International judges warn of ‘party politics’ at HSYK

ISTANBUL

A top international judicial association has called on Turkey to “keep party politics out of the election process” for the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).

“[The HSYK] had been confronted with some reports on attempts to influence it from outside the judiciary,” Gerhard Reissner, the president of the International Association of Judges (IAJ), said in a statement on Sept. 25.

The Turkish government recently admitted that it has plans to change the election system to the key judicial body, after it was disappointed by the first two rounds of the elections late last month.

“The IAJ, which is committed to defending the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law everywhere - on an international as well as on a national level - is closely following developments in Turkey’s justice system,” Reissner added.

He also expressed “best wishes to all the Turkish judges and prosecutors in this crucial situation, that they may succeed in an independent and unbiased way in electing their representatives [for the HSYK], and that they will be able to keep party politics out of the election process.”