The AKP submitted the "Law Proposal on the Amendment of the Law on the Execution of Criminal and Security Measures and Certain Laws" to the Parliament on 29 May. The 10th Judicial Package drew the reaction of many groups. In particular, the absence of the execution regulation on the Covid-19 period in the package caused reactions.

 

Evaluating the new judicial package, Human Rights Association (IHD) Co-chair Eren Keskin said, "There is nothing in this package that will raise the hopes for peace." Eren Keskin pointed to the conventions to which Turkey is a party and said, "Turkey has accepted these conventions above its own constitution. Freedom of expression, freedom of association and personal rights are guaranteed. But Turkey violates these conventions because it is not a state of law. It does not act in accordance with its own signature. It does not implement the decisions of the Constitutional Court (AYM). The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) does not implement its judgements."

 

'INEQUALITY NEEDS TO BE ELIMINATED'

 

Eren Keskin said that the society has some expectations in the ongoing process regarding the Kurdish issue and democratisation. Eren Keskin stressed that there are still one thousand 412 ill prisoners in prison: “230 prisoners unable to do their own work. For this reason, a regulation on the release of ill prisoners was expected. An amendment to the Law on Execution was also expected. These are expected in the short term.”

She criticised double standardised of the execution system: “For example, if you have committed a crime such as theft or fraud, you serve half of your sentence and get out of prison. But if you are in prison because of your political identity, you serve three quarters of your sentence. There is a great inequality of execution. These need to be eliminated.”

 

‘IF PRESSURE ABOLISHED PRISONERS WILL RELEASE’' 

 

Eren Keskin said that the new judicial package did not meet expectations, on the contrary it was "backward and surprising".  She said: "There is talk of a process, there is a party that says 'I laid down arms' and a step is expected against this. However, the emergence of such a draft law was surprising. Ill prisoners were naturally in expectation. The package does not fulfil these expectations. There is no need for a legal regulation for ill prisoners. If the political pressure on the Forensic Medicine Institution is lifted and it makes decisions in accordance with medical ethics, many ill prisoners will be released from prison anyway."

 

'A DISCRIMINATORY APPROACH'

 

Eren Keskin stated that the reports of the Administrative and Observation Boards, as well as the ATK, stating that "poses a danger to society" are also an obstacle to the release of prisoners, and said that this situation is "enemy law". Eren Keskin said, "This is still in place in the draft law. Apart from this, those sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment will not be able to benefit from these changes. This is against the principle of equality in the constitution. No matter for what reason you are being tried, no matter what your sentence is, there can be no discrimination if you are ill. This is an extremely discriminatory approach. "

 

Eren Keskin criticises the requirement of imprisonment even for the lowest sentence in the judicial package: “People are being told 'don't go out on the streets, don't participate in press statements, you will go to prison'. This is a major obstacle to freedom of expression and freedom of association."

 

'EQUALITY IN EXECUTION MUST BE ENSURED'

 

There is nothing about this law that will raise hopes for peace,” said Eren Keskin and added: “What should be done is to ensure equality in execution, abolish the Anti-Terror Law, remove obstacles to freedom of expression and freedom of association, abolish special trial procedures, and abolish specially authorised courts. These are our usual demands. But we know that these changes will not happen overnight. But at least we were expecting a promising change on the road to these changes.”

 

MA / Omer Ibrahimoglu