ANKARA 

The Turkish president on Monday said that in a society where fundamental rights and freedoms are not guaranteed; trust in justice is damaged and the political will is doomed to fail in efforts for economic development and progress. 

“Sad events in our close geography, especially in Syria, have bitterly shown that countries which disregard justice, fundamental rights and freedoms, law and humanitarian values will not survive,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his speech at the appointment ceremony of judges and prosecutors in the capital Ankara.

Erdogan said the biggest tight spot of the Turkish legal system had been that it was subjected to an anti-democratic intervention almost every 10 years.

He also praised the number of women appointed during the ceremony, saying women candidates stood out with their success.

“There are currently 21,844 judges and prosecutors on duty. With this appointment ceremony, this number will rise to 22,859 today,” he said.

He also commemorated a prosecutor who was shot dead by the DHKP-C terrorist organization.

“I believe that each of my brothers and sisters here will make an effort to carry the banner of justice they received from martyr Mehmet Selim Kiraz to much higher levels.”

In 2015, two DHKP-C terrorists posing as lawyers took Mehmet Selim Kiraz hostage in his office at an Istanbul courthouse and shot him after hours of fruitless negotiations.

The DHKP-C is responsible for numerous terror attacks in Turkey, including the 2013 attack on the US Embassy in Ankara, which left a Turkish security guard martyred and a Turkish journalist injured.

The DHKP-C is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU.

The appointment ceremony was also attended by Vice President Fuat Oktay and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul.  

* Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak.