political prisoners and, at the same time, dozens of dismissed Kurdish mayors would return to their posts. However, it has now become clear that the package in question has minimal benefits and does not have any special features that could encompass the meaning and concept of “judicial reforms”.
The leaders of the Democratic Party, as the most important satellite institution of the PKK in the Turkish parliament, while criticizing the content of the package called judicial reforms and changes to the penal code, believe that this text is not in line with the agreement between the government and Öcalan.