Sweeping judicial bill submitted to parliament

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has submitted to parliament a series of judicial amendments for parliamentary deliberation, including provisions that could pave the way for the release of more than 50,000 inmates.

The bill, publicly referred to as the 11th Judicial Package, included an expansion of what is known as the “COVID leave,” a measure first introduced during the pandemic.

Under the regulation enacted in 2020, inmates held in open prisons were granted temporary release due to the pandemic, enabling earlier transfers to open facilities and earlier eligibility for probation. Those with five years or less remaining before qualifying for probation were allowed to remain outside prison without returning.

If enacted, the new bill would allow individuals who committed offenses before July 31, 2023, but whose sentences have not yet been finalized, to serve their probation period outside prison as well.

According to AKP parliamentary head Abdullah Güler, the package also proposes harsher penalties for offenses committed by criminal groups that recruit individuals under the age of 18.

The draft, however, does not include the Justice Ministry’s separate proposal — formulated in the wake of the killing of 15-year-old Ahmet Matia Minguzzi by his peers in Istanbul earlier this year — which sought heavier penalties for minors committing serious crimes.

Acting on an AKP initiative, parliament has instead decided to establish a special inquiry commission on juvenile delinquency. The commission’s findings will later be submitted to parliament in a separate legislative proposal.