Türkiye forms specialized anti-terror investigation bureaus

ANKARA

The Justice Ministry has ordered the establishment of independent terror investigation bureaus across the country’s 81 provinces to centralize operations and speed up judicial processes against terrorist groups.

A directive prepared under Justice Minister Akın Gürlek’s instruction and signed by Deputy Minister Can Tuncay on July 20 requires these units to exclusively handle terrorism-related offenses. Dispatched to 175 high criminal chief prosecutor’s offices, the document outlines measures to ensure a unified nationwide application. Assigned prosecutors will be exempt from standard trial duties, allowing them to focus entirely on terror files.

Meanwhile, district-level offices will conduct urgent initial procedures under the strict instruction of provincial authorities before transferring the paperwork. The administration expects this centralized approach to establish a uniform legal framework. It aims to streamline the prosecution phase while maintaining close surveillance on terrorist networks.

Concurrently, the reform introduces an intelligence mechanism to bolster coordination between judicial bodies and law enforcement. The Penal Affairs General Directorate will compile monthly statistics regarding ongoing investigations, sharing this data with relevant security branches ahead of evaluation meetings scheduled for the first week of every month. These regular summits will gather anti-terror commanders from the Police Department and gendarmerie forces to analyze developments.

Security officials will review the organizational shifts of terrorist groups and adapt operational measures based on shared intelligence. Authorities designed the overhaul to guarantee rapid investigations, forwarding the directive to national security headquarters. “Terror crimes have a direct impact on public safety, societal peace, the undivided integrity of the state and the democratic legal order,” the ministry directive said.