Turkey's Democracy and Judiciary Concerns

Even if it could be surprising, because we as a parliament have the request of the Turkish

authorities to monitor closely the situation of democracy in the country.

Sometimes I have been depicted as interfering.

I'm not interfering, it's not even my right, it's my duty to produce an annual report on

behalf of the European Parliament regarding the accession process of Turkey, because Turkey

is a candidate country, meaning we have to take care of what is happening in democratic

standards.

As you know, our opinion has been published recently.

The situation can be worse.

We always think it can be worse, but I have to say the imagination of the regime is always

overstepping and saying the thing.

And the other reason for my presence here is, even if it could be surprising, is because

of the NATO Summit.

But the NATO Summit is in Ankara, yes.

But these hearings are happening today because there is a NATO Summit in Ankara.

because it's statistically impossible that they can be at the same time,

three hearings, on the same person, for three cases, and, oh, great surprise,

in the same days that every attention is in Ankara with the NATO Summit.

And for that reason, this is the reason of my presence, solidarity on behalf of the Parliament,

solidarity on behalf of the Social Democrat family in Europe,

and try to assess in which way the deterioration of the independence of judiciary

has reached the lowest level imaginable.

We have just heard, minutes ago, that this case, the diploma case,

has been postponed to the first days of the next year.

And we knew that they decided to have, at the same day,

one person to defend himself in three different cases.

And it has to be finished before the 9th of July.

Do you really think that anybody...

out of this country thinks that this judiciary is independent?

You know very well what means the appointment of Akin Gurlek,

the ominous former prosecutor of Istanbul as the Minister of Justice.

In any way, Akin Gurlek could be a piece in any kind of political democratic reform in this house, in this country.

Because Akin Gurlek was the political tool to remove Imamoglu from the political competition.

Akin Gurlek was sent to Istanbul to complete the task that the AKP candidates were not able to complete before when they came to the elections.

Instead of trying again to the elections, they try another way,

which is to use the judiciary, to use the prosecutors to get rid of Akin Imamoglu.