Minister Gürlek: Victims and suspects have reconciled in more than 2 million files since 2017

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) Fuzuli Aydoğdu, HSK 1st Department Head Turan Kuloğlu, lawyers and mediators attended the Conciliation Award Ceremony and 10th Anniversary Symposium on Alternative Solutions held in a hotel in Ankara.

Gürlek, who made the opening speech of the program, stated that concluding disputes fairly, to the satisfaction of the parties and the society, and reaching the result with fast, simple methods and at the least cost are among the biggest goals of both substantive law and trial law.

Stating that the Ministry of Justice carries out uninterrupted work towards the aim of the judiciary to fulfill its duty properly and justice to be served quickly, Gürlek said that they attach great importance to alternative dispute resolution methods in this context.

Gürlek stated that Türkiye's criminal legislation has been renewed by taking human-oriented approaches into account with the reform studies carried out since 2005, and emphasized that the criminal justice system is one of the basic guarantees of the state of law.

Pointing out that the success of the system cannot be measured only by investigating, prosecuting and sanctioning crimes, Gürlek said, "Protecting the victim, facilitating access to justice, concluding disputes within a reasonable time and strengthening the society's trust in the justice system are also integral elements of this success. Traditional criminal justice is indispensable for investigating the allegation of crime, evaluating the evidence and making a decision in accordance with the law." he said.

Gürlek stated that going through the same trial process for every dispute may not always be the most effective and efficient solution and continued his words as follows:

"In our criminal justice system, institutions such as conciliation, expedited trial, prepayment and postponement of the opening of a public lawsuit, as well as the simple trial procedure, offer different solution opportunities within the legal conditions. The common point of these mechanisms, which have different legal purposes and areas of application, is that they contribute to the more effective functioning of criminal justice and the more efficient use of judicial resources. I would like to underline here that alternative solutions are not to give up on justice, but to achieve justice in the fastest and most effective way, with methods appropriate to the nature of the dispute."

Minister of Justice Gürlek stated that one of the most important dimensions of alternative solutions is the concept of restorative justice.

Source: TRT Haber Açık RSS (Gündem) (Open Press / Translated Full Text)