Turkish MPs advance sweeping judicial reform bill

ANKARA

Turkish lawmakers on the parliamentary justice committee have advanced a judicial reform bill that could pave the way for the release of more than 50,000 inmates, though the scope of the measure has been narrowed to exclude certain offenses.

Following its early-hour approval on Dec. 5, the draft will move to the general assembly before it can become law.

Under the proposal, known publicly as the 11th Judicial Package, inmates convicted of offenses committed on or before July 31, 2023, would be allowed to transfer from closed to open prisons — and from open prisons to probation — up to three years earlier than currently permitted.

The package also expands what is widely known as the “COVID leave,” a measure first introduced during the pandemic. Under the 2020 regulation, inmates held in open prisons were granted temporary release due to COVID-19, enabling earlier transfers to open facilities and earlier eligibility for probation.

Those who had five years or less remaining before qualifying for probation were allowed to remain outside prison without returning.

However, following public backlash, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) introduced and passed an amendment excluding crimes committed against women and children.

These include the intentional killing of women — including spouses and former spouses — as well as sexual assault and sexual abuse offenses targeting women or children.

The regulation is expected to lead to the release of 55,000 inmates initially, with the figure rising to around 115,000 in the following months.

According to AKP parliamentary group chair Abdullah Güler, the package also introduces heavier penalties for crimes committed by criminal organizations that recruit individuals under the age of 18.

The draft, however, does not incorporate a separate Justice Ministry proposal — prepared following the killing of 15-year-old Ahmet Matia Minguzzi by his peers in Istanbul earlier this year — that sought harsher penalties for minors involved in serious offenses.

Instead, acting on an AKP initiative, parliament has agreed to establish a special inquiry commission on juvenile delinquency. The commission’s findings will be submitted to parliament in a separate legislative proposal at a later stage.