So-called advocates of justice deceive humanity: Erdogan

ANKARA

The so-called advocates of justice failed to get justice for Rohingya, Libya, Palestine and Jerusalem, and they “deceive humanity”, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

Addressing prosecutors and other members of the judicial system in capital Ankara at a ceremony, Erdogan said the world is bigger than the five countries, referring to five permanent UN Security Council members which exercise veto powers.

"The world is bigger than five" is a famous slogan repeatedly used by Erdogan to criticize the permanent UN Security Council members -- China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S.

The Turkish president has long been calling on the international community and the UN member states to reform the "unjust" decision-making process in the UN.

Commenting on the Turkish justice system, Erdogan said: "Turkey fights for an independent and national justice system that suffered attacks from various terror groups in the past, as well as from the political and military tutelage."

"We won't allow Turkey to return to bad, old days when gangs within judicial system exercised arbitrary justice," said the Turkish president.

"No judicial institution or judge is liable to make decisions in line with interests of any party, politician or person, including me," he added.

Erdogan urged judges and prosecutors to continue to exercise their freedom in the face of intimidations, referring to the recent speeches of main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu that targeted judges.

The president also paid homage to Turkish prosecutor Selim Kiraz, who was murdered while on duty by DHKP-C terrorists in 2015.

"One Selim Kiraz will be martyred but thousands more will come," said Erdogan.