18 January 2017•Update: 18 January 2017
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged a reformed judicial system with a harmonious separation of powers.
Addressing members of the judiciary at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, Erdogan decried the Fetullah Terror Organization’s (FETO) infiltration of judicial bodies and the trouble they have caused.
Erdogan urged a new democratic judicial system, saying, “Redefining the relations between the legislative and executive powers in a democratic way is not a loss but a gain for Turkey.”
He reassured that the pluralistic, broad-based structure of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) would be protected, saying, “There is no possibility of returning to [old systems] from the pluralistic system which has benefited us greatly."
Referring to FETO, he said the terrorist group had abused the support given to judicial bodies to fight the coup plotters. “This abuse led them to not only dominate positions but also damaged our fight against the putschists.”
Constitutional changes to Turkey’s system of government are now going through parliament.
Constitutional reform and the change to a presidential system has been on the political agenda since Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a former prime minister and Justice and Development (AK) Party leader, was elected president in August 2014. This marked the first time a Turkish president had been directly chosen by popular vote.
The July 15 defeated coup left at least 248 people martyred, and around 2,200 others wounded.
Turkey's government accuses the FETO terror network of staging the coup attempt as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Since the failed coup attempt, operations have been ongoing in the military, police, and judiciary, as well as in state institutions across the country, to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETO.
*Reporting by Enes Kaplan; Writing by Ahmet Sait Akcay
